catamaran from northern diver

[jeffstevens763@g]

might be of interest to some other boats and kit on their website


https://www.ndiver.com/inflatable-catamaran

[Fenlander]

That's really interesting and not too expensive given it says it's made to a pro standard. Be great for getting the Mrs back on board too!

[jeffstevens763@g]

yep and its got a 15hp on the back I bet that fly's i think its half price of the tacakat too rated at 10hp

[Fenlander]

That's going to fly particularly if paired with a light 2-stroke 15hp.

[Steve509926]

Coincidence! I was speaking to one of sales guys at ND this morning about Drysuits/2 piece Flood Suit. Their prices are very competitive for good quality professional gear and they are very convenient for me as they are only half a mile down the road.
One of the things that tended to put me off some of their stuff is the logo "Specialist Rescue Equipment" - smacks of "Calling International Rescue" & "Thunderbird Are Go"!
As it turns out, they will put a plain patch over it or cover it with a standard ND patch.
I've arranged to collect a 2 piece Flood Suit & Surface Dry Suit to make sure they fit before any alterations are done. Edging more towards the Flood Suit as I think it will suit my needs more.

[jeffstevens763@g]

i bought a surface rescue suit from seaskin in leeds made to wear all day great for the sib although ive worn suits all day for years

[pumpkinking]

Do we think this catamaran is more for river and lake use? Seems very flat hulled?

(Edit: read the link, George, then you’ll know...)

Anyway, I want one!!

[Steve509926]

I spoke to the guys at ND this afternoon and mentioned the catamaran. They only brought them into the country as a trial last year which has proved successful. They are bringing a lot more into the country this year, but as with every supplier at the moment, they don't know when.
I'm back there tomorrow, so I'll ask who is using them, inland or costal rescue.

[pumpkinking]

https://www.saturnrafts.com/12-saturn-catamaran.html

I assume they are a rebranded Saturn? Unless Saturn is also a rebrand...

Interested to know what you learn, Steve!

[pumpkinking]

This perfectly summarises the demographic of this forum, right? [emoji23]

[smallribber]

I bought a boat from Northern Diver they are in my view a very good company to deal with

[Fenlander]

>>>perfectly summarises the demographic of this forum

I used to have that red checked shirt but I've moved on now.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by pumpkinking

Do we think this catamaran is more for river and lake use? Seems very flat hulled?

(Edit: read the link, George, then you’ll know...)

Anyway, I want one!!

It’s like a tunnel hull similar to surf cats etc

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

i bought a surface rescue suit from seaskin in leeds made to wear all day great for the sib although ive worn suits all day for years

Front or rear Jeff. Do you have a preference? If you do why?

[chipko]

Good find there Jeff [emoji106]

Having tried unsuccessfully last year to get a price from Saturn in the US for one of their 365 cat’s then this potentially looks an interesting alternative. Tempted at the moment to go for a TrueKit cat from NZ.

Reckon post lockdown I’ll go and see one in the flesh. Initial thoughts, whilst similar looking to the Saturn, worryingly the floor seems to be attached to the bottom of the sponsons. Difficult to tell in the pics but doesn’t look to be a tunnel hull with the floor elevated and attached a third of the way up the toobs.

Hope I’m mistaken as would be nice to be able to purchase an inflatable cat in the UK for that sort of price.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Front or rear Jeff. Do you have a preference? If you do why?

as a diver i had rear entry but you get dressed in by tenders so no probs when the old bones hurt doing the zip up they are fairly easy to do on your own but you cant check to see if you've trapped clothing until the water hits then you know.
this one i have is front entry i went to have it fitted to me so i have no probs with the zip and plenty of room it also negates the need for a pee zip i went for a plastic zip too so far its been great in fact the whole suit is cost be £400 at the time but well worth it. spec is one pocket, 3mm neoprene seals, hard soled boots, braces, reflective tape & front zip.

https://www.seaskin.co.uk/acatalog/D...rface-Use.html

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by chipko

Good find there Jeff [emoji106]

Having tried unsuccessfully last year to get a price from Saturn in the US for one of their 365 cat’s then this potentially looks an interesting alternative. Tempted at the moment to go for a TrueKit cat from NZ.

Reckon post lockdown I’ll go and see one in the flesh. Initial thoughts, whilst similar looking to the Saturn, worryingly the floor seems to be attached to the bottom of the sponsons. Difficult to tell in the pics but doesn’t look to be a tunnel hull with the floor elevated and attached a third of the way up the toobs.

Hope I’m mistaken as would be nice to be able to purchase an inflatable cat in the UK for that sort of price.

yea the floor is level with the toobs at the bow but the toobs drop down to form a tunnel pics a bit better with the tackacat, note the difference in price


https://www.ribsmarine.co.uk/shop/ne...portable-boat/

[Steve509926]

Sorry to spoil the party!
Just back from ND, picked up another dry suit to try for size.
I asked them a few questions about the catamaran :-
1. Not out of the same stable as Saturn
2. The "trampoline" is attached to the bottom of the tubes from bow to stern. So it's a flat hull not a tunnel hull.
3. Primary use is for inland water search & rescue.
4. They did some trials on the Humber estuary with Humberside Fire & Rescue. Bounced a lot in slight chop.
I'll be back there tomorrow, so if you want me to ask anything else let me know.

[chipko]

Thanks for confirming my reservations Steve.

Shame about that, reckon they’ve missed a bit of an opportunity there, and a tunnel hull would still serve as a good rescue craft. Being totally flat bottomed it’ll be ‘a right slippy little mother’ and lethal with that 15 on the back. Worse than a slat floor sib.

[pumpkinking]

Ah thanks for that Steve. The Saturn website says their cats are not designed for “sport or racing” and shouldn’t be used in wind with large outboards as they’re prone to flipping.

But they say they’re great for inland waters, fishing, etc. So I’m sure they’ll suit someone as Jeff said in the OP.