The inflatable hull comes in only one size and is made of double-walled PVC, the mast is of carbon, the sail Dacron, and the daggerboard and rudder are of marine plywood. There is also a very small aluminum frame that enables one to hike out on and keep your feet under while hiking. The kit comes with an electric pump which will pump the boat up to 80 percent pressure. The remaining 20 percent must be done manually using the included manual pump, since that is at higher pressure, stiffening the hull. (You can buy a high-pressure electric pump as an accessory.) How much? The differences are in the sails. Prices (delivered to your door in the U.S. by FedEx in 5-7 working days, at the buyer’s additional cost) run from $5200 with a 5-metre (56sf) sail, $5500 with a 7-metre (75sf) sail, and $6200 with both a 5m and a 7m sail. Currently there are only two dealers in North America: Cambridge, MA, and Acapulco, Mexico. There are about 2030 more, mainly in Europe, but also in such far away places (to name a few) as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Thailand, Australia,
News & Views for Southern Sailors
New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru and Chile. It appears that the U.S. is way behind the curve on this boat. The Tiwal website at www.tiwal.com/en has a great video showing how the boat is put together in a semi-animated version and YouTube has others showing people putting them together. Having spent many years as a diehard windsurfer, I can tell you, this boat is nothn’ to put together compared to a windsurfer (especially since you keep changing sails as the wind changes). I’d love to sail this boat, and if I ever get a chance to retire and travel around, I’ll carry one of these and a kayak. Besides—where else can you get a boat delivered by FedEx? I also wondered: Can you use this hull as a SUP?
SOUTHWINDS
February 2018
47