The perfect dinghy is hard to find if you’re a regular Joe who enjoys sailing, and not a superyacht owner who can afford to shill for a tender and not have to worry about cost, maintenance or storage.
For the average folk, like Roland Heersink, buying a dinghy that meets all these requirements is an impossible feat. And, because he couldn’t find one, he decided to invent it. Meet the AquaNaut 270.
At first glance, the AquaNaut is the unicorn of dinghies, making unicorn-level claims that seem hard to believe. It’s foldable and so light that anyone can carry it from storage to the water, yet it’s pretty much indestructible, since you can also push it on the ground if you don’t feel like carrying it, and it won’t suffer tearing or break apart. It’s also comfortable, stable and spacious enough to offer a little something for both male and female passengers, and it’s electric.
If the name AquaNaut 270 doesn’t ring a bell just yet, it’s because it hasn’t been mass produced, even though versions of it exist as of five years ago. That’s when Heersink started toying with the idea of creating an affordable dinghy that met all his requirements, and he’s been improving on that prototype with help from a partner.
Photo: AquaNautBoats.com
The result, the final version of the AquaNaut 270, is now crowdfunding on KickStarter, with Heersink hoping this would be the final push to bring it into mass production. So what’s about this boat that’s so special, aside from the seemingly impossible claims?
AquaNaut is made of pre-folded 4-mm (0.15-inch) UHPDE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene), which makes it lightweight and so incredibly durable. Heersink describes himself as the least cautious guy, so an inflatable would never work for him because he’d always bang it against the peer or accidentally puncture it by dragging it on the ground. His own creation can do all this and still work: he says that, even if you drive a nail through it, you can rip it out and then seal the hole and still be good to go out at sea.
Because it’s a twin-hull design, the AquaNaut is incredibly stable. It’s shape slices through water instead of riding on waves, so passengers will never get the dreaded wet butt they get on an inflatable. Because it’s stable, you can move around it and not worry about tipping over. In fact, Heersink says, you can use the middle bench as a sundeck, while the other passenger(s) enjoys fishing or silently cruising.
Photo: AquaNautBoats.com
The AquaNaut is foldable, which makes it the perfect choice in terms of storage. When you remove the crossbeams, you get it down to 3 inches (76 mm) thick, and you can easily it hang it on a garage wall by the hook, much like you would a bicycle. Except that it takes up much less space.
Installation is easy and requires no tools. According to Heersink, a child can set it up or take it apart in as little as eight minutes: you simply remove the aluminum crossbeams that connect the two hulls (by unscrewing the bolts), take out the individual seats and the center bench, and you’re done. Assuming those eights minutes are too much of a hassle for you, you can always tow it behind your boat and it wouldn’t be a problem because it’s stable and fast, given its shape.
Propulsion can be whatever you want it to be. The AquaNaut can be rowed with paddles or sailed with sails, or you can be more efficient by adding an electric motor to it. This attaches to the rear crossbeam, and Heersink says a 1000W option would take the dinghy with 4 adults inside to a top speed of 4.2 knots.
Photo: AquaNautBoats.com
Because it’s stable and generous-sized, the AquaNaut can serve a variety of purposes, from ferrying passengers with luggage to carrying groceries / supplies and fishing gear. Total payload is of 650 pounds (295 kg), so that’s the only consideration you have to keep in mind. The weight of the boat without the beams and seats is of 36 pounds (16 kg).
The AquaNaut 270 ships with the twin hulls, the aluminum crossbars and seats, the center bench, stay-dry floors and under-seat safety floats, but you can also get your choice of a motor or paddles. Early backers can get it on KickStarter at $2,799, with MRSP being set at $3,999 when it goes into production.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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