Blow-up Boating
A few years ago, the French company Tiwal arrived on U.S. shores with that most improbable of products, an inflatable sailing dinghy that actually sails the way a boat is supposed to. Now, nearly 1,000 Tiwal 3’s later, the company is back with its Tiwal 2, an even smaller 9ft 2in inflatable that weighs in at a mere 88lb and makes the perfect excursion craft, either for beach launching or carrying aboard a larger cruiser. Transported or stored in a pair of duffels, the Tiwal 2 can be inflated and assembled in as little as 15 minutes and will accommodate a single adult or an adult and a child. (With a crew of all children, who knows!) Again, this is a real sailboat we’re talking about, complete with a V-shaped hull and daggerboard for sailing upwind and true planing ability on a reach. $4,800. Tiwal Corp., tiwal.com
