Two-bag dinghy from Tiwal has racing ambition

After selling more than 1,600 inflatable sailing dinghies worldwide, Brittany-based Tiwal says it is launching a sporty, technical and compact dinghy for a more ‘enlightened audience’.

That audience is those looking for a compact boat that performs competitively. And that compactness means stowing in two bags.

“The sporting public wanted a nomadic boat with even better performance. Offering the possibility of sailing everywhere, simply and with maximum fun, is in Tiwal’s DNA,” says Marion Excoffon, designer and co-founder of Tiwal.

The company says its new sport version of its inflatable dinghy, the Tiwal 3R, offers a compact alternative to traditional sports dinghies, having increased rigidity both on the hull, and the mast and appendages. But it also benefits from an increase in power with a new mainsail in laminated sailcloth, and is equipped with a boom.

The company originated as Excoffon decided to make her own boat after her father refused to send her his. That moment, Tiwal says, gave birth to its inflatables that can be assembled in 10 to 20 minutes, can be transported in small cars or on board cruising boats. They are stowed in two bags.

It’s a popular concept. More than 1,600 Tiwal dinghies are now sailing in some fifty countries and used on all types of water. Access to sailing has been widened, say Tiwal, because previous iterations of the inflatable dinghy – suitable for adults and children – are boomless yet highly responsive in a variety of wind conditions.

“For the Tiwal 3R, we’ve brought more rigidity to the whole boat,” says Excoffon. “The hull benefits from a new technology – fusion – as well as a better flow of water at the back of the hull. The mast is made of 90% carbon and the appendages are made in composite. The result is striking, with a behaviour similar to that of a rigid boat, while keeping its compact functionality for being transported.”

“The sail was designed with the resources and experience of North Sails. Its shape is inspired by what is being done for foiling boats,” says Gaëtan Aunnette, Sail Expert at North Sails.

The Tiwal 3R is being previewed at Boot Düsseldorf from January 23rd to 31st 2021, on stand 15G41.