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boating season down under, boat preparation time up north - get in touch now!
PREMIUM INFLATABLE CATAMARANS - YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE AWAITS
THE UNBEATABLE CONVENIENCE OF A STABLE, LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDING INFLATABLE BOAT THAT STOWS AWAY IN A BAG MAKES TRUE KIT THE PERFECT SOLUTION FOR BOATIES, FISHERMEN, CARAVANNERS OR BACKWOODS EXPLORERS
True Kit is an innovative, independent company that designs, tests and produces an exclusive range of ultra high quality, folding inflatable boats and kayaks. Founder Rod Dawson is a professional yachtsman who individually designs and tests each model to ensure they perform to True Kit standards. Rod loves nothing better than perfecting the ultimate folding inflatable boat.
“We help people to get out onto the water. Our goal is to make everyones boating experience better by making our inflatable boats lighter, more stable and the easiest in the world to pack down. Our boats are used as fishing kayaks, yacht tenders and rescue and support boats. A boat that is simple and fast to set up and fold down gets used a lot. Safety, reliability and stability and core values at the heart of each True Kit tender. We’ve brought some much needed fresh thinking to inflatables.”
True Kit’s relentless drive to innovate and produce the best available inflatable boats has lead to the latest collection of True Kit New Generation designs. Our boats are designed and tested in New Zealand and sent all around the world.
All our inflatables are based on a safe, stable catamaran platform, and are designed to be lightweight and compact enough to fit into a bag. With this incredible versatility and practicality we haven’t forgotten performance however - all our boats deliver an exhilarating ride.
Safety and stability are important values to True Kit. We realise that when you head out on the water, safety is a number one priority. Our unique catamaran design and oversize pontoons mean True Kit inflatables exhibit superior buoyancy and stability. Many people are surprised that you can actually stand up in our boats! Multiple chambers add to the safety and welded seams means you will take your family on the water with peace of mind. In fact, True Kit inflatables are now being used for flood RESCUE and recovery from the water by many organisations around the world.
As well as being very stable, the catamaran design means significantly less drag than a typical deep-v hull. Low-drag hulls allow for the use of much smaller, lighter, more affordable and more fuel-efficient outboard engines. Another big advantage of the cat-hull design is the shallow draught, which is perfect for use in shallow waters and great when beaching your boat - it sits flat on the beach, step out with dry shoes!
Quality and durability were uppermost in our minds when we were choosing the materials for the new True Kit range. After extensive research and testing we have chosen the world’s leading, premium fabric for inflatable boats - Valmex® by Mehler Germany. With over 60 years experience in the development of textiles, Mehler bring the most advanced technology to ensure their high quality, German made textiles are longer lasting. Valmex® demonstrates superior flexibility, elasticity, airtightness and resistance against mechanical damage and UV. Valmex® is also recyclable. Valmex® is manufactured in Germany under the internationally recognised standard of quality: ISO 9001:2008.
We strive to keep the weight our of our inflatable boat range to make our dinghies manageable by anyone. Whether you are using it as a tender and need to pull it onboard the mothership, or your True Kit is your water-going extension of your caravan, keeping it light is critical. Our thermo-welded seams and superior fabrics help us to remove unnecessary weight from the boat.
At True Kit we aim to use the best technology available in the inflatable industry. Many people will have seen poor quality inflatable boats literally falling apart at the (glued) seams after a short period! At True Kit we are safety conscious and that is not an option. The seam can be an inflatable boat's Achilles Heel - or the strongest part. We choose to thermo-weld the seams on our boats to create the strongest bond available (a permanent mechanical bond). A welded seam on a True Kit inflatable actually becomes stronger than the fabric itself (notwithstanding the fact that the fabric we use is the best in the world).
Our up-to-the-minute designs are based on an ultra-efficient catamaran platform which means our boats out-perform most.
Boarding the True Kit from the water - no problem over the landing craft bow. The landing craft bow makes our Discovery Range incredibly suitable for fishing and diving. They are tough but lightweight and will plane with just the smallest of outboards. Even rowing them is a breeze!
True Kit folding inflatable boats are the easiest and fastest in the world to set up. Keep one in the yacht, the motorhome or the back seat of your car! Our agile boats allow any stretch of water to be your playground. Hit the water in minutes. True Kit make the outdoors more accessible.
We use German-made Valmex® fabric and thermo-welded seams. Our strict quality protocols ensure that our boats stand up to their owner's demands. True Kit has become the leader in quality folding boats. Our boats are based on the requirements: lightweight, sturdy and durable.
You can order a boat directly from our website or get in touch with us through our contact page. Payments can be made using a credit card or by direct bank transfer. We send our boats anywhere in the world using DHL door to door service. Delivery typically takes just a few days.
When you choose a True Kit inflatable, you know you are buying a quality product, designed by boaties, for boaties. With all the noise out there on the internet, we know the decision can be difficult, so let’s look at what sets True Kit apart.
Each True Kit inflatable is a unique design of ours. At True Kit we design and test every model in our home waters in New Zealand. We manufacture our boats out of the best available materials using the best technology and systems available and we sell the boats direct to you. In short, we bring you the best inflatable boat at the best value. The people behind True Kit have been around boats all their lives, they use boats on a daily basis, and they bring this experience to every boat sold.
We conducted extensive research before choosing Valmex® for our boats. Valmex® is manufactured by Mehler Texnologies in Germany. Mehler have been manufacturing high quality textiles for over 60 years. They don’t make anything other than top grade products. There are many cheaper fabrics, particularly those produced in Asia which simply do not meet the True Kit standard and those expected by our customers. Valmex® costs around double the price of the common pvcs you typically see on inflatable boats. This fabric is widely recognised as the best weldable fabric for boats in the world and it has been extensively tested in the harshest conditions around the globe.
Before you buy your inflatable boat, ask “is it Valmex®?”
Research indicates that glued seams are usually the first point of failure on an inflatable boat. This is typically due to a combination of reasons relating to the fabric itself and the glues used. In contrast a thermo-bonded or thermo-welded seam results in a seam 4 times stronger than a glued seam. The seam in fact becomes stronger than the fabric itself. It is a mechanical bond as compared to a chemical bond. Remember the tube seams on an inflatable boat are under constant pressure and every time a glued seam is exposed to UV it is becoming weaker. Make sure your next inflatable boat has welded seams.
Check out this specification sheet to view the packed down sizes of each model - click here
Yes. This is one of the reasons we use the highest quality fabrics available. Cheaper fabrics lose there flexibility and durability over time compared to Valmex®.
Yes. Our boats are the easiest boats in the world to both set up and pack down. There are no nuts and bolts, velcro or tools needed. Simply insert the floor and inflate the tubes and floor with the quality hand pump provided. Everything automatically gets locked into place.
As boaties ourselves we know how boats get used. You arrive at the beach and the first thing you do is pull it up on the sand. All inflatables require bottom and side rubbing protection. Without rubbing protection the life expectancy of your inflatable boat is significantly decreased. We also recommend you add transom wheels to your True Kit to provide ease of moving the boat around on land.
We offer a 5 year limited warranty on new boats. Warranty terms can be found under the technical section. Actually, boats built with Valmex® 20 years ago can still be seen zipping around demonstrating exceptional long life expectancy.
Yes we have a great range of accessories, including under-seat bags, custom-sized insulated fish coolers, quick-release transom mounted wheels and a full range of Railblaza equipment for personalising your set up. We can also offer full packages including Yamaha, Mercury and Suzuki outboard engines. Check out our product pages and if you cannot find what you are looking for call us.
Aluminium bench seats (1 or 2 depending on the model), oars, high quality hand pump, boat bags, repair kit.
Both are top quality fabrics and very resistant to a range of environmental factors. However, we prefer to build our boats from German engineered Valmex® as it can be thermo-welded whereas you can only glue hypalon seams, and as we discussed earlier the glued seam is the weak point on an inflatable boat. Valmex® produced boats are also lighter which means less heavy lifting for you.
True Kit use of a range of materials that we source from all over the globe! This includes Valmex® from German and Railblaza from New Zealand. The boats are then manufactured at a state of the art facility in China. This facility is one of a few top-class production facilities that has a range of welding equipment used by technicians trained in this difficult process.
Absolutely! They are lightweight, stable and quiet on the water making them fantastic fishing platforms. We recommend that you leave the gaff at home and take the net, leave the knife in the car and take a decent pair of scissors. Some common sense around protecting the boat from fish spikes in recommended. This can involve using a protective mat and dropping the caught fish directly into a fish bin.
True Kit inflatables have several air chambers for safety. In the unlucky event that you get a puncture, all True Kit Inflatables come with a puncture repair kit. Feel free to have a go yourself, or if you want an expert to do it, call us and we will happily recommend someone. Normally, even the worst accidents can be repaired. More information on repairing inflatables can be found on our YouTube channel here
Give your boat a fresh water rinse when you are finished with it. Dry it out before storing it. Keep it out of the sun when you aren’t using it. A protective cover is recommended if you plan to leave your True Kit outside. We also offer high quality Aurora products which clean and protect your boat.
Your True Kit inflatable will come beautifully packed, so pay careful attention when you open the carton as to how we have packed it for you - this is the best way for you to do it in the future. Also, check out our YouTube channel to see videos on how to pack your inflatable boat up.
Inflate the tubes to 3 psi and the high pressure floor to 10 psi. Correct pressures ensure your boat performs better and lasts longer.
Being catamarans, all True Kit inflatables sit flat on the deck of your yacht. This means no cradle is necessary saving valuable deck space. All True Kit’s boats are more efficient than your average inflatable meaning only small outboards are necessary - this saves weight and fuel. The stability and lightness of our True Kit tenders has completely changed the boating experience of many of our experienced boating customers.
