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Popular Questions
Here are a few common questions we have received. If you have a specific question, please contact us directly at 360-668-4347.
The design for Carbon Cat was focused on strength and longevity at the lowest weight possible, not price. To achieve a lower weight the type and caliber of material moves very close to aerospace specifications. These materials are also computer router cut very precisely and take much more time in the build process. Basically, you are trading dollars today for weight savings. Yet long term you are likely to save as the carbon cat will outlast 3 to 4 inflatable tenders.
Seadek is a marine grade EVA foam. It is soft yet firm enough to work well on a tender and adds a good deal of comfort. If you scuff it, brushing it with a stainless bristle style toothbrush following the grain often eliminates the scuff. Dirt, fish blood and slime all wash off easily with dish soap. If. The sea deck is ripped or torn (unlikely), Aspen sells individual replacement panels.
The patent pending carbon cat hull shape includes a catamaran sponson in its outer edge (chine), giving it a very buoyant stabilizing shape directly under the gunwale for stability.
It’s true one of the very first T11C’s (console carbon cat) did have the lifting stern Nevada’s (transom corner brace) and forward lifting cross beam pull out. There were several elements to the failure. First, where our team member bonded these three components into the hull, the adhesive was unevenly making contact, With no radius fillet in the corner. This left a small air gap where the carbon fiber laminate met the hull. This created a weak point under heavy load. Additionally, Aspen did not anticipate an owner rigging the tender to his davit with very shallow angle lift bridals using an extremely strong, yet wire like, synthetic line. The shallow angle lift bridle increases the load at the lift point by two to three times. Basically, slicing the composite attachment. The tender broke free, then the customer attempted to tow it upside down in a Gale with 5-to-8-foot seas. This did not work out well and the boat was lost. After some research and discussion with the owner Aspen replaced the boat and flew out to Florida to help rig the davit bridles, new stainless steel lift spreader bars, davit cushion pads and deck side capture eyes. In the end the owner was delighted. All future Carbon Cats (March 2023 on) have redesigned lifting points with tripled the strength (1,900 pounds each). No further failures have occurred.
The seat blocks allow owners to sit comfortably and adjust the boat’s balance side to side and forward aft, depending on who’s on board and where they are sitting. Proper trim is important in a tender for comfort and best ride in variable sea conditions. The seat blocks help with time to plane, dryness underway and allow the deep forefoot bow to split the waves open for a soft dry ride. Just a more comfortable balanced ride.
My wife hates wet, rough weather tender rides. This shape softens the ride and deflects spray down low so little or none comes over the bow.
After viewing the specs and option sheet it’s easiest to call our sales department to talk about your specific needs. Sales will put a quote together specific to your boat and e-mail it with an estimate for build completion day. Once you confirm or adjust as needed a 50% deposit is typically wired in. Sales will send wiring instructions. Once the boat is complete, it is set on foam cushions and ratchet strapped to a 6×12 pallet for shipping. Shipping costs are not included but typically run $1,500 to$ 2,200 per Carbon Cat to the East Coast. We often use specialty car carriers or boat transport trucks that have extra space. Prior to shipment, a group of photos of your tender on the pallet will be sent so final payment can be wired. Freight expense is typically paid on arrival and inspection.
The process is similar, but the pallet is boxed in and a lid is installed with inspection hatches for customs. The finished box for a 11-footer is approximately 6 feet by 12 feet by 42 inches tall and weighs approximately 620 lbs.
Our basic warranty philosophy is if we goofed up, we will pay. If it’s a gray area, we will work to come up with a balanced solution. We’ve had very few warranty claims, but with Larry’s many years in the industry and 35 prior Glacier Bay dealers he has contacts Nationwide for competent service repair. For components, the Aspen service warranty team has parts on hand and can typically ship the same day. In very rare instances, a boat may be returned to the factory (see warranty).
They’re handy if you go to the beach often in an area with large tides and want a simple way to move the boat up and down the beach. Most Owners who don’t beach their boats or work in large tide areas don’t need them. For a T11C the extra 56 lbs of console makes lifting the bow difficult, requires two adults lifting at the bow.
In comparison to the lighter ribs, it may be 10 to 20 lbs more or less. Compared to those with more deck features, it may be 100 to 300 lbs. The big Carbon Cat advantage is matching the rib weights while having a real boat. That’s not susceptible to puncture or premature ageing in the sun. The Carbon Cats ridged hull bottom also takes approximately 20%-30% less power to match the same speed as a RIB, so the engine weights come down as well.
Here are the MPG numbers from our 188 mile tour around Puget Sound and across the straights of Juan de Fuca in 2023:
- A T10 with a 9.9 HP with a top speed of approximately 21 MPH will typically get 18 MPG at 18 MPH.
- A T11 with 15 HP with a top speed of 24 MPH will get approximately 15 MPG at 18 MPH.
The T9 has all the attributes of the T10 and T11. However, just one foot in this size tender makes a lot of difference in usable space, stability and weight capacity. Also, due to the shorter planning surface, getting on plane with two adults with 9.9 Horsepower is difficult. The cost to build a T10 is just slightly more so if there’s a way to fit a T10, most buyers do. Having said this, we have many delighted T9 owners, often sail boaters or cruisers under 28 feet using a 2.5 or 6 Hp engine or torpedo. They are delighted with weight and not having to worry about popping an inflatable hull.
Many of these boats have robust davits that allow lifting a tender up between the hulls on the stern. This makes the tender very easy to splash and retrieve. At the same time a catamaran does not have excess reserve buoyancy at the stern so a little excessive weight effects the trim on a cat more than a monohull. Trim is important to speed, and cat sailors like speed. This same issue affects planning power boats where extreme stern weight degrades performance.
Two component urethane foam is inexpensive and handy for a builder to fill irregular shapes. However, over time, the cell structure degrades and begins to absorb water. While this takes years and normally still leaves the tender with the minimum required flotation, the tender weight grows. One inflatable rib we encountered in our service department from a 40 foot Aspen gained 60 lbs. in five years. Our hull side floatation foam also is far more stable if swamped.
Carbon Cat repair can be done by any knowledgeable fiberglass shop. We use vinylester gel coat and pure vinylester laminating resin. Both are available in larger boating areas, or we can ship materials directly from Aspen. The first layers of laminate are e-glass fibers which are excellent for impacts and also widely available. Should an owner break into the carbon fiber itself, we stock it, and it’s light and easily shipped. We chose specifically not to use pre-preg epoxy based laminates. Even though they are lighter, they can be brittle and very rare in boat repair shops. Aspens vinylester resin is more elastic with a tensile strength 85% that of epoxies and 100% easier to fix should any owner impact an immovable object (like a rock).
Distributing the cradle load evenly into the hull is important. From the stern to 12 inches forward of the transom our hull has been reinforced specifically for cradle loads in production since May 2025. The cradles should be shaped to fit the hull in the contact area and have a minimum of a half inch medium density foam padding. This seems like overkill, but when ratchet straps are pulled snug, the load on the hull increases. This static tender and strap load is significant. Additionally with some mothership impact loads in heavy seas or the occasional owner who climbs in the tender while it’s on the chalks…spreading the load is important. Aspen is developing a molded chalk set currently. We also can print a full-scale hull cross section in the cradle lift points specific to your needs.
Yes. Engine down centered and locked straight. You will need to adjust its positioning aft of the motherships wake. It tracks well, tows easily and cuts wakes and medium seas well. However, at higher speeds and in larger wakes there is a risk of swamping or flipping as with all tenders. It’s a very thoughtful process that I choose to do rarely. I cruise at 18knots. The San Juans have many large boats and yachts moving at speeds of 18 to 25 knots.
Our first owners were fine using a hand bilge pump but recently we have had more requests. As of May 1st, we will be offering a 500GPH, 12V pump on all electric start boats (IE have a start battery).
Yes, there is an extra charge, and the build lead times extend to allow time to gather the materials. However, most buyers choose the gray and white package.
Yes, artwork needs to be made as well as a custom digital cut file.
Most owners have them specially cut to fit the deck side above the forward hull side cushion matching the font of their tender name. They are about 2.5” tall (VS 3”) but none have had a question from the Coast Guard.
Others have the name listed as tt to boat name which allows it to be used to and from shore. TT = Tender To.
Not at this point, though we have had requests and built 2 prototype rigs. So far, the results have not met our goals.
On our 188 mile lighthouse tour around Puget Sound in 2023, we encountered 4 to 6 foot seas while crossing the 21 miles of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Winds were running 17 to 21 knots that day. In the worst of it, we slowed to 12 to 14 knots. For the occasional big one we slowed to 8 knots. But both captains felt safe and had only light spray during the crossing.