Design and Construction
The 420 is built around a powder-coated aluminum frame. Its two inflatable floats attach by welded-on flags that slip into pockets on the tubes. Each single-chamber float is 4.2 m long and 45 cm in diameter.
The floats are made from reinforced Heytex 5509 PVC using material and production methods borrowed from white-water rafts. This gives them high abrasion resistance and hard-wearing durability. Between the hulls, a 190 x 135 cm woven-plastic trampoline stretches across the frame.
Low-aspect keel fins sit beneath each float. Made from UV-stabilized polypropylene, their shape provides good performance while allowing the boat to sail in very shallow water without risk of damage.
The boat has a design category D rating and a load capacity of 450 kg for four persons.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The mast is a three-section alloy tube with a black powder-coated finish. It measures 5.05 m when assembled and has a groove for attaching the sail.
Total sail area is 9.7 m², divided between a 6.5 m² mainsail and a 3.2 m² jib. Both use Dimension Polyant cloth weighing 175–240 g/m and have transparent windows for visibility.
The Instinct base trim is boomless, with battens only and no forestay or jib halyard. Emotion and premium models add a boom, outhaul, and vang for better control of sail shape. Those Emotion and premium versions also provide the best upwind performance.
A single centerline rudder attaches to the frame. Its automatic cleat releases the rudder rope if the boat grounds, and the blade can be raised through 90 degrees and locked in either position. The tiller arm joints allow a full 360 degrees of movement.
An optional 10.5 m² Code-Zero-style gennaker adds sail area for light-air reaching. Most models accept the optional gennaker, trapeze, and motor mount.
Layout and Trim Levels
There are no cabins. The 420 is a day-sailing inflatable built around a central trampoline lounge, with an optional forward trampoline on some editions.
The trim range begins with the family-friendly Instinct, which emphasizes exceptional stability and simplicity. The Emotion adds a transparent monofilm mainsail and an aluminum boom. Above it, the Evoque has a carbon-fiber rudder blade, bowsprit, and boom, along with a dark X-PLY mainsail.
The Laura Dekker Special Edition is based on the Evoque. It comes with her designed sails and trampoline, carbon-laminate sails, a traveler, and a certificate of authenticity.
Limited to 20 numbered boats, the 20th Anniversary Edition includes wheeled bags, a forward trampoline, Dyneema shrouds, a windvane, and a traveler as standard.
Assembly, Transport, and Stowage
Depending on the source, assembly takes about 30 to 45 minutes. For transport or stowage, the boat dismantles into two bags measuring 175 x 30 x 30 cm and weighing just over 25 kg each. It can be stored aboard or carried in a car. Alternative rigid-bottom bags add a thin reinforced base.
Fittings throughout come from Ronstan, Seasure, Clamcleat, and Suchomel.
Verdict
The Minicat 420 is a genuine inflatable catamaran that trades cabin comfort for exceptional portability and the freedom to sail in shallow water. Its raft-derived tubes and alloy frame keep it tough yet light, while the range from the Instinct to the Evoque gives buyers meaningful performance choices.
Pros
- Packs into two carryable bags and stows in a car or under a bed
- Shallow-water keel fins and a rudder release designed to operate on grounding
- Trim range extends from a simple, boomless family model to the carbon-equipped Evoque
Cons
- Design category D limits it to sheltered waters
- Single-chamber floats provide no redundant buoyancy if punctured
- No cabin or overnight accommodation
