French sailboat maker Tiwal has unveiled its largest model yet. The 2XL is a dinghy designed to carry two adults and two children that, despite its size, breaks down completely and disappears into two bags small enough to fit in the trunk of a standard family car. Yes, an actual sailboat. In the trunk.
Though the 2XL is the largest boat in Tiwal's lineup, it keeps the brand's defining characteristics: an inflatable hull made from high-pressure double-wall fabric, an anodized aluminum frame, a five-section carbon C90 mast, and a composite rudder and centerboard. A retractable fin beneath the hull helps keep the boat on course.
With an empty weight of 54 kg (120 lb) split across two bags under 145 cm (57 in) long, the idea is that the boat follows you wherever you're going, not the other way around. But Tiwal’s pitch with the 2XL isn't just about convenience. Rigged with North Sails canvas featuring a 9-sq-m (97-sq-ft) reefable mainsail and a 2-sq-m (22-sq- ft) jib, the boat is built to sail efficiently in light to moderate winds.
"This model meets a recurring demand from customers looking for a boat for the whole family, yet one that is still compact and easy to carry anywhere," says Emmanuel Bertrand, President and co-founder of Tiwal in a press release. "Children and adults alike can take part in sailing and enjoy sharing some good times out on the water."
Assembling the Tiwal 2XL requires no tools and should be a breeze for anyone with the engineering prowess to successfully assemble an Ikea shelf. The process comes down to connecting six aluminum frame sections, inflating the hull with a manual or electric pump, attaching the rudder and centerboard, and rigging the sail. The mast is unstayed – meaning it has no side wires (shrouds) holding it upright – and slots directly into the hull, clearing the foredeck and giving the crew more room to move safely. "We opted for an unstayed rig," explains Tiwal’s designer and co-founder Marion Excoffon. "Every detail has been thought out to maximize sailing pleasure, while guaranteeing simplicity of use and a refined design."
The jib mounts on a furler, a rotating rod that lets it roll up or out with a single pull of a line, manageable even for children. An adjustable mainsheet stopper – the cleat that locks the sail's control line – can be operated by either the person at the helm or other crew members depending on where they're positioned around the hull.
By lowering the barriers around storage and transport, the 2XL targets the growing segment of people who want to sail on vacations and weekends without the logistical overhead of a conventional boat. "The result is a real boat that's responsive and fun, where every member of the crew can find their place and will get the most out of the sailing experience," says Excoffon.
The packable inflatable sailboat isn't a new concept of course – Tiwal itself has been working that niche for years – but scaling up to a genuine four-person family format is a different kind of bet. The competition stakes out notably different territory. The DinghyGo takes a versatility-first approach, offering a 3-in-1 inflatable that can be sailed, rowed, or fitted with an outboard motor, with models offering capacity for up to six passengers. Other inflatable boats go the catamaran route. The MiniCat has two inflatable hulls instead of one, prioritizing sporty performance and tool-less assembly in a package that also fits into bags. The Grabner Happy Cat targets the performance end of the spectrum, with a rigid aluminum frame engineered for torsional stiffness, the ability to sail on one hull at speed, and tolerance for winds up to force 5 – and it all packs down into three bags.
The Tiwal 2XL starts at $10,930 in the US and €9,900 (including VAT) in Europe, with a three-year warranty on all main components and two years on the electric pump. Category D certification clears it for sheltered coastal waters, small bays, lakes, rivers, and canals.
Product page: Tiwal 2XL
