There are a lot of ways to get to shore, and I think I just found my favorite. This is the Laguna 330 by Further Customs, an 11-foot catamaran tender with a landing craft inspired bow. Whether you are cruising, beach hopping, fishing, or just trying to find a smarter way to get to shore, this could be the boat for you. I am fully on the cat train, and after a couple weekends with it, I can confidently say it lives up to the hype.
How It Is Built
Further Customs is a boating lifestyle brand that specializes in inflatable gear — chairs, docks, paddle boards — and the Laguna lineup is their answer to the rising popularity of catamaran tenders. The hull is built from premium Hlex PVC that is thermelded at the seams, meaning they heat and force press the pieces together until they form one uniform solid piece instead of gluing them. Underneath, the bottom has two military-grade PVC layers plus a protective rub strake so you can handle any shoreline. The transom is solid and sealed with two drains and an outboard bracket rated for up to 15 horsepower.
The attention to detail is what separates Further from other brands. Of the components that are glued to the vessel, not a single one shows signs of overglue residue — no gross discoloration or ruined finishing. That level of quality control is rare in the inflatable tender market. This craftsmanship does come at a slight premium over the competition, but having researched other catamaran tenders and tested this one, you absolutely get what you pay for. The Laguna 330 is only a few hundred more than other popular cat brands, making it a much better value in reality.
Design and Performance
The twin pontoons are 19 inches in diameter, which is generously sized for an 11-footer. That keeps passengers high and dry. The beam is 5 feet 8 inches — about 14 percent larger than a typical tender in its class and the same as a 12-foot Novania with a center console. That wide beam gives you 29 and a half inches of interior space, and when combined with the larger pontoons, the Laguna 330 carries 1,000 pounds while only weighing 92. It is officially rated for four adults and one child, and all of them will have no trouble standing on the high-pressure drop stitch floor. That floor is rigid enough to stand and move around comfortably, elevated to keep your feet dry, and light enough to roll up when you are done — no aluminum slats, no flex.
The catamaran twin hulls track straight naturally because they create a channel for the keels to run along and reduce lateral drifting. Further also added two small fins angled on the outboard side of each pontoon — large enough to improve handling, small enough to avoid damage when pulled onto shore. I tested it with an all-electric portable outboard from ePropulsion called the Spirit, and the low drag of the pontoons paired well with the electric motor. Up front, the inflatable floor curves with the contour of the pontoons to form the landing craft bow, which keeps water out and gives you a platform for swimming, beaching, docking, and diving. You can walk right off the front instead of climbing over tubes.
What It Comes With
The Laguna comes bundled with a bimini, oars, cup holders, D-rings, handles, rod holders, and four accessory mounts that accept anything with a quarter-inch thread. Further also makes a smaller model, the 290, which is a foot and a half shorter, carries one less passenger, and has 5 less horsepower on the outboard bracket — everything else is basically the same. Compared to a traditional rigid hull of similar size, the Laguna is well priced and has advantages in volume per square foot, thermelded seams, quality PVC, warranties, and that bundle of accessories. It has the heavy-duty construction powerboaters expect with the lightweight packability sailors need.
If you are tired of inflatables that do not actually make it to shore, this thing is worth a look. It is smartly built, fun to drive, and it just works in the ways you want it to. Smooth sailing.
If you are weighing whether an inflatable can really serve as a serious tender, I have made the full case for why modern inflatables are finally worth taking seriously.
