Inflatable Catamarans in Canada: The Buyer's Guide From a Kelowna Shop That Sells Them
Kelowna, Canada - November 12, 2026 / Canadian Board Company /
Canadian Board Co, a family-owned shop in Kelowna, has published a free buyer's guide to inflatable catamarans, along with ten shorter guides that go deeper on sizing, motors, setup, fishing, families, accessories and winter storage. The series answers the questions the shop's phone line gets every week from Canadians looking for a boat that does not need a trailer, a ramp or a slip.
What an inflatable catamaran is
An inflatable catamaran has two air-filled pontoons joined by a rigid inflatable floor. Because the buoyancy sits at the outside edges, the boat feels flatter and steadier side to side than a single-tube dinghy. Owners notice it the moment someone stands up to cast or a dog shifts its weight. The deck between the pontoons is open, so the whole middle of the boat is usable floor.
The guide is built around the Rover Marine Battle Cat, which Canadian Board Co sells as the Canadian dealer for Rover Marine. It comes in three sizes. The 8 ft carries 2 people or 600 lb and weighs 84 lb. The 10 ft carries 4 people or 1,000 lb and weighs 98 lb. The 12 ft carries 4 people or 1,200 lb and weighs 130 lb. Each boat ships with a manual pump, two aluminum paddles, bench seating and a repair kit. The motor is sold separately.
"We sell these boats, rig them and answer the phone about them, and the same questions come up every week," said Jaeger Johnson, who runs Canadian Board Co with his wife, Tarryn Johnson. "What is it, how is it different from a regular inflatable, which size, which motor, and do I need a licence. We wrote the answers down in one place so people can read them before they call."
Which size most people buy
The guide's advice on size is direct. The 10 ft is where most cottage and lake buyers land. The 8 ft makes sense when storage or carrying is the main problem. The 12 ft is for crews and loads that genuinely need the room. A separate size guide walks through the decision with real loads added up.
Motors, and the licence question
Rover Marine recommends up to 6 hp on the 8 ft, up to 10 hp on the 10 ft and up to 20 hp on the 12 ft. The guide treats those numbers as ceilings, not targets. For quiet lake days, the shop carries electric outboards including the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus and the Torqeedo Travel S, both listed as 3 HP equivalent and both about 20 kg with the battery.
Rover Marine founder Nick Lanfranco runs one of those pairings himself. "I personally run the 10 ft Battle Cat with the Torqeedo Travel motor. It's a perfect combo," he said. "I'm having a lot of fun with my wife, 5 year old boy and dog Frank."
The guide also separates two documents that buyers often mix up. Transport Canada says a recreational boat needs a Pleasure Craft Licence when its engines total at least 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) and it is mainly kept and used in Canada. That is a rule about the boat. Separately, anyone driving a motorized boat, electric included, needs proof of competency, such as a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. That is a rule about the driver.
Buying a boat in November
During the shop's Black Friday sale, which runs through December 1, the Battle Cat is priced at $2,150, $2,250 and $2,350 CAD for the 8, 10 and 12 ft. Boats ship free across Canada from the Kelowna warehouse, usually within 1 to 2 business days, with courier estimates of 1 to 3 days in British Columbia, 2 to 4 in the Prairies and 4 to 7 to Ontario and east.
Few people can test a boat in November, so the shop starts the clock on its 60 Day Rider's Guarantee later. For orders placed before May 1, 2027, the 60 days start on May 1, 2027 instead of the delivery date, which gives buyers May and June on real water to decide. The Battle Cat carries a warranty of 5 years on the hull and 3 years on the tubes and seams.
The full inflatable catamaran buyer's guide is on the Canadian Board Co website, with links to the size guide, the electric outboard comparison, step-by-step setup, a fishing setup for Canadian lakes and a winter storage routine.
Contact Information:
Canadian Board Company
8750 Jim Bailey Cres. 117
Kelowna, BC V4V1E5
Canada
Tarryn Johnson
+1-800-399-5260
https://www.canadianboardco.com
