See also: the similar but wider and DS-floored Thaya
Gumotex have rebranded 2013’s Solar 410C as a Solar 3 (some call it ‘Solar 019’). Everything about the two boats appears to be the same.
Actual differences only add up to a longer front splash deck (left) with a metal support to stop sag – and a drain slot at the back (right; an idea copied off my old Sunny, just so you know!).
The 410C evolved from the slightly shorter Gumotex Sunny (left), in its day a brilliant IK which I used for years and years, until the flexing and size outgrew my needs.
Pressure in the Solar 3 remains the standard 0.2 bar, but this only becomes an issue when used solo at sea (the boat sags in the middle and can swamp more easily). Two or three up on flat water, it won’t be so noticeable or will be part of the fun.
The Solar 3 is pitched as an easy river-touring or family recreational boat where price and space matters more than pressure and performance; for that you have the 0.25 bar Seawave which costs 40% more. For now the Solar remains the an all-tube and inexpensive option to a wider, dropstitch Thaya and is the last of the classic Gumotex longboats.
SOLAR £859 | THAYA £1199 | SEAWAVE £1219 |
Length 410cm | 410cm | 455cm |
Width 80cm | 89cm | 80cm |
Weight 16kg | 17.5kg | 17.5kg |
Pressure 0.2 bar, 3psi | Sides 0.2 bar/ floor 0.5bar, 7.2psi | 0.25bar, 3.7psi |
Payload 270kg | 230kg | 250kg |