Small tender

[Brandywine]

Looking at a few small tenders to keep as a spare and for the kids to use on the boat we like the Achilles LT-2 with a 2hp Honda any one have any experience with the boat?

[Brandywine]

I Know parts of this forum move slow but Wow no responses in 2 days. No one out there is using a small inflatable tender?
Any other brands to recommend?
How about the 2hp Honda any experience with it?

[GordMay]

Inflatable Boat Review ~ Achilles LT-2 Roll-up
Achilles LT-2 Fold Up Inflatable Reviewed

From INFLATABLE BOATS and MOTORS
Inflatable Boats and Motors: The E-Zine About Fold-ups and RIBs

[Boomp]

We use a little 8' Zodiac w a 4.5 Tuhatsu...its too small. My grandchildren love it but it really only holds 2 adults and that is tight. My 9 yo grandson really enjoys fishing and traveling around the area though.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Boomp

My 9 yo grandson really enjoys fishing and traveling around the area though.

Worth it's weight in gold then

[Brandywine]

Thank you Gord, Great site.. sure sounds like they like it.

[Steve Pope]

Not an inflateable as such but the Walker Bay 2.4 with the flotation tubes takes a lot of beating for stability, reasonably light weight, rowing, 2hp outboard etc excellent. I would buy another when and if my current one ever died.

[Tellie]

It depends. I have a 11'6" Avon with a 18hp Tuhat and a 5hp Merc. We use the 18 for knee boarding and get there fast work. But if it were just the wife and myself I'd look at much smaller dingy and keep the 5hp Merc. It's still light enough for me to handle. I'm not crazy about under powered dinks with a 2hp. In ideal conditions they're fine. Load up a dingy with two people and supplies and I'd be leary of it's ability in strong currents and wind. JMO

[Brandywine]

I agree on the walker bay but I need to be able to cram it into a lazerate, so that sort of rules out the hard tenders. I expect the kids will use it mostly and it will server as a backup if and when we have a catastrophic failure of Rib or if we drop the out board into the drink

[JohnWms]

The LT-2 is a great boat for kids. I've had one for 20 years and it is still in pretty good shape. I keep it in a cockpit locker so it doesn't get UV.

We have a larger RIB that we tow but my four kids all learned to row on the LT-2 tethered with long line that gave them confidence. The kids are probably more emotionally attached to the LT-2 than any of the boats we've had.

The Honda is pretty heavy for the LT-2. I've had one but never tried it on the LT-2. I used the smallest Tanaka (1.5 hp?) for years and it still runs okay too. I also have a very small Seagull that fits the boat well. You'll want the lightest motor you can find and horsepower is not a factor since there's no way the boat can absorb enough power to plane. When young the kids were a bit scared of the motor so rowing is totally acceptable.

My now-14 year old daughter still loves to row the LT-2 around. Since it's always in the locker it is always available even when we don't bring the larger RIB along. I'd definately replace it if it reached the end of it's life but that doesn't seem imminent at this point.

[Brandywine]

Honda is 28LB you think that would be to heavy?

[JohnWms]

The motor mount on *my* LT-2 is not all that beefy. I don't think they've changed much over the years. The pictures look the same.

The Seagull at 33lbs is heavier than the Honda so the motor mount will obviously hold the weight but the Seagull is not comfortable on the boat. It is also a handful when trying to put it on the mount while the LT-2 is in the water.

The Honda is smoother running so that might be a factor. The Seagull jumps around a bit and makes for a less than happy mechanical system. It certainly won't hurt to try since you already have the motor.