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dennisail · 24-10-2011, 16:51

What is a good size tender for a 40 foot boat? I want as small and light as possible with the ability to plane with 2-3 people. So I am thinking a 8hp 2 stroke RIB with high sides for a dry ride, or possibly an inflatable V bottom (flat bottoms are too wet). Will an inflatable V be good enough, or should I go for a rib? I presume the RIB will plane with less power.

Boat has davits, but I am thinking of lashing to deck on longer passages. Ebay has many cheap inflatables. I wonder if they are any good?

What are peoples thoughts on this matter?

Misiu · 24-10-2011, 16:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennisail

Ebay has many cheap inflatables. I wonder if they are any good?

I think (?) the cheap Ebay inflatables are PVC. I would stay away from PVC and opt for hypalon.
I had Zodiac which lost its floor. It is a common and expensive to fix problem with PVC. I have hypalon Achilles now.

dennisail · 24-10-2011, 17:11

Thanks. I will check out the hypalon versions. Here is an example of a cheap ebay RIB. Would 9' be too small for 3 people?

New 9' Fiberglass Double Rigid Bottom Inflatable Boat New Design | eBay

**Vasco** · 24-10-2011, 17:29

Your dink is sometimes the most important part of your cruising. Not a place to skimp. As for size and outboard, depends a lot on your cruising grounds. Personally my choice is a 10'06" RIB (Hypalon of course) and a 15hp Yamaha 2 stroke. Large tubes are good but it's the sheer that makes a dry ride.

dennisail · 24-10-2011, 17:37

Here is a cheaper hypalon with inflatable keel. What are peoples thoughts on inflatable keels? I guess it would be handy to be able to deflate it and store it inside the boat on long crossings? Will performance suffer much?

NEW HYPALON MERCURY INFLATABLE 10'2" 310 AIRDECK DINGHY BOAT TENDER RAFT LAUNCH | eBay

**Vasco** · 24-10-2011, 17:41

The inflatable keel is just a rubber sausage under the floorboards. A RIB is much better.

**msponer** · 24-10-2011, 17:47

I'm also curious -- will an inflatable keel dinghy really plane with 3 people on an 8 horse motor? That would be wonderful, I like how 8hp motors are still at a 'human' scale and don't need a mini-crane to lower to the dinghy or wheels to drag up on the beach.

I've had 5 dinghies, two fiberglass, one aluminum, and two inflatables. For my last dinghy I gave up completely on planing and went with a super lightweight inflatable and a 2hp motor that I could lift with one hand.

dennisail · 24-10-2011, 18:12

I really doubt a sausage keel will plane with 3 people and an 8. Maybe 1 person? That is why I am asking here as I am sure cruisers forum members have tried just about every combination of tenders out there

My friend had a 8hp Yammy and 10ish foot RIB and it would just get on the plane with the two of us (we are 100kg each - 220lbs). This setup would be great for Nikki and I. I like the idea of a planing tender for dryness of ride as the bow lifts and extended exploration possibilities. I am sick getting a wet ass when ploughing through the smallest of chop in small flat bottom tenders with low power.

I was going to get a Parsun outboard, but they do not have an 8hp. I might have to lookout for a second hand yammy or something. The Parsun 9.9 is just a tuned down 15, so I may as well get a 15 if choose parson.

I am fairly young and strong so I can handle the weight OK though. I do a lot of weights etc as a hobby.

**avb3** · 24-10-2011, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennisail

...I was going to get a Parsun outboard, but they do not have an 8hp. I might have to lookout for a second hand yammy or something. The Parsun 9.9 is just a tuned down 15, so I may as well get a 15 if choose parson.

I am fairly young and strong so I can handle the weight OK though. I do a lot of weights etc as a hobby.

I would suggest to stay with a known brand. Tohatsu (Nissan) certainly is a standard. Off brands could be tough to get parts for.

svcambria · 24-10-2011, 18:34

This is not too far from "How long is a piece of string?" but will give it a shot -
in dingies, longer is better (for planing), and if you intend on visiting places some distance from where you are anchored, bigger is better. I have had a 9' Caribe RIB - too small - a 10' Aqua Pro RIB - too small - and a 10' AB RIB - just right when you have a couple of people and some stuff. Ten horsepower will plane them w/o much weight inside, 15 is better; either in 2 or 4 stroke - a 15 hp 2 stroke weighs about 85 pounds, a 4 stroke is 115 pounds. If you are just trying to get ashore, small and light - PortaBoat - or cheap - pool toy - with a tiny OB or oars will do...

Michael

**Cheechako** · 24-10-2011, 18:41

10 ft rib. I'd go with 10 hp but 8 might work. I went from a worn out 10 to a new 9 on a 38 foot boat. Big disappointment. The 9 doesnt handle near as well at speed even with 2 people. It'll work... just not as well. Nothing will work out as well as a rib. Take it from many of us who went through all those the other trials and learned the hard way!

dennisail · 24-10-2011, 19:01

Cheers guys. So I am looking at 10' minimum and want a RIB. Will this size be OK to lift on deck? What are you guys doing with the outboards when you have the dink lashed on deck?

I say 8hp is OK only because I used a yammy 8 on my friends RIB and it was fine, but took a bit to get on the plane with the 2 of us. I agree 10hp is better, but most 10s seem to be detuned 15s so you may as well get a 15 as the weight will be the same and price similar.

I have been researching Parsun outboards. These are decent quality and parts are directly interchangeable with Yamaha. $1400 for a new 15hp sounds pretty good to me.

**Boracay** · 24-10-2011, 19:29

We got a Achilles LSI88 air floor with a 5 hp Tohatsu 2 stroke. I've found the inflatable is too big and cumbersome for 2 people, while the 5 hp is too heavy to carry comfortably and comes nowhere near getting it up on the plane.

Mostly we leave it at home and row a 9' DH tinnie that I brought off ebay.

For the use I'd have been better off with a 2.5 hp 2 stroke.

For an inflatable tender your two main options may be small, light and slow =(say Achilles LT2 or LT4 + Yamaha 2C) or slightly bigger, much heavier and much faster (say Achilles HB280DX with Yamaha 15F.

For bashing across the Pacific I would have thought that a 9' fibreglass would be the go, but I'm not sure they exist in America.

**Ironhorse74** · 24-10-2011, 20:15

I am really surprised that no one has recommended a rigid dinghy. All the talk has been about RIB's. First the bad part, they take up more room to store. Now for the good stuff. They will out last a RIB 5 or 10 to one. Given that small outboards are cantankerous beasts at best. A rigid dinghy is easy to row. Ever tried to row a RIB? Some rigid dinghy's have sailing kits. Some can double as life rafts. My favorite is the Portland Pudgy.

Your mileage may vary

Brad

sv Winterlude · 24-10-2011, 20:24

I'd quit thinking inexpensive and start thinking about when it's windy or rough, what would you rather go to shore in? And what would cause you to stay aboard & not go. Would you go a longer distance in whatever dink you choose to snorkel or explore? Would it make you nervous about your dinghy?

We started with an 8' Caribe rollup with a Tohatsu 8 hp - a good choice for us. With the addition of doel fins and Stephen's advice from Defender to air the tubes up MUCH more than we had, we could plane the boat with two of us aboard (total weight under 200#s). We upgraded to an AB 9' aluminum rib and kept our Tohatsu 8. A phenomenal difference in the distance we felt comfortable exploring, how far away we'd snorkel and what beaches we'd pull the dinghy up on without being concerned about the bottom. If you're finding the money to go cruising, do NOT skimp on the dinghy. Just our opinion...