Tenders- what do you use?

[john61ct]

raw foam pads on the outside would quickly break down IMO

[Mediator]

Originally Posted by john61ct

suggestions for DIY nesting designs?

Any optimized for rowing, but also good for sailing?

Chesapeake Light Craft has some excellent designs. You can buy just construction plans, or entire kits. They row and sail well and are easy to build.

CLC - Eastport Nesting Pram

CLC - Passagemaker Take-Apart

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by owly

A new Chinese manufactured PVC construction foam is being imported to the US now that is comparable (so they say) to Divinicell, and half the price..... It's called Stru-Cell, and is supplied by a company in Fla. Google it. It's available in P60 (4.1 pcf) ...P80,p100,p130, all the way to P200 (12.5 pcf). Also grooved and drilled are available for infusion.



H.W.

Here in OZ
Not sure how that compares to divy pricing

https://trojanfibreglass.com.au/prod...pvc-foam-core/

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by Mediator

Chesapeake Light Craft has some excellent designs. You can buy just construction plans, or entire kits. They row and sail well and are easy to build.



CLC - Eastport Nesting Pram



CLC - Passagemaker Take-Apart

Wow those look **so** nice!

Might build that bigger one to teach the kids, then only consider motherships that'll accept 93" on deck 8-)

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by john61ct

suggestions for DIY nesting designs?

Any optimized for rowing, but also good for sailing?

Chameleon by Danny Greene or one of the Two-Paw designs by B&B.

[sailhand]

I have used foam padding on dinghys for many years. Originally I used foam padding inside canvas and had problems with mold. I have a huge mold phobia as I do not want to suffer the same mold problems that i have witnessed on some other vessels. I then changed to two pool noodles side by side in shadecloth and then these were attached to the dinghy by stitching fore and aft between the two noodles. Not only did this tighten the shadecloth around the pool noodles it also lifted the top noodle above the gunwhale which reduced impacts to the mothership in the vertical axis as well as the horizontal. This was a great system light and dry with the shadecloth and the uv didnt get to the noodles. This was very durable and after years of service on two different dinghys it has now been recycled onto one of my mates dinghys and I am not really sure how to get it back. He assures me that pistols at ten paces will ensue should I dare lay claim to what is clearly now his property. On the latest dinghy however I approached the manufacturer of the bare foam blue and white fenders sold in chandleries throughout Australia. He was happy to supply me with sheets of this foam which i simply stuck on with sikaflex from memory. They have been on there for 7 years and work great and you couldnt get any lighter. This is definitely where the inflatables shine with those nice big soft tubes. You just cant beat an inflatable for protection of the mothership, I just cant come to terms with other inadequacies of inflatables many of which form the core parameters of my dinghy paradigm.

[zeehag]

mine is easy peasy. waxy plastic walker bay 10 rows well and fast when bottom is clean. even rows well with 2 inches of growth on it, just not as fast. not in caribbean but if i ever make it there i will continue to use this dink.
a torqueedo electric ob would be great for dock landings, not beach landings.
benefits-- i use oars, no ob theft.
no ob soaking in beach/surf landings
no rip rap damages
will fit with the davits i plan on installing.
can drag up a beach or land at a wharf without loss of serviceability.
floats even upside down and sunk. hahahahaha wont sink. damned good lil pos.

[owly]

It would be nice if someone made infused foam panels... glass on both sides... that one could use to build stitch and glue boats with. With infusion, the resin weight is very low, and you could make a composite dink without a lot of work, ending up with a nice finish. As the foam is merely a core, it would be easy to manufacture panels of whatever length people needed. You could of course do it yourself with a melamine table of the proper length, making up the individual panels in the flat, and then joining them. The beauty of infusion is that both sides can be done at the same time dry, the membrane stuck down with whatever resin distribution manifolding is needed, and the you never handle the epoxy except to mix it. You end up with a fair side on the table side, and the resin content is minimal, resulting in a light weight strong part. Any areas needing reinforcing, can have that laid down and infused with the rest.







H.W.

[theDangerz]

We tried to find the most affordable aluminum RIB we could find before taking off and ended up buying/trying/returning 2 tenders before we ended up with a 9' ZAR and so far, were in love.

It is clear already that the tender is our "daily driver" as we run errands, visit nearby beaches and/or other boats, or for frequent journeys up to several miles away from the "big boat" for snorkeling/diving/spearing for dinner. So far the tender has been perfect!

The outboard we just replaced (only 8 weeks in to our travels).
The boat came with a tender that we quickly donated (to a guy headed to Haiti to drop off a bunch of donations) but we thought we could make the 4stroke, 8hp Mercury outboard work.

We just transitioned/upgraded to a 2stroke, 15hp Yamaha and so far are thrilled.

[over40pirate]

I always liked Avon dinks. Hard bottoms are nice, but for storage bad.
Just today, I unbagged our old Hard transom, Avon.
Blew it up and still doesn't leak. No patches!
When we packed it away, I coated it with talc.
It looks as good as when we packed it 18 years ago!
I had made covers for the tubes, that kept the UV rays away.
If I knew I could deflate a hard bottom, and lock inside the boat, when being away from the boat, in a questionable anchorage, I would get one. But for the easy storage, a soft bottom, wins.
Another advantage of a soft bottom, is it can be shipped.
When I met my, now, Wife, she sent her, Avon (the one we still have) accross country, for our planned cruise. What a girl!

[sailhand]

I second the portabote for a smaller yacht. Seems to tick all the boxes especially easier stowage. Have ridden in a few and takes a little getting used to. The 12 footer planes with two and a 3hp yamaha two stroke, leaving out the front seat gives inflatable like access for diving etc. I have a 12 ft catamaran dinghy, also planes with a 3hp. And lightweight with good beach wheel system, quasi amphibious. No good for smaller yachts with limited stowage capacity, i live on a 44ft cat.