Solid Tenders - OC Tenders

[ranger58sb]

NZ$ 9000 -- or US$ 6207.30 -- for a 3.3m dinghy? That's about US$ 2500 more than we paid for our RIB of similar length.

And then shipping would be above that?

Woof!

The weight savings would be about 30-lbs; not seeing that being worth the extra $$$.

Looks nice, though.

-Chris

[Steve_C]

Originally Posted by gbr

Please let us all know what you think of it when it arrives. Pictures as well please!

Any Updates on This! I would REALLY like to hear some actual owner reviews.

Thanks

[ShaktisBoy]

I own the OC tender 330 sailing version here in Rivieria Beach South Florida mentioned above. The reason it was soo expensive is because it is a full carbon fiber version. It weighs just under 90 pounds without all the accessories oars, boarding ladder, anchor, life vest etc. It sails fantastic! It has dedicated dry storage under the deck “4 scuba tank sized retractable storage bags”, full topside and inner hull nonskid, 2 piece carbon fiber mast and custom sail, dedicated fuel tank area with removable bulkhead to help keep the boatin trim. In short this is the most thought out dinghy I have ever seen. Shipping was just about 2800.00 us from NZ. We routinely sail and motor this tender miles away. With our 15HP 2 stroke Yamaha OB the thing is scary fast. We have used it as our drift diving platform taking it offshore putting a flag in the fishing rod holders and clipped on the the anchor line for a long drift. What fun! Would I do it again....Hell yes!

[tdunlap]

I have a OC 350 and love it. It does 20 knots with a 15 HP, with two aboard. It's stable and handles turning under power with ease. I bought mine in Aug 2017. At the time they had not built an all carbon boat, but I convinced them to do so. Mine was the fist all carbon hull. It weighs in at 100 lbs. There is no other tender this big and this light, yet she's feels very strong and well built. The folks at OC were terrific to work with, and I can't say enough good things about the buying experience.

The only thing I noticed about the OC vs my old RIB, is that it is more sensitive to weight in the boat to get it to trim properly. Put a lot of weight into her, all on one side, and it will lean to that side when up on plane a bit more than my old RIB. Still, it will run fine out of trim and still turn safely under power, it's just nicer to distribute the weight properly. The boat comes with two movable seats which help in this respect.

It has far more storage than any RIB of the same size, with massive areas under the deck. The oars are also stored there. In this respect it blows away a RIB. I can store things that were always in the way on my old RIB. On the OC they store in places where they are totally out of the way. Life jackets, fuel tanks, and other gear are completely out of the way. You could forget you have them on board.

I paid $10K delivered to Annapolis, MD. That is much more than an inflatable, but come on, it's all carbon, and it's a forever boat. With some epoxy and cloth it can be repaired easily, anywhere.

In my view, there is not another tender that comes close to the OC. It's a game changer.

It is the solution for everyone. Of course not. Still, there is no other hard dingy that is much lighter, and performs as well or better than a RIB, and it needs less HP to do so.

Search YouTube for some videos and see their web site for photos. They did have some photos of my carbon boat under constructions on their site.

[LoudMusic]

Like Dsanduril said, I also have a Highfield Hypalon but am very interested in replacing it with an OC of comparable or larger size when the time comes. And I might even go the sailing route because I'm constantly wishing I had a sailing dinghy

[gbr]

I saw on Facebook that they did a deal with Outremer and have a load gone to france. They will be at the multihull show in April. I was going to make it, but may not now which is a shame. I want to see one in the flesh.


2 comments I have heard since my first post. 1st is that with the flat bottom they don't do so well in a chop as a V-bottom rib (and I seem to have had a lot of chop recently)
2nd is that their load carrying capacity is much lower then the equvilant RIB becuase the tubes give you a lot of boyancy when you load them


Any thoughts?

[RELENTLESS 1]

The last 2 questions aside - capacity and chop - this will be our choice for a Tender. It was painful to be sailing in the South Pacific and be in these beautiful lagoons (even Bora Bora woud be fun) and not dare move the boat because of the bommies. A sailing tender would be a blast- we like cruising but we are dinghy sailors at heart so it seems the best of both worlds. I wonder how long before Highfield and the Goliath's get a clue and bring their ability to mass produce inexpensively and efficiently to bear. A bit like the competition Tesla is facing now.....

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by Dawntreader2

The last 2 questions aside - capacity and chop - this will be our choice for a Tender. It was painful to be sailing in the South Pacific and be in these beautiful lagoons (even Bora Bora woud be fun) and not dare move the boat because of the bommies. A sailing tender would be a blast- we like cruising but we are dinghy sailors at heart so it seems the best of both worlds. I wonder how long before Highfield and the Goliath's get a clue and bring their ability to mass produce inexpensively and efficiently to bear. A bit like the competition Tesla is facing now.....

PuhLEEZE look into Oceancraft all aluminum rib-style tenders... We've been anchored 2 miles outside of Palermo the past week, every afternoon there is 1 meter chop hitting from both beams (one from the open sea, one reflected from the 2 miles of seawall to go around)... Like a washing machine. I would not go in it in our old 3 meter inflatable. In the Oceancraft, that super deep V hull punches through it like ripples. Not cheap, but indestructible and will last you a lifetime. Hands down the best thing we bought for our boat.

[tdunlap]

I looked into the Oceancraft. When I exchanged emails with them, I did not get the feeling they had shipped their boats long distances and were experienced with that. I just did not feel they had done business with remote customers. OC tenders had.

The Oceancraft is a fine tender for sure. It would likely handle a chop better, not just because of the deep V, but because it is a heaver boat as well. However, I've found the OC 350 to be more than capable and out preforms our old AB inflatable in every respect.

One of the things that is really a game changer is the massive amount of under deck storage on the OC. No other tender has this. We can store all the things that are normally in the way, life jackets, emergency gear, oars, and even the two seat blocks that come with the boat. Even with all that, there is room for snorkel gear and more. This greatly enhances the usable space of the boat.

Finally, I can repair this boat myself anywhere. Not so with an aluminium boat. Aluminium is tough stuff and is not likely to have to be repaired, but things can happen, and finding someone to fix it could be an issue. For me weight was another issue and the OC is a clear winner here.

Will someone copy the OC, maybe. OC has a head start and they have already upped the game by moving to resin infusion, which will make their boat even better.

I have no experience with the sailing version, but from the videos it looks like a fantastic execution. Maybe when I get to New Zealand I may have to trade mine in

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by ShaktisBoy

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Man, that is just so beautifully modern and futuristic looking. One of the only tenders that would increase the appearance of a HH or Gunboat.

It seems like an awesome sailing dinghy, but as a cruiser's tender, I do wonder about the durability of a thin carbon shell and foam coring in everyday use.

Matt

[jmh2002]

Yeah the sheer durability of a aluminium tender is hard to beat, and even without a welder can still be fixed by glueing and screwing, at least temporarily.

That OC Tender looks unbelievably nice but I'm not sure how long that will last after being dragged up beaches, nudging bits of coral and rock when gunkholing, etc, etc.

[Freedom45]

We are into our second season cruising with OC tender in the Pacific, lots of coral to deal with.
Ours is the standard 3m non sailing unit(rats, was not available back then)
The dinghy is holding up well, we have dragged it up countless beaches, it has aluminum plate on the most vulnerable area. It has a few scars but nothing critical. We do have Beach Master wheels which work when the sand is firm enough or shore is rocky.
Overall very satisfied with dinghy. We have 8hp 2 stroke, planes with two people but no three.
I’m going to change prop pitch, I think this will improve performance.

Cheers

[RELENTLESS 1]

Just got back from FR at the Outremer 'School' - we have ordered a 51 for next year. One of the boats we sailed with had a 330 (not the sailing one) - they use a 6HP motor and plane instantly - and just a couple of weeks ago they towed a 20' inflatable with 3 big guys who broke down back into the harbor against the wind - and never felt the motor was straining. Secondly - and this is a big for us - the Tenders have a flat deck with non-skid- and the factory will install a fishing rod holder and people are using that as a handrail to get into and out of the boats easily. As far as the gunkholing/rocks comment - these are so light and come with wheels you can easily bring it 30 feet up the beach/rocks and not even have the bottom touch. On top of that you can have a special plate installed (5-8lbs) that will take a lifelong beating. We are ordering the sailing 330 most likely for our boat.

[Acadia]

Hi,

I have one and share many of the same positive comments as stated above. We have a container departing New Zealand at the end of March and I believe there is still one spot left. There are a bit of savings on shipping with the container load.

I would also be more than happy to demo my own here in St Petersburg Florida.

Cheers

Florida@octenders.com

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

Man, that is just so beautifully modern and futuristic looking. One of the only tenders that would increase the appearance of a HH or Gunboat.

It seems like an awesome sailing dinghy, but as a cruiser's tender, I do wonder about the durability of a thin carbon shell and foam coring in everyday use.

Matt

Damn those OC's are tempting, esp w the sailing rig, but at $12K I have a hard time justifying that.