Tender Options Australia

[UFO]

Looking at replacing our tender with an Aluminum bottomed RIB - Just talked to the local Highfield dealer (Perth WA) and he told me with the exception of the 2.9 which was the only stock he had the next batch in was next Spring - He is going to look on the East Coast, but in the meantime what other quality options are there in around 3.1-3.4M length, preferably Hypalon tubes?


I found the following, but have not heard anything about them and reviews that are not advertorials are pretty thin on the ground.


https://siroccomarinesouth.com.au/si...-tubes/125797/

[UFO]

https://www.polycraft.com.au/300-tuff-tender/


Any reviews of these? Not sure how stable they would be in a bit of a swell/surf?

[chrisr]

we have just pensioned off a 3.6m swift hypalon / aluminium which had put in i'd guess about 18 years faithful service...and still had a long but less stressful retirement ahead.

highly recommend. swift are built at goldcoast - https://swiftmarine.com.au/

there is some connection between swift n highfield but not sure of te details...think one owns the other, but ?

cheers,

[makjeng]

I have a 2.7 Aluminium bottom verion of the Sirocco, about 3 years old now. Generally OK overall. Decent buoyancy that is sufficient for snorkeling without tipping over. Motor is Honda 6 and it can plane at 14 knots with one POB. Up to 4 POB works. The painter line was total rubbish and broke away after only several months of use and covered most of the time. It has a small front compartment which is handy for retaining a small sharp anchor. Straps to hold fuel tank are handy and overall most items indicate a reasonable design effort. Airtightness beat my previous Grand inflatible.

[donradcliffe]

I had a Swift 3.10 for 10 years of hard service, which I sold with the big boat. I'd buy another one.

[Karanga]

I have a Polycraft 300 Tuffy.
Probably its greatest advantage is its stability. Absolutely fantastic in that regard, and the adverts are to be believed.
Another advantage is tough. But being plastic, it does no damage to the hulls or paintwork of the yacht.
Plus throwing scuba tanks in, or spearguns, is of little concern.
An extremely practical tender in this regard.

However, there are some drawbacks...

It is not light. In fact surprisingly heavy. Davits need to be substantial. I doubt it would tow behind very well (see below about wetness).
If it sits sideways on the edge of the beach, waves slop over the side (or rear) and swamp the internal area. Right to the top if left long enough, but it will still float. Obviously pulling it up the beach would prevent this, but did I mention it is heavy? When going ashore, being mindful of the tides is a good idea to prevent either being swamped or stranded.
The steps on the rear of the pontoons are great for in-water access when diving etc, but make it difficult to mount dinghy wheels for portage. I have mostly got around this by carrying 3 or 4 1m sections of 100mm polypipe to act as "wheels" or roller-bearers.
I have a 15hp short-shaft outboard. There can be significant cavitation of the prop at higher revs or choppy seas. A much larger anti-cavitation plate reduces this.
Choppy seas can make for a very wet ride. Low freeboard plus the excellent stability from the bow buoyancy mean significant spray coming over the front and sides.

I'm still waiting to find the perfect tender!

Tim

[IslandHopper]

Had my Swift 3.10 for 8 years now and without a doubt its the best Ally Rib i've had.

https://swiftmarine.com.au/swift-tenders-2-4-3-1/

New....

[OldGreyB]

Talk to the great lads @ Barefoot Inflatables. They manufacture here on the East Coast of Australia, but have national dealers. Good products, excellent workmanship, with two fabric product lines Valmex polymer or Orca Hypalon.

https://barefootinflatables.com.au/

We have experienced excellent service dealings with them on our faulty (not their brand) RIB, and have been impressed with their production models.