Using a Center Console as a Tender

[BandB]

Originally Posted by boatman61

So.. I'm disclicsex... sorri..

Let me assure you that when I first saw it, my first thought was the same, "BMW makes ribs? Oh my." Then I went to the web site and after a bit realized not quite. Does make me wonder then if that was ever in the minds of BWM when choosing their name.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by MBLittle

So is the price difference the biggest factor in less people using CC tenders?

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I would expect it to be weight.

You are going to have to haul around 350 lbs total out of the water every day. Even with 4:1 tackle that is a chore that probably necessitates an electric winch and oversized davits.

[atoll]

number one rule with a tender is can you drag it up the beach by your self.

[a64pilot]

My RIB and motor goes 230 lbs, I have 4 to one on the motor end, and sort of have wished I had gone the winch route

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by atoll

number one rule with a tender is can you drag it up the beach by your self.

That's why I have a wife!

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[Jim Cate]

Besides t he cost and weight disadvantages, the console takes up a lot of the available space in the dinghy. I know that ours is often filled to capacity with "stuff", and that a console would likely lead to having to make additional trips.

May not matter to some, does matter to us... folks who live at anchor nearly all the time and have to schlep everything back and forth to shore.

Cheers,

Jim

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Besides t he cost and weight disadvantages, the console takes up a lot of the available space in the dinghy. I know that ours is often filled to capacity with "stuff", and that a console would likely lead to having to make additional trips.
....

My thoughts too. I really dislike center consoles on dingy sized RIBs. Much more weight, expense, takes up a lot of room, makes it awkward to get around...and adds a bunch of totally unecessary stuff to maitain like steering/throttle/shift controls. And brings no advantages to the table (for me at least).

[CarlF]

For me, the center console RIB is like roller furling headsails or electric winches. Not required but hard to give up once you've had it (assuming the boat is big enough to properly store it)

I find it carries even more groceries since you can pile more in the bow without having the bags slide underfoot or in the bilge water underway.

One of the unexpected features of the console is it provides a useful height grab rail when getting in and out of a dinghy.

I agree the weight is a problem on the beach - but I couldn't really drag my old fiberglass Avon RIB up the beach either.

[BandB]

I think a lot of factors enter in. First, is what you use the tender for. Then it's what size you can accommodate. And then just personal preference. We don't use ours much for anchor to shore. We use them to explore areas, sometimes fairly large. As such all those things like steering and such are important. Jets give us a little more room than outboards of the same size as well. One thing too is that while the difference between a 17' and 16' is not major, the difference of every foot on smaller sizes is. We found from a 10' to 11' to 12' were like three entirely different levels of boats. We enjoy our tenders in a very non-traditional way so wouldn't expect others to choose as we have.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by BandB

I think a lot of factors enter in. First, is what you use the tender for. Then it's what size you can accommodate. And then just personal preference. We don't use ours much for anchor to shore. We use them to explore areas, sometimes fairly large. As such all those things like steering and such are important. Jets give us a little more room than outboards of the same size as well. One thing too is that while the difference between a 17' and 16' is not major, the difference of every foot on smaller sizes is. We found from a 10' to 11' to 12' were like three entirely different levels of boats. We enjoy our tenders in a very non-traditional way so wouldn't expect others to choose as we have.

I hate to say it, but it sounds like I might not enjoy being in an anchorage with you. Trying to escape from jet skis and other loud annoying go fast boats. Find them especially annoying in a peaceful remote anchorage.

I've gotten rid of my console tender and gotten a nice sailing hard dinghy with a propane outboard. And oars, lots of oars.


Is 40 knots ever really necessary?

[BandB]

Originally Posted by minaret

I hate to say it, but it sounds like I might not enjoy being in an anchorage with you. Trying to escape from jet skis and other loud annoying go fast boats. Find them especially annoying in a peaceful remote anchorage.

I've gotten rid of my console tender and gotten a nice sailing hard dinghy with a propane outboard.

You might not. We normally choose to anchor away from others and during the day only. But if we did anchor, we'd probably put a tender in the water and go explore. Still, we dock at marinas far more than we anchor. Most of our anchoring is in the Bahamas to explore islands.

We do move slowly through any anchored or moored boats and wait to move faster until away.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by BandB

You might not. We normally choose to anchor away from others and during the day only. But if we did anchor, we'd probably put a tender in the water and go explore. Still, we dock at marinas far more than we anchor. Most of our anchoring is in the Bahamas to explore islands.

We do move slowly through any anchored or moored boats and wait to move faster until away.

At least you have good wake manners, that counts for a lot. I despise "wakers", lowest form of life on earth. I keep a full auto paintball gun that runs 20 rounds a second at 350 FPS aboard just for jet skiers who buzz us. Had some bad experiences, including almost being killed by a jet skier who thought it'd be smart to play with the surfers in some very big sets.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by MBLittle

That's why I have a wife!

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That means an even lighter dingy as you have to be able to drag it up the beach with the wife in it.

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

That means an even lighter dingy as you have to be able to drag it up the beach with the wife in it.

Ha! Hilarious.

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[MBLittle]

So it seems, for us, the pros of a CC dinghy outweigh the cons.

And the fact that the one I mentioned in my OP is only 60lbs heavier than a regular dinghy, it seems weight isn't a real issue.

However, storage on a passage longer than a couple days, especially in heavy seas, does present an issue we'll have to research and address. I tend to think though, that if the davits were hardcore enough and we were able to raise it fairly high (after taking almost everything out and spring on deck) it wouldn't be much different than those that passagemake with a regular dinghy on davits.

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