OC Tender Owners - would you buy again?

[mvweebles]

An OC Tender 330 is around $12k delivered to the US, a good $5k-$6k more than a high quality RIB of similar size. They look rock-solid, stable, lightweight, and should last many, many years.

https://octenders.co.nz/products-oc330/

For those who own one, would you replace it if needed? Quite a cost premium here in the US but for something as instrumental as a dinghy, might be worth it?

Thanks in advance -

[jt11791]

Yes, I'd buy another OC Tender. But due to the high cost of shipping to the US, I'd only do it if I could get one from a full container load. I believe there is a dealer in FL that has imported containers before. Sorry, I don't have a name but the OC people will know. Without the cost of shipping, the OC costs about the same as a high quality RIB.

[Greatest Lakes]

They are neat. Saw one in the wild being used in California. The owner seemed to like it. Got on plane much easier than my inflatable. Looks like the first dinghy to get stolen if you're not careful though.

[mvweebles]

I have traded notes with OC Tender folks. They have contrainer shipping arrangements in Florida, Seattle area, and Southern California. SoCal is the least expensive as it's the closest to NZ. About $12k landed for a 330. I really just want a last dink so willing to surge a bit.

Thanks so far.

[LoudMusic]

What do you plan to power it with? I'd really like to have a couple large batteries - one under each bench about midship, and a ~10kw motor. I'm just concerned we're not quite there yet and the end result is far heavier than a nice 15 to 20HP 4 stroke and fuel.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

What do you plan to power it with? I'd really like to have a couple large batteries - one under each bench about midship, and a ~10kw motor. I'm just concerned we're not quite there yet and the end result is far heavier than a nice 15 to 20HP 4 stroke and fuel.

I recently purchased an eBike and am super impressed with power and range, but for a dink, will likely opt for15hp outboard. Plan is south from San Diego then to Florida so speed and range are important and not sure torqueedo and LFP will deliver, but maybe. Will be my next query to CF.

[jock knots]

Consider a ZeroJet. Electric jet engine. Coolest thing on the water. Silent no stink. No prop hanging down from the tender.
All info on their website:
https://www.zerojet.nz
ZeroJet partners with OC Tender, both in NZ.

[zstine]

surely you can find a similar style hull locally and wrap some similar looking fender/pads around it for a lot less $$. If a few grand is not an issue, then just buy it and be done.

[sailcrazy]

We've seen them at some of the dinghy docks...they look very impressive. But $12k for a dink? Maybe when I win the lottery?

[kryg]

I never owned a QC tender however I do see one in our bay, frankly I'm not that impressed for the money. I have an Ocean Craft tender, smaller version than on SV Delos. They are manufactured in Queensland, Australia, they ship to the US. I find my tender is very stable, it will out last me and my grand children. This I would buy again if I lost it. In my view, when I compare the one in the bay to mine, I can see there is far more value for the money between the two tenders products.

Originally Posted by mvweebles

An OC Tender 330 is around $12k delivered to the US, a good $5k-$6k more than a high quality RIB of similar size. They look rock-solid, stable, lightweight, and should last many, many years.

https://octenders.co.nz/products-oc330/

For those who own one, would you replace it if needed? Quite a cost premium here in the US but for something as instrumental as a dinghy, might be worth it?

Thanks in advance -

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by kryg

I never owned a QC tender however I do see one in our bay, frankly I'm not that impressed for the money. I have an Ocean Craft tender, smaller version than on SV Delos. They are manufactured in Queensland, Australia, they ship to the US. I find my tender is very stable, it will out last me and my grand children. This I would buy again if I lost it. In my view, when I compare the one in the bay to mine, I can see there is far more value for the money between the two tenders products.

The difference is weight - almost double for the Ocean Craft vs OC tender. To me, that's the biggest factor in any dinghies usability for cruising.

Edit: The 3.3m size is double the weight.

[kryg]

You're correct if you're considering a larger Ocean Craft like the one on SV Delos. My comment is about value for money and durability. I gave up on inflatables, having owned 3 that failed, I do have a porta boat I used for a long time now in storage My tender is 2.9 meters and weight is about 65 kilos? I use the spinnaker halyard to winch to lift it by myself (I'm age 77) on the foredeck cradle. My bow of my boat does not sink under this weight. Out of interest, I'm also weighed sensitive my 15-meter mast head cutter displacement is 8.5 Tons.

Originally Posted by Matt Johnson

The difference is weight - almost double for the Ocean Craft vs OC tender. To me, that's the biggest factor in any dinghies usability for cruising.

Edit: The 3.3m size is double the weight.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

I recently purchased an eBike and am super impressed with power and range, but for a dink, will likely opt for15hp outboard. Plan is south from San Diego then to Florida so speed and range are important and not sure torqueedo and LFP will deliver, but maybe. Will be my next query to CF.

I thought speed and range were going to be an issue for me on our Highfield 310 so I got a 15HP and a 6 gallon tank. Most places I ended up dinghying had speed limits. I often had to seek out places to get the boat up on plane at full throttle to "blow the gunk out".

Hopefully you'll have more dinghy adventures than I did

[elee]

I have an OC350 upgraded to the sailing version on order to the east coast. It is 3x the cost of a Highfield 360. The non-sailing version is 2x the cost. To put it bluntly, there is really no economic justification for this, and I think buying one is a total splurge. A good RIB should last you at absolute minimum 3-5 years (depending on location) so you can buy 2-3 replacements for the same price as one OC.

Having said that, I like the weight consideration to save my back pulling it ashore, the ability to use a smaller engine, and of course, having a sailing dinghy all-in-one. So definintely a luxury.

Of anecdotal interesting, a friend cruising an OC in the Bahamas originally started with a Torqeedo ended up buying a 20hp Tonhatsu as he did not get the range he needed. He keeps the Torqeedo as a backup.

I have spoke to several owners. I haven't found anyone who would not buy again. At least no one who would admit it!

[Qismat]

I would 100% buy one again. We love our OC300. Picked it up in LA from the shipping depot and have brought it down to mexico with us.

The only thing I don't like is that the bow hole (where the anchor etc goes) is an open hole and doesn't have a lid. Looking into custom building one for it.

Its fast, LIGHT, and i dont have to worry about sun damage or filling tubes.

My one gripe with it is that in choppy water, its really uncomfortable as its such a flat bottom and no shock absorption in the tubes.