Tender for 27' Sailboat

[jcrozier]

We have a 27' Tanzer and we want to upgrade our inflatable dinghy, and buy a used fibreglass tender. We would most likely tow it.

Any suggestions on appropriate size? We were thinking 6' length.

Since we will post an ad, is there anything in particular we should ask for to narrow down the search?

thanks!

[Sailabel]

Hi, By 'fiberglas', I assume that you mean a tender such as a 'livingtston' vs. an inflatable RIB?? I know you're limited on deck space, but I'd really consider a dinghy that can be stowed on deck. I'm not sure how well a 6' tender will tow, especially when a bit of chop kicks up. I definately wouldn't want to cross the Staits of Georgia towing a dinghy.

Sorry, but I'm not very familiar with fiberglas tenders... but I'd sure check to see if one has the capacity to carry a couple of adults, and still have a bit of freeboard. Being curious, I just looked up the info on the 6.5' inflatable that WM now carries, and it's load capacity is 2 persons/360#. Would a 6' rigid boat have less capacity??

For a 27' boat, I'd probably stick with an inflatable, primarily for being able to stow it on deck or below. If I were to go with a rigid dinghy (primarily for rowing), I'd look at the walker bays. I know they're plastic and not fiberglas, but having a production boat that also has a sail kit is kinda neat. If you're primarily using the dinghy to get ashore in the provincial parks, you're in protected waters (at least the parks I've visited). The big concern is being able to get both your Tanzer and the dinghy back home when the wind (and chop) kick up.

Best of luck.... please let us know what you decide..

Steve

[blgklr]

A BIC sportyak or the new 245 could suit your needs.

[Amgine]

I've gone back and forth across the Georgia Strait towing the dinghy... and a lot of other places too. But I've been very focused on getting something smaller and lighter to make it possible to carry on deck.

What I have, and hate, is a Walker Bay 8. I used to have an El Toro, but I sort of broke it a few too many times (I like sailing it in far too much wind.) The WB8 rows better, sails terribly, and I'm not willing to carry gasoline so I don't have an outboard for it. The primary redeeming characteristic of the WB8 is it's reasonably cheap: a recent exchange of messages with a boat builder had a $2k price for a basic dinghy, $5k for the sailing version, and the WB8 cost me something like $1600 for the sailing kit and boat.

I expect I'll need to build a dinghy if I want something around 6-7'. Some of the designs in this range that I'm impressed with include Atikin's Petey Dink, the 6' or 8' Origami, Selway-Fisher's 6' Skylark, and for the down-sized 4' I've been thinking of Selway-Fisher's 4' Skylark or Hannu's Half-Pea. I need something to carry just me and groceries, so I can consider these smaller dinghies.

I think if you don't need to carry much cargo, though, an inexpensive roto-molded kayak is probably the best choice for these waters. They're small/light, easy to lift aboard, and can live in the side decks fairly easily.

[cal40john]

I think the 8 foot PortaBote is worth a look. I was looking for a 10 and wound up with the 12 foot version from Craigslist. It is stable, rows fairly well, and folds up to about 4 inches wide up against the lifelines. Do a search on PortaBote to see more discussion. It seems most people don't try one because they say they're too damn ugly. The thwarts are a pain to store, but I've read that some replace them with plywood.

John

[jjt]

If you mean hard tender (plywood or fiberglass), may I suggest you have a look to the following plans:

Paul Gartside Ltd.
godwin-design // dinghy division
Atkin & Co. - Tiny Ripple
Boatbuilder Magazine - The Journal of Boat Design and Construction
John Welsford Designs

Any of them can be towed safely in chopped waters but in any case all of them are so small as to be stowed over a 26 footer deck.

[michaelmrc]

we have an 8.6 silver inflatable that we carry on the deck of our catalina 27. nose in pontoons up near the mast. fits well up on deck and seems to tow pretty nicely as well.

[Rhosyn Mor]

portabote.

[gonesail]

i've never heard of a 6 foot production dingy .. they are usually at least 7 or 8 feet. a 6 foot hard dingy is going to be pretty unstable for 2 people unless they are a good balancing act.

[SkiprJohn]

The Livingston makes a small tender that is stable because it has a catamaran profile for the hull. I think it comes a 6 or 7 foot version. Holds 3 people and gear ok and powers and rows well. I don't think they have a sail kit.

The Sabot is by far the best for sail dinghy but is 8 foot. Hard to fit on a small cruiser.

Good luck in your search.

Regards,
JohnL

[Bash]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

The Livingston makes a small tender that is stable because it has a catamaran profile for the hull. I think it comes a 6 or 7 foot version. Holds 3 people and gear ok and powers and rows well. I don't think they have a sail kit.

the smallest livingston is a 7.5. a great tender, but at 100 lbs it may be a bit heavy for a 27' sailboat to tow.

Livingston Boats - Model 7.5

[tager]

I have a 5.5' production dinghy but it is kind of a joke. It will get you to shore, if it is a short distance, in calm conditions, surprisingly it can handle 2 people. I am thinking about trading it for something more capable.

[Talbot]

lightweight aluminium rib has a lot of advantages

have a look at www.ribeye.co.uk