Tenders- what do you use?

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by apirate

Polycraft doesn't have any US distributors. I was close to importing one from AUS on my own before I found Whaly which does have US representation.

Okay I had to get the details.The only dealership listed is Minnesota which I would have thought they would have picked Florida if they're only going to do one. Unless you absolutely need a tender that will deflate for storage it doesn't make sense not to get one of these to me either.

[SparkyDorado]

I cruised for 35 years using inflatable dinghies as my tender. They really are the most practical choice. But I started to realize that nothing about cruising in a sailboat is practical, and I wanted my dinghy to be as fun as my sailboat. I built one of these last year and I'll never go back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=BsWtDD_pl6o

[dfelsent]

Aiming for March launch.
PT-11.
Replacing a rib. Doubling up with a Dyer midget. Might end up with a roll up deflatable too but the PT-11 pushes my buttons. Plus a fun project over winter.

[apirate]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Okay I had to get the details.The only dealership listed is Minnesota which I would have thought they would have picked Florida if they're only going to do one. Unless you absolutely need a tender that will deflate for storage it doesn't make sense not to get one of these to me either.Attachment 181817

I spoke to the owner of the us distributor today. They have dealers in Ft Lauderdale and Savannah.

[Sojourner]

Originally Posted by Peterbreit

Don't get an aluminum dinghy, too hot...

Not in my experience... Hauled out on the boat, sure. In the water, the metal conducts the heat extraordinarily well, so it stays cool from the water beneath...

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by apirate

I'm curious why cruisers haven't adopted use of polyethylene tenders such as the Whaly 310 (https://www.whalyboatsusa.com/product-page/model-310) or Polycraft at a higher rate. These boats are virtually indestructible, just as stable as a RIB, and at a lower price than hypalon versions.

They seem to have caught on in Australia and NZ but difficult to get in the states. Personally I like the idea of a dingy that will last a lifetime rather than an inflatable we will have to replace.

We are about to order the Whaly and will keep our Avon inflatable stowed in case we ever need it.

For a start that one you've linked to claims to weigh 105kg. The Polycraft isn't much better at 75kg. A good aluminium rib will be less than half the weight of the Polycraft.

[apirate]

Maybe I’m a fool to think 230 pounds isn’t bad for a tender but it seems manageable.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by apirate

Maybe I’m a fool to think 230 pounds isn’t bad for a tender but it seems manageable.

I suppose it depends on the size of the mothership.

If you have monster 60' boat, then 230lbs is nothing. If you have a 37' cruisers like a Benneteau First a fully rigid 3m 230lbs dinghy is going to be real handful.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by apirate

Maybe I’m a fool to think 230 pounds isn’t bad for a tender but it seems manageable.

We took an 11 foot Boston Whaler, weighing 280 pounds, on our last two cruises, (a 42 Catalina) . It took a few tries to master our technique, but we finally worked out a system of using the jib halyard and a block and tackle, for putting it on the foredeck for long passages,( and towing it for shorter ones.)

It’s not for everybody, but it was worth it to us. I like being able to beach it on ironshore, or tie up to nail ridden docks, without fear of damage. And, I like having a dinghy that can actually be rowed effectively. We took an inflatable on our first cruise, and I vowed, “never again”. But, I admit they have some advantages and good points.

You have to find what works for your style of cruising. Not everyone has the same type of cruising style (or the same boat, or the same needs).

We have a bigger boat now, and are actually looking to upgrade to a 13 foot Whaler for our next tender, after cruising alongside another sailboat who had done that, and seeing how much it improved their dingy exploration trips.

[sailhand]

I use a magic carpet 3.5 with a 3hp yammy and it planes with two people. Put a queen size mattress on the flat self draining deck and walk around it but the wheels are the best thing about the whole boat. Unsinkable foam core.

[Cheechako]

I might add that Port A Botes are cheap used on craig's list etc. Seen em as low as $300.

Another comment: while inflatables are theoretically "expendable". My AB Rib was 10 years old when I sold it. was a Florida/Caribe boat, and still going strong. My old 90's Blue Hypalon Achilles was 16 years old and would hold air over the winter! PNW boat.

My first cruising boat had a little rigid dingy like "owly" shows above. Mine was a Dyer Dhow which is highly respected. That boat was patently unsafe for a crew of 2 as a dingy. Maybe as a boat for a small lake. But it could readily be swamped going to town and back for groceries if there was a wind chop on the water. You got drenched readily. Had I used that type on my later cruising, I would have not went places and would have missed a ton of wonders of cruising.
You can buy an electric moped instead of a car, but you need a good reliable car. Dingy's are the same.

[Kita]

I have a 14 ft aluminum wide body that has a 30hp & was using it as a fishing boat & now it's a tender / fishing boat. .love the boat! Like a truck for the water...problem is I can't hang it on the davit because of weight, not that big of a deal considering the benefits. Well at least that's what I thought. A couple days ago here in Madeira Beach Florida we got a tropical storm like weather that came through with hardly any notice. I went to bed everything was fine. when I woke up the next day I looked out the back and there was no aluminum boat. thinking the line snapped I'm looking around the bay and I don't see it. Then like Moby-Dick beckoning Captain Ahab I see the bow come up and roll over and go back under! Holy crap! I guess when the wind and waves were going the Bow came up and the wind blew it over....so here I sit waiting for help trapped onboard to salvage it..... anybody got any ideas how long an outboard will last underwater? LOL. The moral to this story is next time get something that won't sink & that you can carry. ...

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Kita

I A couple days ago here in Madeira Beach Florida we got a tropical storm like weather that came through with hardly any notice. I went to bed everything was fine.

Wow must have been some storm.
We have a 14 ft wide body aluminium with a 30hp motor that we usually lift.
Its been at the end of its line with 80 knots of wind and torrential rain and came through it fine.
Near on 700lb of weight keeps it well planted.


If you went to bed and everything was fine perhaps excessive rain during the night was an issue?
Ours has an electric bilgepump to keep any water at bay

. LOL. The moral to this story is next time get something that won't sink & that you can carry. ...

That would have blown around like a kite at the end of a string.

[mikedefieslife]

Isn't the moral of the story, to put your outboard on the rail, and lift the dinghy out of the water?

At least that's what it was when I got caught out in Sicily and had spend a couple of hours flushing out and cleaning the outboard.

[longjonsilver]

Originally Posted by owly

Probably the smartest thing is to build a stitch and glue two piece dinghy. They often take only two or three sheets of plywood, and you can step a mast and use a centerboard. Make the tender look rough and a bit trashy. Build it out of cheap plywood, such as the 1/4" 3 ply fir marine plywood I can get locally for $50 a sheet. Perhaps put a water tight round screw in deckplate or two in the bottom, and remove them when the dinghy is beached.

i have been thinking along these lines as well. Woods' 8' Crayfish yacht tender makes the most sense to me for many of us. Float tubes on the sides make for both stability and ease of rowing.

Sailing Catamarans - Crayfish 8ft yacht tender