A not too tender tender for the tender?

[KevinV]

What are the hive mind's thoughts and experiences regarding a small tender for a small boat?
I've been thinking about using a kayak, but I'm not sure I could cope with the ignomony of stepping down into one and taking a graceless dive off the other side. Getting down to a low seat will also not be a joy with the state of my back.

On the other hand a half decent kayak is fast and you can see where you are going - my experience of inflatable dinghies is the opposite, but they are stable, and less deep to get into.

A decent kayak is pretty much the same money as a half decent dinghy from what I can see, so cost isn't going to help me decide. I'm also only 2' draft, so the distance to shore will be quite limited a lot of the time, but a kayak might invite a bit of exploration.

I don't have room for anything with a transom, and I will have to be quite imaginative with how/where to inflate the vessel before launch.

I do have a hard dinghy I could tow, but being only 17ft the boat is slow enough already, and I'm not keen on towing anyway.

It'll have to be as small as practicable, but I am roughly 6'3" /13 stone (190cm/ 90kg) and do need to be able to carry some luggage /provisions OR a second person.

As you can tell from the above, I don't know what to do for the best. My current slight preference is towards a larger single dropstitch kayak - it would do me nearly all the time, if at a bit of a risk when two up.

Advise, opinion, and particularly experience and recommendations gladly received.

 

[Tranona]

I have a 3D 2.3m roundtail. That will do the job, but biggest faff whatever you get will be inflating it on board. If you are athletic then there is a lot to be said for a kayak.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Small inflatable would seem to me to be the best option,as suggested by Tranona, there are plenty around to choose from, but get one that has a reputation for quality, I still use my old Avon Redstart which must be coming on for 25 years old but it is still going strong.
We had a Redstart many coming on for 50 years ago when we started cruising in a Leisure 17, deflated it did take up a bit of room, but we managed, occasionally we towed it but they are not the best things for towing.
Inflating the on board , can be a bit of a contortionists delight but not impossible.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

For ease of rowing, you really need a rigid or inflatable floor on a rubber dinghy, in which case the presence or absence of a transom isn't going to make much difference to the stowability. Thinking laterally, how about a folding boat, like the Seahopper? You could stow it along your guardrails, maybe, and they're as little as 2.03 m long. Sadly they're quite expensive, but this: How we designed and built a folding dinghy for under £350 - Practical Boat Owner might be a possibility?

 

[RJJ]

Have you considered an inflatable paddleboard?

Cheap, light, easily stowed, easily managed both rolled up and inflated. And good for the back! You can paddle kneeling so don't worry too much about the stability. And it's (IMHO) more fun than a kayak for the exploring you touch upon.

One of the larger ones can carry a surprisingly decent load with a drybag fore and aft, and still be stable.

I rely on our SUP to get to and from our mid river mooring; the actual dinghy lives on the yacht. Only fell in once, when I was challenging myself to stand up on a choppy da. Kneeling, it couldn't be easier.

 

[steve yates]

Stowing would be a challenge, but what about a small canadian instead? Far more practical than a kayak, and much more stable, with room for proviso s or a passenger, and you stay dry. Paddling a kayak always means water running down your wrists and arms.

 

[FairweatherDave]

I've got an inflatable SUP, a sit on kayak and an inflatable dinghy.
The question needs more detail. The sit on kayak is the most reliable and least effort to cover any distance. SUPs are seriously affected by wind and chop. But very transportable in a car. However to be stable an SUP needs a decent amount of air pressure....quite hard to achieve wobblingaboutin a wayfarer. An under inflated Avon dinghy is not a disaster, but you can't stand on a floppy SUP. Are you leaving your tender on the mooring or taking it with you? I remember reading about someone using a beach toy type dinghy.... hmmm. How much storage on your boat? I'd rather go exploring in a kayak or on an SUP anytime over a dinghy. Choices!

 

[KevinV]

Interesting input, thank you all already.
Avon Redstarts seem to be the cockroaches of the boating world, which holds some appeal, but they look so heavy duty that I may struggle with the bulk - my lockers are quite big, but with small openings (hence the no transom requirement). I have seen similar designs though in what look like heavy duty PVC.
I hadn't thought of a SUP used kneeling, I can see that position being more comfortable than a kayak, and simpler to inflate/deflate. Silly really, my boss' brother imports the things, I ought to be able to wangle a trial.
I had forgotten about the drip from a kayak paddle, but had looked at a Canadian canoe - there is a company that makes inflatable dropstitch ones, but they are almost longer than my boat, and not a lot cheaper!
Unfortunately there isn't room for anything foldable - I have no guardrails, so it would end up in the already "cosy" cabin.

I wonder if a stiff inflatable kayak could be used kneeling? That might just be perfect?

Keep it coming please, it IS helping!

 

[FairweatherDave]

Size-wise Avons beat PVC dinghies for weight and smaller size (foldability/flexibility) when un-inflated. Hypalon is better than PVC. However the smallest avon would also fit in a wayfarer rear bouyancy locker, but not a much smaller space. My daughters single skin SUP rolls up pretty small, whereas my old SUP is about the same as my big Avon. I used to be a bit snobby about inflatable kayaks thinking they would be so vulnerable to punctures etc, but now having seen SUPs made with similar technology I'm impressed. If you are excited about exploring get a kayak or SUP that is a pleasure to paddle. I row my avon sometimes but don't regard it as a pleasure. Others may disagree but I don't enjoy Sup in any significant breeze, and I confess I have never knelt on one to paddle any distance.. It's just chosing the right thing for the scenario you are going to most commonly encounter.

 

[Neeves]

We use a Portabote Portabote - Australia's most portable boat but there are other manufacturers of the same sort of thing. - ours is 10'6" but they make a smaller model. Ours weighs 30kg, which seems heavy but I carry it single handed with the amidship seat resting on my shoulder (so the dinghy is vertical). As the Pilot said it can be folded up and stored lashed to stanchions, it rows relatively well, they are robust and work better than a fibreglass dinghy in chop. We also have a sit in and sit on kayaks, one of each - but they are wet and really nor the best choice if you want to transport provisions or clothes (unless you use a dry bag). We use the dinghy as the primary access, we are on a swing mooring and replenish supplies using it but for 'exploration' and exercise we use the kayaks. SUPs are also wet, again unless you use a dry bag and you would need to lash it to the deck of the SUP? I have also wondered about dinghies that dismantle into 2 or 3 parts, you can buy kits, but never progressed beyond wondering.

A small dinghy allows you to have crew, as well as re-victual your yacht - and I'd think it the best option (rather than kayak or SUP).

We don't tow our dinghy nor kayaks. If we 'move' they are on deck, dinghy on davits - we have a cat - so big decks

Good Luck

Jonathan

 

[Daydream believer]

A second hand Avon would fit the bill.They do come up from time to time. Does not tow well but if one lifts the bow up to the transom of the main vessel it solves the issue. For inflation I understand that space is a problem so get a 12 V battery & a small lilo type electric pump. The Avon only needs 3PSI pressure & can be inflated quickly. You can deflate as you lift it aboard. For onshore inflation a Colman upright pump is far quicker than the avon foot pump. It is also better on board as one can trap it with the feet better.
It is much safer than the other options . Having watched people fall off paddle boards here on tidal waters I would not even countenance the idea
I suggest the Avon because it rows better than most dinghies which all seem to have fixed oars. These can be a nuisance in any sort of sea because on the backstroke the handle hits one's knees. The other end catches in the waves because one cannot lift the blade clear.
With the avon wooden oars, one can push them out either side of ones legs or deflate the seat a bit to lower the knees.
I have had 2 avons over62 years & a few years ago I could row my redcrest faster whilst towing a plastic dinghy I had just collected than my friends plastic dinghy with outboard.
They row very well with one.

 

[Stemar]

On our old Snapdragon, we didn't have the space on board for a dinghy, so we towed it everywhere. OK, we didn't go out in gales, but F6, even with wind over tide in the Solent, didn't give a problem. Yes, it'll slow you down a bit, but nowhere near us much as a few months' fouling.

 

[graham]

If you can tow a rubber dinghy with the bow lifted out of the water and tied tight to the transom of the yacht it will be very little drag and cant capsize or fill with much water.

 

[dankilb]

Kayak meets SUP - if that's your thing: Drift – Aqua Marina (you can remove/ignore/repurpose the fishing bits)

 

[Sjk1000]

i'm 6'4, 103 kilos and have a Sadler 26. This is our second season with the Intex Explorer K2 (2 person). The Intex Challenger was a bit small for me but would have been fine if it wasn't for my wife wanting to come ashore too. We sail around the west coast of scotland and haven't had any problems anchoring and paddling to shore/pontoons. It folds down small enough to live under the tiller in the cockpit (except paddles, which break down and go in the locker). It's easy to inflate/deflate. Light enough to carry one handed up the shore. ridiculously cheap, unattractive to thieves (not that there are many up here), steers well enough with the removable skeg, and it's really difficult to turn over because it has massive inflatable sides. It's not the best in strong winds but still very do-able. I also don't have to worry about outboards, or fuel and it's really good fun for a bit of exploring. It's surprisingly robust too. We previously had a hard bottomed inflatable that we dragged around behind our last boat (36' westerly) but this is much less hassle and I honestly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I definitely wouldn't get anything more expensive even though I really wanted to when I was first looking.

 

[KevinV]

i'm 6'4, 103 kilos and have a Sadler 26. This is our second season with the Intex Explorer K2 (2 person). The Intex Challenger was a bit small for me but would have been fine if it wasn't for my wife wanting to come ashore too. We sail around the west coast of scotland and haven't had any problems anchoring and paddling to shore/pontoons. It folds down small enough to live under the tiller in the cockpit (except paddles, which break down and go in the locker). It's easy to inflate/deflate. Light enough to carry one handed up the shore. ridiculously cheap, unattractive to thieves (not that there are many up here), steers well enough with the removable skeg, and it's really difficult to turn over because it has massive inflatable sides. It's not the best in strong winds but still very do-able. I also don't have to worry about outboards, or fuel and it's really good fun for a bit of exploring. It's surprisingly robust too. We previously had a hard bottomed inflatable that we dragged around behind our last boat (36' westerly) but this is much less hassle and I honestly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I definitely wouldn't get anything more expensive even though I really wanted to when I was first looking.

That's really helpful on the kayak front, thank you - and as it happens I'm hoping to do a bit of exploring up your neck of the woods in August The Intex explorer was what got me thinking about a cheap kayak instead of a dinghy, but it's so easy to go down the "this looks okay, but that looks better, and the next must be best" - good to get a reality check from a user.

 

[Pirx]

Kevin, I have an ancient small Avon lurking malevolently in the garage. Last used a year ago when it had a small leak requiring a bit of a top-up every 10 days or so. I have a repair kit, the wooden floor and oars are fine. The possible problem is that I'm in Lancashire but if you'd like it you'd be welcome.

 

[KevinV]

Kevin, I have an ancient small Avon lurking malevolently in the garage. Last used a year ago when it had a small leak requiring a bit of a top-up every 10 days or so. I have a repair kit, the wooden floor and oars are fine. The possible problem is that I'm in Lancashire but if you'd like it you'd be welcome.

That really is fantastically kind, but I'm in Monmouth, so will have to (reluctantly!) turn your offer down

 

[Sianna]

We have one of these on our boat, quick to inflate, loads of room, super stable, and track well with the skegs in