Anyone know anything about the Cornish Cove 10' dinghy, please?

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NealB

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I fancy a hard tender that looks good, rows well, motors well, and gives a pleasing (if unexciting) sail.

Ones that spring to mind are:

- Foxer

- Cornish Crabber Limpet

- Cornish Cove

I can find quite a bit about the first two, but very little about the Cove.

Does anyone know anything, please?

In particular, thoughts on build quality, sailing performance and, very importantly, hull weight.

Very open to other suggestions, too.

Thank you.

Edit: I'm looking 2nd hand, rather than new, so budget is a rather fluid £1000 ish, for something really smart.
 
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From experience of two hard rowing tenders and one hard sailing one ...

* Go for a simple rig. Many of the plastic-gaffer style dinghies have all sorts of ropes, which looks terribly nice and romantic but is an utter pain to rig when all you want to do is nip into the quayside shops for some sausages. We have a Heyland Swift, which is the sailing version of the Toad, which we can rig in five or ten minutes. Assemble two parts of mast, push through sleeved sail, add boom (all on yacht), lower into dinghy, no shrouds to bother about, fit rudder, lower daggerboard, sail.

* Check towing. The Swift sank on us going round the Mull of Kintyre last year because it has low freeboard at the back, squats under tow and lets nasty wee waves coming up from stern break into it. Absolutely fine most of the time, a real pain when it goes wrong. My other two tenders, a Jack Holt Dittyboat and an anonymous GRP pram both have more buoyancy and higher freeboard at the stern and don't give this problem.

Otherwise a rigid dinghy doesn't slow you down nearly as much as people think and is far, far more fun than a flubber for exploring anchorages, especially anchorages with pointy bits sticking up.
 
JumbleDuck said:
From experience of two hard rowing tenders and one hard sailing one ...

* Go for a simple rig. Many of the plastic-gaffer style dinghies have all sorts of ropes, which looks terribly nice and romantic but is an utter pain to rig when all you want to do is nip into the quayside shops for some sausages. We have a Heyland Swift, which is the sailing version of the Toad, which we can rig in five or ten minutes. Assemble two parts of mast, push through sleeved sail, add boom (all on yacht), lower into dinghy, no shrouds to bother about, fit rudder, lower daggerboard, sail.

* Check towing. The Swift sank on us going round the Mull of Kintyre last year because it has low freeboard at the back, squats under tow and lets nasty wee waves coming up from stern break into it. Absolutely fine most of the time, a real pain when it goes wrong. My other two tenders, a Jack Holt Dittyboat and an anonymous GRP pram both have more buoyancy and higher freeboard at the stern and don't give this problem.

Otherwise a rigid dinghy doesn't slow you down nearly as much as people think and is far, far more fun than a flubber for exploring anchorages, especially anchorages with pointy bits sticking up.
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I can agree with all of that!

I used to have a lovely little aluminium, nesting dinghy with lug rig. She rowed, and sailed, beautifully, and, was so quick to rig. I often regret selling her (to a member of this forum, in fact!).

Just off to google the Swift and Dittyboat.
 
NealB said:
Just off to google the Swift and Dittyboat.
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I think the only link Google finds to the Dittyboat is me asking "Does anyone know more about these?" years ago. It's a very nice 7'6" stem dinghy, but mine is the only one I have ever seen. Bought from Duncan's Yacht Chandlers in Glasgow in 1980 or 81, I think.

I have a 10' Ferrantiboat (double skinned, stem, uses Mirror rig) which I am so desperate to find a home for that you can have it for a donation to the charity of your choice. Maybe a bit heavy for a tender, though.
 
I was going to suggest a Ferrantiboat even before I saw Jumbleduck's post, Honest !

Think I have the original brochure somewhere if you like Neal.

( JD, the usual handover behind the lockup OK ) :)
 
Humm might suggest looking at a Tepco 10ft dinghy, well made, full shoulders etc, high enough free-board, very stable if not the fastest under sail.

Sold a 12ft version a while back, most impressed with the design plus build quality. A simple sail rig with rudder and built in buoyancy with Varnished thwarts and knees etc. Most modern plus traditional at the sale time.
 
Hi Neal, I think you answered my gumtree ad before Christmas. I still have a Cornish Cove for sale if you are still interested
Phil
 
I had a Tepco 12ft GRP converted to a rowing/outboard tender only. It was excellent for two adults and two children plus sailing gear. It was the hull shape that seemed to be ideal as a large tender. Heavy though.
 
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