Beneteau Oceanis 323 - What Tender & Engine

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GUfton

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Hi, I am new to this Forum

I have just purchased a 2006 Beneteau Oceanis 323 which is berthed in Croatia (Near Split) and plan to keep her in this area. The yacht is berthed in a marina but I need to purchase a tender and outboard to allow trips ashore when on anchor etc. Can anyone recommend a cost effective combination. Tender needs to be small enough to store in the fore deck of the 323 at times ( I am not sure what the available length is on a 323 (advise ?). I would also appreciate recommendations on suppliers in the Split area.

Thks
 
How many people do you want in the tender together?
Are you planning on lifting it in and out every time it's used or tow it?
Will you be leaving it out in the sun all summer or do you plan to fold it up and put it in a bag?
Will you have some means of hoisting the tender or the engine from deck into the water?
Do you want to keep it on deck inflated or will it be deflated every time it's finished with?
 
AngusMcDoon said:
AngusMcDoon, thanks for the questions, answers as follows

How many people do you want in the tender together? Typically 3, max 4 for short transfers when calm and warm
Are you planning on lifting it in and out every time it's used or tow it? Will be towed when in transit, on the foredeck for entry to marinas etc
Will you be leaving it out in the sun all summer or do you plan to fold it up and put it in a bag? Will be in the sun when the yacht is being used. folded up when the yacht is left
Will you have some means of hoisting the tender or the engine from deck into the water? No, just muscle
Do you want to keep it on deck inflated or will it be deflated every time it's finished with?
Click to expand...
Keep on the deck inflated

Thks
GUfton
 
I've got a 2,7m airdeck (Inflatable V-Hull) from Wetline with a Mercury 6hp 4-stroke and I am also in Croatia - Boat is a Bav36 so a bit longer than a 323, so can't help with sizing, but here's my experience.

Maximum it will carry is 6 adults on a calm day on 1/4 throttle (any faster or any waves and it ships water and soaks everyone).

I don't like carrying it inflated on the foredeck even though it fits well without blocking access to the anchor locker - basically because it blocks the hatch, preventing it being used for escape, and makes the interior dark. Looks like the 323 has 2 hatches forward of the mast so this may be a factor for you too. If the dinghy is too long, it will obviously block access to the anchor locker.

The dinghy on deck also hinders ventilation, and good ventilation is essential in the height of a Croatian summer. I also find that the genny sheets wrap themselves round the rear of the tubes requiring someone to go to the mast to free them.

On a positive note, I can lift it on and off the foredeck using the spinnaker halyard .... it's easy to do and sometimes I will ship it on the foredeck in marinas/ports and leave it dangling on the spinnaker halyard like a half-open car bonnet - so we can still get ventilation through the hatch. Obviously this isn't an option underway.

Basically, I tow it everywhere, but not from the deck cleats as this lifts the bow and makes it more likely to misbehave in strong winds. I tow it from a point about a foot above the waterline using a short line on the side opposite to the exhaust (so it doesn't get burnt or covered in s**t when reversing). The load is spread evenly over the 3 dinghy towing eyes in a sort of bridle arrangement. A short line keeps it well under control, and it doesn't matter if it bumps the boat as it's basically a big fender - not like a rigid tender that has a bit of momentum and is better on a longer line.

It has never come close to flying or flipping, despite being towed regularly in F6 and occasionally in F7 gusting F8 - but leave the self-bailer open.

I never tow it with the outboard on unless it is absolutely flat calm and likely to stay that way.

I bought it so I could anchor out and comfortably travel a reasonable distance in the dinghy. Having one that will plane 2-up makes a big difference. It's turned out to be a good move ... I regulary travel a couple of kms in the dinghy to go shopping, visit the next bay or anchor well out in crowded anchorages - I try and avoid the masses of charter-boats, all anchored on top of each other in the height of summer - having a fast tender and a lot of chain makes this possible.

The 4-stroke engine is however heavy and a pain to lift on and off the boat - starting to think about getting a hoist for the pushpit .... most 4-strokes (4-6 hp) weigh around 25kg empty.

Finally, the shoreline in Croatia has razor sharp rocks, so get one with a tough bottom. Mine has finally succumbed after 8 years and the floor is no longer waterproof - the edge where the transom joins the floor is particularly vulnerable.

I intend to buy a lightweight aluminium rib next season.
 
Hi Baggywrinkle

Thanks for the post and your experiences, useful. I agree with all your points.

Can you recommend a chandler in Croatia (Split area ideally) who might supply dinghy and outboard ?

Thanks
 
I've found the prices in Croatia to be pretty high for both dinghies and outboards ... but I'm up North in Pula and I think there is probably more available in Split.

This place in Split has a Mercury 6hp for example ... (never used them though)

http://www.boltano.hr/proizvod.aspx?sifraID=MEF - 6-M

... around £963 dependent on exchange rate which is OK but not a massive bargain. Perhaps you could negotiate a discount in the store if bought with a dinghy?

In the UK a 6hp short shaft Mercury is £894 here......

https://www.ribs.co.uk/outboard-motors-yamaha-mercury-mariner-suzuki-tohatsu-lehr/mercury-mariner/

Similar for dinghies - I bought mine from the UK, shipped to Germany.

Last summer was hunting round Croatia for a RIB but came up empty.

If I were you I'd look for an online supplier who will do european delivery direct to the marina or just buy in Split and avoid the hassle.

PS. Boltano are here ..

https://www.google.com/maps/place/B...06892d9dc988e1d!8m2!3d43.5009701!4d16.4282727

Then there's this place too ...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2594640117d5aa9!8m2!3d43.5128072!4d16.4846327
 
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For short journeys I tow on a short line as described above (with backup line too). For long journeys I carry horizontally across the stern - sits on the swim platform with a few lines to the stern rail.

Boat is Beneateu 343 and dinghy a Quicksilver 2.7m airdeck. Outboard is 3.5 4-stroke. Planes with 1 person and no cargo. Plenty of room for 2 and 5 at a squeeze.

Dingy was a second hand one and shipped UK to Greece for £70 (30kg limit for some carriers). Outboard was bought new through UK and delivered for £30.
 
I rode short distances with 3 of us in two different 2.4m inflatables a couple of times last year, and found them cramped and uncomfortable. The third person has to climb in and position themselves quite carefully, and then there's no room to move once underway. I wouldn't have liked to make those trips in rough conditions.

These were tenders to 38' AWBs - one was carried on the foredeck, the other deflated when not in use.

I have a 2.85m Honwave airdeck that I like quite a lot (cheers scrambledegg!) - generally it feels a lot more spacious than those 2.4 ones, but so far the largest load I've carried with it was two people, shopping and luggage.

I agree with the other comment that it doesn't take long to blow up an inflatable - the hard part is stowing a folded one!
 
We inflate our dinghy once a season:: the hassle of deflating and inflating every time we move simply isn’t worth it, given that we use the dinghy on a daily basis. We tow it most of the time, only bringing it on board to be stowed on the coach house roof when we’re making a longer passage or expect higher winds. Always remove the outboard when moving using a hoist mounted on the pushpit.
We had a 2.3m dinghy for a while, way too small for regular commuting between boat and shore. We now have a 2.6m which is adequate, I’d prefer a slightly larger one but can’t justify spending money on it! We use a 2.5 hip 2 stroke Mariner: simple little engine that does nicely and the Admiral can use it easily.
 
We have a larger boat so more foredeck space but in our years in Croatia we had first a heavy 3m rib and now a much lighter 2.6m aluminium rib. We store on the foredeck lifting in and out by spinnaker halyard and all quite easy especially with the new rib. I cover it with a cheap garden table cover when we leave the boat for a few weeks to protect it from the sun. Having a dinghy inflated on deck is great for keeping the forecabin cool in the shade and we use the spinnaker halyard to lift the bow up a bit when needed to get more air and lots of people do the same.

We have both a Honda 5hp and a Torquedo 1003 (perhaps 2.5hp) but almost never use the Honda as the electric is cleaner, requires fuel only from the ships batteries and its 3 components can be lifted down with one hand.

Depending on the length of your foredeck I would consider a rib if you can afford it because they row and motor so much better than air-decks and are far less vulnerable to damage when you go ashore to a beach.
 
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