Canoes as Tenders

[warwicksail]

Hi Guys

Sombody mentioned a recent article about using Canoes/Open boats as tenders. I have been using my canoe as a tender for years has lots of advantages, Mainly the weight and seems to paddle agaist tide with less effort than the dinghy.

I even have a small electric outboard for spring tides, can be a little tipy for the unexperienced though. Not the best for towing behind the boat, if you go for a shorter light weigh boat like Royalex then even small davits will hold the boat over the stern.

Anybody wish to add there experience with this ?

 

[Searush]

I presume that is a Canadian Canoe? I couldn't imagine trying to board a kayak from a high freeboard yacht anchor in the sea! I might go for an Eskimo launch off the deck after getting in it on deck first tho, but not very helpful for SWMBO.

I have enjoyed canoeing over many years but never expected or managed to stay dry in a kayak yet. The whole point of my rubber duck is that I, my crew & our gear can be carried to the boat completely dry.

 

[Matt341]

We have 2 sit on Kayaks, A Bic Bilbao and a Tek. We have tried using them with the boat but I find it impossible to get from the kayak onto the boat, especially in a chopwhen the boat is rising and falling. I tried to get from the Bic onto the boarding ladder on the stern but only managed to turn the kayak over. I have never tried to get into the kayak off the boat but I dont think it would be easy.

I imagine it would be a lot easier if there was a scoop stern like the bavaria as you could sort of slide in and out of the kayak.

Ian.

 

[Csail]

Please don't jump on me but we sell Bic Kayaks. Swmbo has paddled for GB and swears by the peformance. I do have a few of 2009 stock reduced to clear.

 

[ribrage]

The article was in this months edition of PBO i think ? I havent seen it yet but they collared me when i was alongside Poole quay and asked afew questions about my canoe that was on deck at the time.

I also found it difficult getting from the canoe and back onto the yacht so had a stainless bathing platform made up and fitted to the transom, i still end up in the drink from time to time but it does help, occasionally when im feeling energetic i drop the guard wire and seal launch but its a 50/50 as to which way i end up these days, still good fun though !

 

[Searush]

(snip)
I also found it difficult getting from the canoe and back onto the yacht so had a stainless bathing platform made up and fitted to the transom, i still end up in the drink from time to time but it does help, occasionally when im feeling energetic i drop the guard wire and seal launch but its a 50/50 as to which way i end up these days, still good fun though !

Fun? Well OK, I can accept that because I jump in the water & swim for fun. But OP seemed to be suggesting them as a viable tender, & a major requirement of a tender for me is that it shall deliver me & my guests/crew at the pub/ restaurant in fine fettle for an evening's entertainment - rather than like drowned rats & providing the evening's entertainment for raucous locals.

 

[Colvic Watson]

Two canoes tied together as a catamaran?

 

[DownWest]

A great friend tried to sail a Javenese fishing boat back to UK, got as far as Christmas Isl before it sunk. Their dinghy was a dugout canoe. One of his memories was of some guys in suits coming out to the boat in the dugout, which foundered, leaving them them standing up as it went down.
A

Curiously, he still thinks it is a good idea. But my wife objects to my sailing with him...
A

 

[samwise]

The PBO article didn't seem to grasp the difference between a canoe and a kayak -- kayakers get a bit sensitive about this. We have a standard Zodiac as tender but recently acquired a Stearns two seater inflatable kayak that we have used on local lakes and rivers and on our Netherlands holiday for nosing around places where the dinghy could not go. The PBO tested ones were quite expensive -- around the £400 mark. The Stearns was nothing like that ( Seamark Nunn had the lowest price). It may not be quite the quality of the pukka jobs and is essentially a flat water craft, but it has been a load of fun so far, although I don't think it will supplant the Zodiac as tender.

 

[lancelot]

Evening all,
I hope I do not sound a Kill Joy.
Using a kayak, one with a deck, the type you sit in as opposed to the wave ski, sit on type.
There is a danger that when it capsizes, the paddler could have problems escaping, unless they are skilled in rolling. Using this type of craft requires training and rehearsing for a capsize.
Also, when coming alongside the boat/ yacht there is a danger that the kayak may capsize and get stuck under the stern. If the paddler is unable to escape and cannot be rescued in time, we all know the result. Training in handling the traditional kayak is necessary to stay reasonably safe.
Sorry, I know there is always one.
Fair winds,
Lancelot
Remember stay safe out there.

 

[Searush]

Evening all,
I hope I do not sound a Kill Joy.
Using a kayak, one with a deck, the type you sit in as opposed to the wave ski, sit on type.
There is a danger that when it capsizes, the paddler could have problems escaping, unless they are skilled in rolling. Using this type of craft requires training and rehearsing for a capsize.
Also, when coming alongside the boat/ yacht there is a danger that the kayak may capsize and get stuck under the stern. If the paddler is unable to escape and cannot be rescued in time, we all know the result. Training in handling the traditional kayak is necessary to stay reasonably safe.
Sorry, I know there is always one.
Fair winds,
Lancelot
Remember stay safe out there.

Escape from a capsized kayak with spraydeck should be (& usually is) the first thing taught on any course. It isn't hard provided you remember to keep your legs straight & push the back of the cockpit down & away as if taking your pants down. I prefer to roll, it is easier & quicker & you stay drier & safer, but does take some practice.

 

[Half Moon]

kayak as a tender

My wife and I prefer a double kayak as a tender. We find it the best possible vessel for exploring after the anchor is down.. Ours is an Old Town "loon 16". I always bring it on deck using the spinnaker halyard when heading for open water. We will tow it if we are just heading down the bay to a favorite anchorage. I would not argue with anyone claiming that it wrong to consider it a life boat. However, just as there are ranges of stability in sailboats, there are ranges of stability in kayaks. Ours is a recreational "sit in" model with sufficient beam for excellent stability. With two double paddles we cut through the water better than any other human powered boat. As we are really sitting an inch above the keel, the boat has never threatened us with a flip. It is a partially decked model and we have added a foot controlled rudder. The biggest difference as compared to a Canadian style canoe; in a kayak you sit in the boat towards the middle at the greatest beam and you use a double paddle - in a canoe you sit towards the ends, while the beam is empty (hence the tippy part) often with only a single paddle- a kayak paddler's recovery is a power stroke from the other side, a canoer has wasted effort. Add a foot operated rudder and a decked recreational kayak is the way to go.....

Half Moon on the Chesapeake Bay

 

[AdamH]

Sombody mentioned a recent article about using Canoes/Open boats as tenders. I have been using my canoe as a tender for years has lots of advantages, Mainly the weight and seems to paddle agaist tide with less effort than the dinghy. Anybody wish to add there experience with this ?

Yes, when I was 18 (A few years ago now!) and working at the old Emsworth Sailing School we used the canoes as tenders to the launch and dories every morning. ('First Afloat')

With practice this proved uneventful, even though we had to balance the metal tank with the day's fuel on the cockpit coaming of the canoe. A windy day was always considered 'the short straw' and necessitated First Afloat being done by the last instructor who had capsized with students in his/her Wayfarer...

 

[ribrage]

granted a dinner jacket would require the use of a dry suit as a protectve covering and maybe the hair (not in my case) may require a little tlc afterwards its true

 

[[3889]]

I have a 19' sea kayak, a Bic Tobago SOT (sit-on-top) and an open canoe all of which I have used occassionly to get to my boat. I don't find it particularly difficult to get in or out of any of the canoes/ kayaks from the boat at the shrouds although entering and leaving a sea kayak can be character building in any setting if you are not expeienced.
I wouldn't consider doing without an inflatble tender for general use as it is easier to carry kit and crew, can be easily stowed, and offers better stability in poor weather. Open canoes and SOTs become impossible to handle if swamped; self draining holes are designed for spray and will not cope with waves. Standard bailing techniques involve entering the water or inverting on land. A sea kayak or similar is very seaworthy but is not for the inexperienced and although there is good stowage, bulky items, such as 5 gallon drums, cannot be carried.

Andy