Dinghy / Tender deck advice please

[HowardB]

I want to get myself a tender up to 3 metres (10 foot-ish) long.
RIBs are directionally stable under power, but expensive and hard to store
Inflatable decks are expensive, but may be the best option
Wooden or slatted decks? I know nothing about these. with no keel, Do they go like a crab when trying to turn in the water?
I'm hoping to use up to 3hp outboard I suppose, and would want to use it to go ashore at times if anchored somewheres suitable.

What do folks think?

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[Shanty]

What do folks think?

This folk thinks you will get more responses if you post this in the Reader to Reader forum. This one is for folk selling things.


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[Davy_S]

I think you may be better posting on one of the other forums ,you will find people most helpfull. I have a bombard ax2 witha earodeck floor and 4hp suzuki.It folds up very neatly you can carry 3 people. With one person aboard it will do 12 knots .Carefully! IT will store on deck inflated or in a locker deflated.
Hope this helps you. PS sorry about the aerodeck spelling but ive been to the pub hic!.

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[Shanty]

A moving experience

One minute I'm responding to a post in the For Sale forum, next minute its mysteriously moved to the Reader to Reader forum. Do I detect the unseen hand of the mighty Kim?


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[roger]

My old dinghy had a slatted floor. With time the dinghy shrank but the slats did not thus straining and breaking the base/tube joint. I'm much happier with an inflatable floored zodiac. This has a keel too so is more directionally stable.
Do check the weight. Many smallish dinghies are extraordinarily heavy. They are a real pain to lug from the car to the foreshore.

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[byron]

<font color=blue>If you are looking to save weight try looking at the 'AIRDECK' models. They are good value too.
Incidentally the are all directionally stable although I would stay away from the Avon Redcrest which is unsuitable for your 3hp and a bit of a pig anyway.

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[LadyInBed]

With a 3hp you need an inflatable with a solid transom. Stability and turning is not an issue with a non-planing inflatable, and I don’t think you will plane with a 3hp engine and a soft keel. The AIRDECK models are good but a bit more expensive.

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[petery]

.. advice on an Avon Redcrest please

having just got a S/H Avon Redcrest, what advice can you offer on a suitable outboard - would a 3hp at half throttle be a problem?

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

I have a slatted floor on my 8 year old dinghy (narhwal) is ok, rolls up in the dinghy bag which is good, but can move about and is not rigid, so if there is water in the bottom, when you tred down it will all flow into your deck shoe.

3 hp should be fine, I have 2.2 on an 8ft dinghy which is fine, I used to put a 4hp on a mirror (11ft) which was well ample.

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[BarryH]

I've got a Bombard ax3 with a slatted floor. Its a tender! It gets me from beach to boat and boat to pub. It doubles as the kids plaything on the beech without the outboard.

The slatted floor was a bit of a pain. So I cut a panel out of 1/4" WPB the same shape as the floor, then cut it into three bits. I got hold of some H shaped ali profile which goes in between the floor boards. Now I have a ridgid floor so no more wet feet. You've got to make sure the edges ar smooth or do what I did and edge them in a rubber profile. Saves putting holes in the tubes. Paint them with a couple of coats of Japlac to water proof and your done.

You cant take them out when the things inflated and it wont roll up with them in, but its a damn site better than wet feet and its easier to move about in it. Next time I'll get a solid floor or one of those hairydeck things.

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[byron]

Re: .. advice on an Avon Redcrest please

<font color=blue>Be ultra careful, the Redcrest can bend in half if too much power is applied. In theory a 3hp at half power is OK but one mistake and things could turn nasty if not grim. IMHO the Redcrest should only be used for rowing I am distinctly unhappy with the attached transom idea.

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[tcm]

Hi.

this is a all a bit betwixt and between - the larger the rib, the less practical a proposition for pumping it up and deflating, or attaching separate outboard. It would be a good idea for you to see what it is like toassemble and inflate a 2.5 metre dinghy- I would never do it more than once a season - once inflated, that's it: the slats give more rigidity.

The better gear is along the lines of Zodiac and Avon. There are superlight ribs such as the valiant (and there's a valiant for sale on boatsandoutboards.com) but all present the problem of sotrage. There is/was a dinghy "grabber" thing (anyone?) that holds one of the sponsons and then you just lever over the other side.




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[snowleopard]

i have settled on a 2.4m zodiac with wooden floor and inflatable keel. it replaces a 10ft avon all-soft which was a pain for wet feet and couldn't handle the power of my 3.3hp engine. the zodiac will plane with a light load and handles well. the weight of the floor means it needs 2 people to get it over the rail but i normally stow it in davits.

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