Dinghy/tender

[jonstick]

I am looking for a sailing boat/dinghy that will double up as a tender for my boat. I want something that will perform well as a sail boat but that I can attatch an outboard to so I can get to my mooring. I reckon it needs to be between 12 - 18' although as long as it goes on a trailer easily the length is not that important. I would prefer something with a good classic line, just not sure what to search for. Anyone got any ideas?

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[ceeagr]

Used to have a wayfarer with a seagul for ages.

Alistair

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[richardandtracy]

Your size range is a bit big, otherwise I'd say the 10ft Sea Hopper folding boat is a good one for a Pram dingy. See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seahopper.homestead.com>http://www.seahopper.homestead.com</A>. Sails well, good under power & best of all it folds flat. The big minus is that costs a fair amount.

Regards

Richard.


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[shamrock]

Been thinking about this myself. A bit of research shows that both the GP14 and Mirror dinghies can easily be fitted with a small outboard and oars, these come up often on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk>http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk</A>, and will give you a well known sailing boat as well. Often sold with trailers if you haven't already got one.

Probably many other classes that could suit this purpose. Good luck - let us know if you get something and how it works out.

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[ex-Gladys]

There's a huge difference between some of these boats. A Wayfarer or GP are hugely heavy. Most Wayfarers have anose wheel on thelaunching troley. Both have a significant stern deck, so outboard fitting has to be on a bracket rahter than transom fit. Other things to look at may be a Gull (11'). Mirror is a good choice, but you really have to decide what the "main" purpose is and by a boat for that, and then see whether it will do the other thing as well. My own preference would be a tender that is occassionally sailed.

<hr width=100% size=1>Larry Botheras

Anderson 26 "Amber"

 

[Talbot]

It would be helpful to know what sort of boat you have, for which you need a tender, and what sort of journeys you intend to make while towing the tender. I towed a mirror behind my cat for a couple of years while kids were at that age. Would have prefered to have had a Tinker sailing/tender/liferaft.

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[jonstick]

I have a SCOD. but the dinghy is for use on the Cornish rivers over the summer. Need to satisfy the need of my teenage children and my need to get to my boat! I dont really need to tow so can be a little less utility.

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[jhr]

I'd get a Mirror. Loads of them around, cheap as chips, classes everywhere if your kids want to race, and they are fine with an outboard. Ours is propelled by an elderly 2HP Mariner when not sailing but they are fine to row as well, albeit a little heavy. Standard oars are a bit utility, but a browse round a boat jumble should sort that out.

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[paulrossall]

I agree a mirror is ideal size etc. for a tender which will sail but can you get GRP ones? The wooden ones do rot and are OK when upside down in a dinghy park but accumulate water when sitting on a mooring . You do not see many wooden tenders.

<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".

 

[jhr]

Good question. Yes, you can get GRP Mirrors but they are as rare as hen's teeth and mostly the preserve of serious racers, so equipped and priced accordingly. I guess it depends on the relative amounts of time that the dinghy would spend out of the water or on a mooring. I have to confess that we use our Mirror exclusively for sailing/pottering about, and keep her on a trailer in a dinghy park. Our boat is on a mooring but we have a rubber duck (and a high speed inflator) to get to and from the shore.

I still think that a Mirror is the perfect sailing/tender compromise, though.

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[Talbot]

My mirror was GRP, well a good proportion of it was /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[VicS]

If you want a dinghy to take the crew and all their gear, all the provisions and all the other clutter that seems to need to go you might find a Mirror with its large bouyancy tanks a bit short on useful space. Otherwise an excellent and versatile small sailing dinghy.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple>

 

[blackbeard]

One large yacht I know of used to use a Mirror dinghy as a tender. When sailing the Mirror was carried upside down on the coachroof. The coachroof had a skylight so, to preserve the natural light within the saloon, part of the bottom plywood panels of the Mirror were replaced with perspex.
However, I don't think this solution is used now, possibly a consequence of the relative fragility of the Mirror.
I can tell you that the GP14 rows much more easily, is drier and is more stable than the average yacht tender. If you need to fit an outboard to the Mk 1 wood version, you can make an outboard hatch whereby part of the rear deck is removable, allowing an outboard to fit easily (there is any number of other possible solutions).
Would feel nervous about leaving a GP14 (or any other dinghy) on a mooring with the mast up. It is actually possible to lower the mast at sea (in calm conditions) but it's a bit of a nuisance to have to do this often. Wayfarer and Wanderer are easier as mast pivots but good examples of either of these dinghies will cost a lot. Also I would feel nervous about leaving expensive dinghies on a mooring unattended.
If you need a fibreglass boat, early fibreglass GPs are quite cheap
regards, Mike

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[snowleopard]

i've been looking for something similar for ages and reckon it doesn't exist. i've thought of designing & building one but haven't had the time. basic requirements are:

undecked for crew space & carrying capacity
sectional rig: no long racing spars
row, motor or sail
light but robust (that excludes cheap wooden mirrors)
maintenance free (ditto)

i think the nearest are the tinker tramp and walker bay, both at a price.

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[jonstick]

Thanks for all your ideas, very helpful. I had pretty much got as far as either a wayfarer or GP14 so Mike your thoughts were very helpful. I will look into these boats in a little more detail and if I go ahead, i'll post the results!

Jonstick

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[Trevethan]

Take a look at skipper 12/14

I had a 14 as a lad. Gunter rigged so spars stow inside boat, can take a motor up to about 4 hp I think -- I had a little seagull, massive capacity six of us would go out in it regularly -- three adults tthree kids.

Pretty seaworthy -- I took mine to Lundy from Instow with a mate when I was 13 or so. They have a cavernous locker aft that would take the outboard, picnic gear a couple of lilos and a two man inflatable dinghy, tents etc etc.

It rowed pretty well to -- you pull out the daggerboard and replace it with a thwart for rowing/motoring.

The rig is unstayed so you can be sailing in 10 minutes. Very easy to handle, never managed to capsize mine despite trying quite hard.

There is a 12 for sale on ebay at the moment I think.

Oh and they are GRP!

In fact I think I want one -- getting all nolstalgic!



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[1114C]

There was a stand selling them at the OUtdoor Show in Glasgow last weekend - just did not look right to me a GRP Mirror and the £3K price tag looked equally wrong!

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[snowleopard]

it seems you are not wanting to hoist the dinghy aboard so if weight isn't a problem a good option could be the yachting world dayboat, especially if you'd like something a bit classic. minehead sc keep a fleet of them on moorings and they stand up to that well.

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[floatything]

You're right that GRP Mirrors are few and far between. I have one though - but it is known as a West 11. It might be worth a search although there aren't many of these around either. Sails faster than a Mirror, and with the built in bouyancy is pretty much unsinkable - I've holed mine so that the voids in the cavity between inside and outside shells filled up with water - and she kept sailing for over half an hour - albeit like a pig. Tows well, sails nicely, as others have said - rowing is OK but I tend not to bother and just stick an old S/Shaft Seagull 2 horse on the back.

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