Family boating help please

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Dhes16

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Hi all,

My partner and I are interested in buying a boat or kayak. We currently have a caravan that we tow with a CRV. The boat would therefore need to be inflatable or sit on the roof of the CRV. The boat will need to be able to accommodate 2 adults a 5year old and an 18 month old.

We spend a lot of Time in costal places such as Dorset, Cornwall, Devon etc and would would like to be able to explore the coastline in calm water. Probs a bit of fishing etc. Is this a realistic expectation? Can anyone recommend suitable options? We will be buying second hand and have considered kayak's and inflatable dinghy with small motors.

Any advice much appreciated. Thank you.
 
An inflatable dinghy with a small outboard should do the job. I'd go for a inflatable at least 2.7m long and with a hard transom. A bit longer would be better, but gets more difficult to move around on land. I recently got a second hand Bombard AX3 and find it good for 2-3 adults.
Modern 4 stroke outboards get rather heavy from 4hp onwards. So either go for something up to 3.5hp or find an older 2 stroke engine.
Depending on your experience I'd be wary of taking it along the coast. Exploring rivers and harbours would be a good place to start.
 
boggybrn said:
Depending on your experience I'd be wary of taking it along the coast. Exploring rivers and harbours would be a good place to start.
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+1, especially with two small children aboard. Small inflatables are not particulary seaworthy or stable. You'd also need a plan 'B' for when the engine conks out, because sooner or later it probably will.
 
As well as decent oars, a small - say 3-5kg folding grapnel anchor with about 20 metres of 6mm line would be a good idea; these anchors fold up smooth so less likely to puncture an inflatable, and being pointy when unfolded will hopefully hold on weed and rock seabeds, which are likely in the places you mention.

Hard and expensive to get waterproof mobiles - if in a bag you have to expose it to use it - a waterproof handheld VHF would be a better bet, with a short course - but in absolute emergency you could use it without a certificate.

You could of course carry traditional flares, like a floating ' daysmoke ' - any member of the public knows what they mean.

Foil space blanets are a few £ from Millets etc, take up no space and can keep people warm in cold winds.

Also carry a big waterproof torch even on day trips, one never knows how things will end up !

Have tide tables relevant to where you are, and know which way the tide will be going - the general rule is to travel up-tide, so if things go awry the trip back is easier.

Sorry if this sounds OTT but it isn't; the idea is ' plan for the worst, hope for - and enjoy - the best '.

Just thought of another tip, not safety as such; get a long as you can thin ( 2mm will do, just to resist penknives & chafe ) flexible galvanised or stainless wire with a hard eye at each end and 2 padlocks; then if you go ashore somewhere interesting and lock the boat to an eye or similar, allowing for tide the boat will still be there when you come back not pinched by joyriders - that's for security, suplementary to pulling the boat up and tieing it.

I also vote for an inflatable dinghy rather than a kayak, have a look at the ' Seago ' range - when looking for a budget inflatable a while ago I added up all the details like weight, airdeck and cost, and they turned out the best value - Force 4 usually offer good deals, I have no connection with them.
 
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Thank you all for your fab advice. Definitely have somewhere to start looking! Very much appreciated. Will let you know how we get on.
 
Dhes16 said:
Hi all,

My partner and I are interested in buying a boat or kayak. We currently have a caravan that we tow with a CRV. The boat would therefore need to be inflatable or sit on the roof of the CRV. The boat will need to be able to accommodate 2 adults a 5year old and an 18 month old.

We spend a lot of Time in costal places such as Dorset, Cornwall, Devon etc and would would like to be able to explore the coastline in calm water. Probs a bit of fishing etc. Is this a realistic expectation? Can anyone recommend suitable options? We will be buying second hand and have considered kayak's and inflatable dinghy with small motors.

Any advice much appreciated. Thank you.
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people have suggested inflatables but the ones you can get on the roof of a CRV wont be big. As a reasonably experienced boater, I wouldnt consider taking a 5 year old and an 18 month old out in a small inflatable with an outboard engine. It would be way too easy to get into trouble and kids are far too precious to risk.

I would go so far as to say that it would be irresponsible.
 
I have had to handle a few of those Yaks, they seem to get holed quite easily then the hulls - maybe the foam buoyancy within - take up a lot of water & weight.

A new one might be an idea, but I'd think rather heavy to lift onto a car roof ?

Rows like it looks, into even slight waves & headwinds, especially- I seem to remember like many dinghies the thwart is in the wrong place for rowing.
 
Are you particularly looking for a motorised boat or would you prefer to have something which is predominantly self paddled? Clearly this will affect whether an inflatable with outboard or Canadian style canoe would be a better recommendation.

Depending on what you're looking for and how much experience you've got, you may benefit from a couple of training courses. VHF course has already been mentioned (bit of home reading and 1 short day). I would recommend RYA Power Boat level 2 (a weekend course) if you're going down the inflatable/outboard route or one of the BCU courses if you're looking at the canoe option. I would also take SeaJet's excellent post (#6), print it out and use it as a checklist.
 
When I was a lad we used to put the Mirror dingy on the roof of the family car, the caravan behind and head off to France and the West Country. You can row a Mirror, put an outboard on the back or best of all sail it. As the OP didn't mention sailing I suspect the disadvantages of a Mirror (weight, maintenance etc) mean this isn't of much interest though. Obviously as this was about 1980 we survived without a mobile phone or hand held VHF. We did have an anchor though.
 
I used to carry a canadian canoe on the roof of my CR-V, but would not suggest novice use on open water, let alone with the family aboard! I've used Bics and they're good but low freeboard, so wet in a slight chop. My 2.7 Plastimo inflatable fits very well in the boot, pushed up against the back seat, it leaves good space behind it. The "cigarette lighter" socket in the back powers an electric inflator which pumps the boat up whilst unloading all the other bits. Of course, an inflatable doesn't row as well as a purpose designed hard dinghy, but is far more stable with people moving around on board - and kids will!

Suggest you try out a few different types before making a decision. Don't rush in - it's a high risk pastime going coastal in small boats, so whenever you have doubts don't go (even moreso with the family aboard).

Rob.
 
Capt. Clueless said:
Tabur Yak. (If you can find one)
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Only if you get a good or recent one in good condition - I had an old one and it leaked along a longitudinal split along the bottom of one hull and if in the water for more than a few hours, particularly if being towed, filled with water! Saying that, they are excellent load carriers and would be good for your purpose, but possibly a bit heavy to get on a roofrack. If an inflateable, I would get a 2.7m long one which should be good for 2 adults and 2 kids. Lifejackets essential and hand held vhf would be useful. Good luck.
 
Bosun Higgs said:
people have suggested inflatables but the ones you can get on the roof of a CRV wont be big. As a reasonably experienced boater, I wouldnt consider taking a 5 year old and an 18 month old out in a small inflatable with an outboard engine. It would be way too easy to get into trouble and kids are far too precious to risk.

I would go so far as to say that it would be irresponsible.
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No. I have to disagree there. It is how you use the boat that may or may not be irresponsible. The kids may well love it in good weather for short trips. I know mine absolutely loved it, much more fun than being on a yacht for them.
 
mr_average said:
When I was a lad we used to put the Mirror dingy on the roof of the family car, the caravan behind and head off to France and the West Country. You can row a Mirror, put an outboard on the back or best of all sail it. As the OP didn't mention sailing I suspect the disadvantages of a Mirror (weight, maintenance etc) mean this isn't of much interest though. Obviously as this was about 1980 we survived without a mobile phone or hand held VHF. We did have an anchor though.
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Can a mirror dinghy support two adults safely? say 200 kgs?

Pete
 
We did a similar thing few years ago , towed a van but I wanted to have a bust to play with , had a 3.8m tohatsu boat & 15hp 2 stroke tohatsu engine , boat had larger dia tubes and a ply foor , boat defated and went on roof rack and engine in boot , 2 adults & 3 kids no probs , camping mats to sit on plus picnic stuff , hand held VHF / hand held GPS & life jackets - job done
 
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