Fun Yak tenders

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dartmoor

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Hi, just wondering whether anyone has one and has any thoughts on them? I am looking at the Coraline or 250 ones. Where I keep my tender is a pretty rough foreshore and the inflatable does get a bit of a hammering. However, I love the stability of an inflatable - and I know most hard tenders are tippy. I once owned a bic but there was so little freeboard that most trips were wet! So looking for a hard double skin tender that is as stable as one can be, and has better freeboard than the bic which ships in water at every minute wave.
 
dartmoor said:
Hi, just wondering whether anyone has one and has any thoughts on them? I am looking at the Coraline or 250 ones. Where I keep my tender is a pretty rough foreshore and the inflatable does get a bit of a hammering. However, I love the stability of an inflatable - and I know most hard tenders are tippy. I once owned a bic but there was so little freeboard that most trips were wet! So looking for a hard double skin tender that is as stable as one can be, and has better freeboard than the bic which ships in water at every minute wave.
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Then look at the BiC Sportyak245. I think you will find that it is very stable and can carry 3 persons with adequate freeboard. http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/Bic-245/ and only £600

Not to be compared with the Bic 213 which is what you describe I am sure ... thats a toy!

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VicS said:
Not to be compared with the Bic 213 which is what you describe I am sure ... thats a toy!
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I have a Bic 213 / Sportyak which I use to get out to the Hunter 490 on Loch Ken (fresh water). For one person, or even one and a child, it works very well. I probably wouldn't use it at sea in choppy conditions, but more because my bum would get wet - I don't have the seat - than anything else. It's extremely stable ... as you would expect from something which is basically a seven foot inflatable made of rigid plastic.
 
VicS said:
Then look at the BiC Sportyak245. I think you will find that it is very stable and can carry 3 persons with adequate freeboard. http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/Bic-245/ and only £600

Not to be compared with the Bic 213 which is what you describe I am sure ... thats a toy!

49l.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi, it was the 245 I used to have! Yes, its stable, but I found the freeboard absolutely terrible - any slight chop and you got very wet! Also thought the outer skin was very thin - I have heard of these puncturing!

The one I was wondering about is Corraline : http://www.fun-yak.co.uk/tenderandsmallboats.html#anchor-FYCorallineT

Looks higher freeboard and the polyprop looks more like the indestructable stuff kayaks are made of?
 
VicS said:
Then look at the BiC Sportyak245. I think you will find that it is very stable and can carry 3 persons with adequate freeboard. http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/Bic-245/ and only £600

Not to be compared with the Bic 213 which is what you describe I am sure ... thats a toy!

49l.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi, it was the 245 I used to have! Yes, its stable, but I found the freeboard absolutely terrible - any slight chop and you got very wet! Also thought the outer skin was very thin - I have heard of these puncturing!

The one I was wondering about is Corraline : http://www.fun-yak.co.uk/tenderandsmallboats.html#anchor-FYCorallineT

Looks higher freeboard and the polyprop looks more like the indestructable stuff kayaks are made of?
 
I have seen a few old Yaks which have had holes knocked in them by rocks; the foam was exposed and gave the impression of absorbing water, though one would think it must be closed cell.

The real problem seemed to be sunlight U/V knobbling the outer skin, I suspect a result of leaving the boat inverted at the club .

These were pretty old examples, but some sort of cover might be an idea ?
 
I've got a Coralline. Plenty of free-board, but some spray is inevitable in a chop. Its motion is sharper than an inflatable and it is not so comfortable. It seems pretty tough but UV will get most every tender in the end. I also have the impression that anti-fouling it might be useful, it seems more attractive to water life than an inflatable.
 
forelle541 said:
Keep an eye out for a second hand one, my 10 came from the venerable Andy Seedhouse in Woodbridge for £350 in good nick too.
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Hi Forelle, with apologies for the strange request, but is your Pioner the green one on Eversons pontoon at present? If so would you be willing to sell? (It belonged to my late father and has sentimental value) - A refusal won't offend!
 
VicS said:
Then look at the BiC Sportyak245. I think you will find that it is very stable and can carry 3 persons with adequate freeboard. Bic 245 and only £600

Not to be compared with the Bic 213 which is what you describe I am sure ... thats a toy!

49l.jpg
Click to expand...
I’ve got one of these. Generally very pleased with it. But; the outer skin will soon wear through if run onto a shingle beach/concrete slip, the seating is REALLY low, anyone with mobility issues will struggle badly, the plastic rowlocks supplied snap under any sort of pressure - I replaced mine with galvanised steel ones despite being sent 3 pairs foc by the supplier.

The upside is that the internal space is probably double that of a comparable inflatable and they don’t deflate or rot in sunlight.
 
I had one of these, not sure which model. The outer skin of mine let in water and it became totally unstable. Not easily repairable so I got an inflatable. At least you can patch an inflatable.
 
Strangely enough thinking of selling my Bic 245, there good little boats, but for some reason it has an annoying and unnerving affinity to my pick- up line. No problem on short over the tide sails, but ion longer sails when the mooring dries the pick-up line manages to get between the cathedral hull and stays there, come to pick-up it prevents a straight forward pick-up and on two occasions have had to have help to untangle the line to access the mooring strops.
Have tried every way can think of, of preventing this but without success, so it's a shame but the Bic has to go, was looking at a Fun Yak Telline instead, the owner of the boat on the mooring next to my mooring has one and has never had a tangle problem.
 
Praxinoscope said:
Strangely enough thinking of selling my Bic 245, there good little boats, but for some reason it has an annoying and unnerving affinity to my pick- up line. No problem on short over the tide sails, but ion longer sails when the mooring dries the pick-up line manages to get between the cathedral hull and stays there, come to pick-up it prevents a straight forward pick-up and on two occasions have had to have help to untangle the line to access the mooring strops.
Have tried every way can think of, of preventing this but without success, so it's a shame but the Bic has to go, was looking at a Fun Yak Telline instead, the owner of the boat on the mooring next to my mooring has one and has never had a tangle problem.
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I overcame this by attaching the dinghy painter to the pick up buoy. If you can catch the dinghy you can also catch your pick up.
 
Jamie Dundee said:
I overcame this by attaching the dinghy painter to the pick up buoy. If you can catch the dinghy you can also catch your pick up.
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Done this, but part of the problem is that the river swings past the aft part of my mooring so as the tide goes out it seems to spin the tender around, best result was with the pick up buoy in the tender,and the pick-up line going through fairleads on bow and stern of tender, but it still manage to tangle.

Never had this problem with my old tenders, so it has to be the cathedral hull profile.
 
dartmoor said:
Hi, just wondering whether anyone has one and has any thoughts on them? I am looking at the Coraline or 250 ones. Where I keep my tender is a pretty rough foreshore and the inflatable does get a bit of a hammering. However, I love the stability of an inflatable - and I know most hard tenders are tippy. I once owned a bic but there was so little freeboard that most trips were wet! So looking for a hard double skin tender that is as stable as one can be, and has better freeboard than the bic which ships in water at every minute wave.
Click to expand...

We have a Fun Yak safety boat at our sailing club and I also use it for the clubs RYA Powerboat 2 and safety boat instruction courses, they are a tough little dinghy and easily can handle four, and very stable , we have a 25 hp engine on it which is more than enough power so yes recommend them no problem
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I had a Bic 245 years ago, which was fine on short trips but on a summer cruise and towing it I found that it had splits on the hulls which gradually filled and we nearly capsized when going ashore. It was half full of water and I got rid of it as was impossible to repair. It was very stable and good load carrier but wet when choppy.
 
PetiteFleur said:
I had a Bic 245 years ago....
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You must be very old!

I got a 10 foot Bonwitco last year for a few hundred pounds. Tarted up it's great for rowing about and as a hard tender. And will plane with a 4hp 2 stroke.

Great little dinghies. Fibreglass so can always be repaired.
 
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