Getting on to shore without a tender...

[wipe_out]

..and without swimming there..

We are a couple of weeks away from getting the new boat and since it's smaller and outboard powered the inflatable we have is not going to work.. The draft with the engine up only about 0.5m so technically I could get in close enough to walk up the beach but if the tide is falling I don't want to leave the boat there and have it laying on the ground, especially if there are any rocks at all..

I found there is an elastic gizmo called an anchor buddy ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn5_nJ3k29w ) that lets you anchor a little way out and then when you get off it pulls the boat back out again, then when you want to get back on board you simply pull a line you have on shore to bring the boat closer.. Fine on a calm lake but would something like this be usable on the sea shore? Has anyone used one?

Are there any techniques for achieving a similar result using ropes so your distances are locked rather than having it "bungee" all over the place as the wind and tide move things around?

Failing all that, if you had no place to store a traditional tender what would you do?

 

[Davy_S]

How far does the tide go out?

 

[James L]

You could get one of those inflatable kayaks, they fold up pretty small.

What size boat is it? If the wind is blowing offshore get a small anchor and rope and walk it up the beach and dig it in yourself.
That's what all the ribs do on the islands here.

 

[wipe_out]

How far does the tide go out?

We are based in Poole so thinking generally the beaches from the Solent to probably as far as Weymouth.. But thinking about beaches like Studland as an example there can be quite a distance between low and high tide.. I am not looking to cover the full range of tide though, just thinking if we were there for a couple of hours..

 

[wipe_out]

You could get one of those inflatable kayaks, they fold up pretty small.

What size boat is it? If the wind is blowing offshore get a small anchor and rope and walk it up the beach and dig it in yourself.
That's what all the ribs do on the islands here.

I thought about an inflatable kayak, might need to have a look at one folded up and see if I can fit it somewhere easily, they seem very long and I am not sure how stable they would be getting into and out of on the water..

The offshore wind solution might work in some days so good to know..

 

[Firefly625]

got room for one of these... https://www.marinesuperstore.com/3d-superlight-tender-twin-air they do list the dimensions when folded, pretty small if you get the 1.6m one

we have an inflatable kayak, great for what they are designed for, but you get dripped on when paddling and they are not that stable to get in and out of, ok once in! they do fold pretty small, but not much small that the above.

 

[Aardee]

When you say "we", are we talking about adults or children?

 

[prv]

Are there any techniques for achieving a similar result using ropes so your distances are locked rather than having it "bungee" all over the place as the wind and tide move things around?

How about an anchor with a short length of chain, then on the end of the chain either a block or perhaps just a bow shackle. Pass a long line through the block or shackle, and secure one end to the stern of the boat. The other end goes up to something on shore (possibly a second small anchor if it's a featureless beach with nothing to tie to) and then back to the bow of the boat. You can then haul the boat either in or out from the shore, and secure it in position.

Pete

 

[jrudge]

That challenge is that I can see more to go wrong as opposed to going right!

The tidal flow the wind etc will all play a part. If the wind swings then the boat will head in the wrong direction, and a line to shore stands good odds of being snagged by another boat / person etc.

Infatable kayak seems the way to go!

 

[annageek]

It's a bit dependant upon a lot of things (balance, load carrying capacity, willingness to fall in, general inclination etc.) but an inflatable SUP board could be an option. You'd need one per passenger, or with 50m or so of very light line, you could anchor, hop on leaving the line's bitter end at the boat, and once at the beack, the SUP can be hauled back for the next 'victim'... err, I mean 'passenger'.

It's just a though. More of a SUP board that may be useful for the boat rather than a tender that happens to be a SUP, I suppose.

 

[sprocker]

Just get a small inflatable similar to the one that Firefly suggested. Once folded it will fit in the Lazzarette of your MF.

Exactly what I am looking to do with our MF.

 

[rwoofer]

With my MF645 I bought an inflatable kayak and some waders. Now I leave the inflatable kayak at home, which should tell you all you need to know!

Expanding a bit, I just found the hassle of any kind of tender was far more than having to re-anchor the boat every hour if you are in the middle of the tidal transition. A couple of hours either side of HW or LW and you really don't even have to do that. With waders I just walk to the front of the boat, grab and follow the chain to re-anchor.

In summer I dispense with the waders and do it in swimming trucks. Now got other half some £18 waders from Amazon, so I no longer have to carry her....

 

[Firefly625]

I had a 2.4m seago dinghy when I had my mf625....fitted in the cockpit locker if I remember correctly

 

[wipe_out]

Thanks all.. Seems to me the waders and the SUP might be possible solutions.. Just go in close and get everyone off and then take the boat out a bit and get myself back to shore..

Will measure the locker space and see if anything will fit in there too but I kinda had that pegged as the storage for ropes and fenders..

 

[Andy Bav]

SUPs look great when people with good balance serenely glide across the water. We got one last year and it rolls up into a largish rucksack, and personally I found it more difficult than it looks - but good (wet) fun whilst I was finding my sea legs...

 

[benjenbav]

An individual drysuit for each and every member of the crew?

Nothing makes for a James Bond style arrival better than emerging from the surf and then shedding the drysuit to reveal an immaculately tailored tuxedo beneath.

 

[julians]

My boat (25 foot cuddly)istoo small for a traditional tender,so I use a two man inflatable kayak from sevylor. It works pretty well.

 

[rwoofer]

The problem I found with the inflatable Kayak when I did use it was that water was always dripping down the paddles and getting you wet. Never convinced SWMBO to come out in it, so that we could paddle canoe style. As soon as she tried the waders that was all that she was going to use.

 

[julians]

The problem I found with the inflatable Kayak when I did use it was that water was always dripping down the paddles and getting you wet. Never convinced SWMBO to come out in it, so that we could paddle canoe style. As soon as she tried the waders that was all that she was going to use.

Paddles with drip guards are the answer, and modifying your paddling technique slightly,so you dont raise the paddle up quite so high.

 

[Searush]

What's wrong with a small inflatable stored in the cabin when not aboard but tied on deck somewhere when using the boat? Most sport boat users I have seen go ashore, simply drop everyone off close in & then anchor off in shallow water, but stay close enough to move her out a bit as the tide recedes. Cannot your engine be lifted? Is there really such a great risk to drying out?

incidentally carrying SWMBO ashore can be fraught if the sand/ mud is a little softer & deeper than you think. Many, many years ago SWMBO & I ended up laid flat out in the mud laughing like toddlers when I tried being gallant. We walked back to the clubhouse looking like B&W minstrels & had to hose each other down before we could get in the car to go home soaking wet. Amusing tale to tell, but you do need a good sense of humour to cope with such incidents in public.