Inflatable canoe to get to swing mooring?

G

gregcope

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 Aug 2004
Messages
1,634
Visit site
Hi,

Thinking of using an inflatable canoe to get to a mooring. I can then move vessel to a pontoon to pickup stuff and crew.

Presently it is 100m or 200m between mooring and pontoon.

Thoughts are;

- Quicker to inflate;
- No faffing getting ourboard from car to pontoon;
- No worries about outboard not starting;
- Smaller package to store;
- Less to deflate and less hassel to store as we would need to store inflatable if we did not want to tow it.

Only downsides I can think of are possiblity of getting wetter on trip, and some comedic value of trying to get out of a canoe and ontop top sides (no sugar scoop).

Am I mad or is this doable?
 
Get a decent quality one - not a kiddy's type, or it won't last long.

They are quite stable (compared to an ordinary canoe, anyway) so it should be possible to get into the boat from it with care. There's little storage space for kit, though. Inflation probably takes as long as a dinghy. Depending on size (and size of dinghy) there will be little difference in storage size or weight, but at least you won't have the outboard, fuel etc.

Why not? enjoy!
 
My experience is somewhat different to Ali's - I guess it depends on exactly which canoe you get :)

Mine has plenty of space in it - I've paddled it two-up and there would have been room for a third. Not that this really matters to you, as you're bringing the boat over to a pontoon to load up. However, mine was not terribly stable; with a round bottom it tended to roll very freely. I could balance it OK on my own, but with two of us (neither expert canoeists) it all felt a bit precarious. Getting in and out onto the boat (boarding ladder amidships) wasn't too bad though.

It's a smaller package than the dinghy, and our dinghy is about the smallest you can get. The canoe comes in a bag with rucksack straps, and carrying it like that seems a reasonable proposition although I haven't taken it very far. The bag is actually a roll-top drybag that you can put stuff in when afloat, which is handy.

Pete
 
Hi, we have one and find it a lot of fun in sheltered waters. Have not tried to get on and off the boat exept from the sugar scoop so cant help there. ours has a flat bottom and is very stable. Not a lot of difference to inflating the dink and comes with health warnings about over inflation and being left in the sun. This apparently causes tube damage as it heats up and the air expands. Try one-they are certainly easier to move through the water. You will find drips getting on your legs from the paddles if you use them as a double .
 
gregcope said:
Hi,

Thinking of using an inflatable canoe to get to a mooring. I can then move vessel to a pontoon to pickup stuff and crew.

Presently it is 100m or 200m between mooring and pontoon.

Thoughts are;

- Quicker to inflate;
- No faffing getting ourboard from car to pontoon;
- No worries about outboard not starting;
- Smaller package to store;
- Less to deflate and less hassel to store as we would need to store inflatable if we did not want to tow it.

Only downsides I can think of are possiblity of getting wetter on trip, and some comedic value of trying to get out of a canoe and ontop top sides (no sugar scoop).

Am I mad or is this doable?
Click to expand...

Triple seater, just over £300 from Yachtmail in Lymington!
 
Just how exposed is your mooring? in any sort of chop the challenge of getting out of and into the canoe (?kayak) from the yacht will be considerably greater. I would also suggest that generally the risk of a quick dip would be greater than when using a dinghy - if the worse did happen just how easy would it be to get to shore and what clothing will you be wearing to protect you from the cold? I used to do a lot of kayaking on flat and lively water, I have never considered using one as a means of boarding the yacht; try before you buy.
 
We have an inflatable canoe (Sevylor) - I've never used it as a tender, but got a wet bum every time I've been out anyway -it drips off the paddles. It's also wider than a proper canoe, so paddling is a bit more awkward. For a 200m trip though, I should think you'll be fine.

Ours has a fabric cover over the rubber , which means that even here, in 40C sunshine it takes about a week to dry properly.
 
sighmoon said:
We have an inflatable canoe (Sevylor) - I've never used it as a tender, but got a wet bum every time I've been out anyway -it drips off the paddles. It's also wider than a proper canoe, so paddling is a bit more awkward. For a 200m trip though, I should think you'll be fine.

Ours has a fabric cover over the rubber , which means that even here, in 40C sunshine it takes about a week to dry properly.
Click to expand...

Buy some waterproof shorts, works for me.
 
Get an inflateable CANADIAN canoe rather than a KAYAK. And get one you sit ON as opposed to sitting IN and you will have a dry back side.

We have a Gumotex Palava - see http://www.upandunder.co.uk/watersports/Open-Canoeing/Canoes/White-Water/P---palava---9146/ that does the job. SWMBO (who is a proper canoeist) says it is the only one that paddles like a proper canadian canoe.

We have a sugar scoop stern but prefer to get in/out over the side as using the yachts shroud is something to pull up on to get aboard.

Be aware that a canoe is relatively longer than a dinghy and as such the effect of any wind makes directional control harder than a dinghy so paddling up wind to your yacht may be harder (depending of course on how good a canoeist you are!).

Another plus point is that the canoe doesnt block up the whole of the foredeck when its aboard.
 
gregcope said:
Presently it is 100m or 200m between mooring and pontoon.

Am I mad or is this doable?
Click to expand...

Very doable.

That is what I had to do in a strange port when the inflatable dinghy I hid among other dinghies was stolen ( I exited by bus, so had to leave the dinghy somewhere). I bought the cheapest toy quality inflatable row boat (one person/child size) to get to the yacht, then motored back to the pontoon/jetty and got my stuff from the car.
Very doable for that sort of distance. Just take the normal precautions - leave phone, etc in the car until you return, in case of capsize/ drips, and be careful on the swell. Otherwise a very doable and practical solution.
 
gregcope said:
Hi,

Thinking of using an inflatable canoe to get to a mooring. I can then move vessel to a pontoon to pickup stuff and crew.

Presently it is 100m or 200m between mooring and pontoon.

Thoughts are;

- Quicker to inflate;
- No faffing getting ourboard from car to pontoon;
- No worries about outboard not starting;
- Smaller package to store;
- Less to deflate and less hassel to store as we would need to store inflatable if we did not want to tow it.

Only downsides I can think of are possiblity of getting wetter on trip, and some comedic value of trying to get out of a canoe and ontop top sides (no sugar scoop).

Am I mad or is this doable?
Click to expand...

I have one really good 2 man ex demo that could go and two cheaper 2 man ones brand new if your interested.
edit....actually the nice bic 2 man has outbd bracked and electric motor brand new.
 
Last edited:
We have a pair of Sevylor surf-ski type sit-on kayaks that are used for general exploring and recreation in anchorages, so we would find your idea to be perfectly practicable. However, we are very experienced paddlers and I could well imagine someone less experienced getting into lots of trouble boarding a yacht on an exposed mooring. With sensible precautions over painters, lifelines etc it should be a good way to go.
 
alteredoutlook said:
Get an inflateable CANADIAN canoe rather than a KAYAK. And get one you sit ON as opposed to sitting IN and you will have a dry back side.

We have a Gumotex Palava
Click to expand...

I second all of that - and a Gumotex Palava is exactly what I have too :D. As you know, it has wooden thwarts you can sit on, although you're supposed to kneel in the bottom for serious paddling.

alteredoutlook said:
SWMBO (who is a proper canoeist) says it is the only one that paddles like a proper canadian canoe.
Click to expand...

That's interesting to hear. I'm no canoeist - I've done a bit of kayaking on school trips and used to occasionally take a hire Canadian canoe on the Basingstoke Canal, but that's it. I sometimes find myself struggling to keep the Gumotex on a straight line, which I put down to its smooth round bottom. If I try to paddle hard, every now and then I spin round completely :D. I was thinking of making a small plywood skeg for the stern to keep it going straight.

Pete
 
I've got an inflatable kayak, and it is great fun. I'd say what you propose is perfectly practical.

However, it probably won't take any less time to inflate than a dinghy; they seem to be a bit fiddly compared with a dinghy. They pretty much have to have inflatable floors for rigidity, and good quality ones often have a fabric outer covering, within which the inflatable bits fit. So, they are more complicated to inflate than a dinghy. On mie it is a two-stage operation - inflate partially, ensure the tubes are sitting correctly in the fabric, then fully inflate.

Others have pointed out the lack of carrying capacity in kayak designs; the up-side is that a kayak (as opposed to the Canadian type others have referred to) should keep you knees dry; mine has a cover that zips over the occupant's legs.
 
Pete,
If you are using a single canadian paddle (as opposed to a twin kayak paddle) sit/kneel to the paddling side so that the boat heels slighlty - you will have better directional control
 
You must be as mad as a box of frogs. For the same money you could get a proper rubber duck. Safer, easier to manage, easier to get on/off boat from, carries more, far more stability, will last 10 times longer, just as easy to inflate/ store & could take an o/b if you wanted.

Can some please explain even ONE benefit of such a daft craft? :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top