Most stable tenders/dinghies

[Vid]

My least favourite part of owning a boat is having to use my inflatable to get to her. I'm extremely uncomfortable being in the dinghy and very anxious about climbing into my yacht from the dinghy and descending back down into it. At any moment I fear being tipped into the water and recent posts where this has happened to others only heighten my fears. My basic inflatable is clearly not right for me so I need to find an alternative.

There's a lot of choice out there but I don't know the pro's and con's of each - I like the look of the Plastimo rigid dinghies with their cathedral-hull and inbuilt wheel, but I'd be equally happy with a stylish older wooden dinghy.

My question is what should I look for - a traditional shaped plastic row-boat type; a dory; a cathedral-hulled one; a larger inflatable; something else?

Which shaped hull / design would best provide me with the stablity I evidently desire?

 

[Tranona]

For stability there is no contest - it has to be an inflatable. The Avon Redcrest is still to my mind the standard as it has the largest volume of buoyancy for its size. However it does not row or motor particularly well. Rigid transom styles have virtually taken over, but they have less carrying capacity and buoyancy for a given length, but are better for motoring performance and at least as good for rowing, particularly if they have a shaped floor.

A conventional hard dinghy has advantages - good load carrying and usually good propulsion, but are far more tippy, usually heavier and less convenient. When I had a swinging mooring I used a lightweight clinker pram to get out to the boat and a Redcrest when cruising.

Look around and you will see that the most common tender is a 2.4 or 2.6 m rigid transom inflatable - for good reason. You just have to choose your level of sophistication in materials, fittings and floors!

With regard to boarding your yacht from a tender, the key is make sure it is secure both fore and aft and place your weight in the middle of the tender, although to be honest I often use the tube of the Redcrest and have never had a dunking.

 

[vyv_cox]

Good advice from Tranona. I have yet to be in any form of rigid tender that felt more stable than an inflatable. When I first began cruising many years ago a friend advised me to buy the biggest inflatable that I could manage. A Zodiac 310 came up cheap, I bought it and blessed the day when I did. It was a pain to tow behind a 29 ft boat, far too big to carry on deck, but was superb for getting four people ashore in a very tidal mooring in bad weather.

I now have a Quicksilver 270, again rather on the large side but excellent when it counts, carrying loads in bad weather. It has an airdeck and inflatable keel, giving it reasonable rowing capability and good handling under outboard.

So far as boarding is concerned, it's a matter of keeping your weight central and as upright as possible, and plenty of practice. It also helps if you have something decent on the yacht to land on - a platform, good boarding ladder or whatever, that is firmly attached.

 

[sarabande]

I have a 12ft Tinker Traveller. Along with its baby and newer RIB siblings, they seem to be extremely stable and immensely tough. Two people can sit on the side tube with feet over the side, and there's no fear of it overturning.

And they are made in Somerset UK !

http://www.tinker.co.uk/

 

[doug748]

Which shaped hull / design would best provide me with the stablity I evidently desire?

Inflatable the bigger the better would be my shout.
I have an Avon 3.4 which is very stable and will stand all sorts of abuse. It is old and I picked it up very cheaply. I also carry a Redcrest (the big one either stays on the mooring or has to be towed) which is good but will go over if you are silly (don't ask). When they go, they go quickly; be particularly careful if you have inexperienced sailors aboard.

 

[JimC]

I share Vid's dislike of getting from yacht to tender and vice-versa. Particularly in the black dark with a chop on the water and a strong tide flowing. I have a transom ladder and I pass the inflatable's painter between the bottom two rungs and pull it taut. The dinghy is then hard up to the bottom of the ladder and in line with the yacht, so if you fall you are almost sure to fall into the dinghy. I think inflatables are the safest tenders but you want one with large dia tubes and a steady floor.

 

[TQA]

A RIB with big tubes. Caribe or AB is the cruisers/charters choice in the Caribbean.

As everyone says, get the biggest you can fit onboard.

A Caribe Light 9 gets you 17 inch tubes and weighs 115lbs.

 

[deep denial]

what about the Walker Bay RID? on paper at least they look stable

 

[heartlander]

I owned a Plastimo but not not find it any thing like as stable as an inflatable. Now have a Walker bay with the inflatable collar and the stability is very impressive - better than any other dinghy I have used so far but the range of experience is limited.

 

[NUTMEG]

Safe tender

A Walker Bay without the collar (I did not know about them at the time) very nearly killed the
wife and I last year. Good initial stability but no secondary, once they start to go over they do not stop! As a result we bought a Bic245, advertised as almost impossible to capsize. Having used it all season with a small Honda and under oars I am still not happy. Although I am sure it is safe, it does not 'feel' safe. It is a bit lively in any sort of a chop and rather wet, however it is a joy to launch and recover, is self bailing and tows like a dream. The safest feeling tender we used this year was
my old mums Gull sailing dinghy sans sailing rig.

 

[yoda]

Stable Dinghy

A large inflatable with a good floor (solid or inflatable) is what you need. I also find using a bow and stern painter makes getting in and out much easier. My Avon Redshank with a solid wooden floor is stable and a fantastic load carrier, I happily use it standing up.

yoda

 

[Sanderling_]

Go for a rib

Fed up with getting drenched from boat to shore with a standard inflatable, we bought a 2.6m Waveline rib this spring. What a relavation - sturdy, dry and, as we have to use the spinny halliard to bring aboard, much better on my back. It stores nicely on the foredeck so no problems with where to store it below and no pumping up each time we want to use it. Vast improvement and very reasonably priced.

Tony

 

[johnalison]

I agree with Tranona about Avons & have a Redstart myself, but in terms of stability a transomed design has a great advantage when loading or operating an outboard as your weight is better positioned. I have seen an old-style Redstart capsize backwards when the operator was loading an outboard.

 

[robertj]

air deck

totally agree with vyv, air deck inflatable. Had fitted a stern platform this season gone and without a doubt one of the best investments i've done. So much easier and safer boarding our yacht.

bob

 

[Fire99]

I'm also a 'Redstart' man. And when in the water it's extremely stable. I also have a slightly smaller XM which is far less stable.

The Redstart isn't perfect (as already mentioned) but it's certainly very stable for it's size.

 

[Ludd]

For stability there is no contest - it has to be an inflatable. The Avon Redcrest is still to my mind the standard as it has the largest volume of buoyancy for its size. However it does not row or motor particularly well.

With regard to boarding your yacht from a tender, the key is make sure it is secure both fore and aft and place your weight in the middle of the tender, although to be honest I often use the tube of the Redcrest and have never had a dunking.

I have aRedcrest and after spendind £20 at IKEA on a bed base(PBO tip) I now have a lightweight convex floor and rowing is a delight! Cut the curved slats to fit under tubes,fit rubber links ,inflate to keep in position and Robert is your father's brother !

 

[Tranona]

Good idea. I have never been too bothered with the floppy floor. Have, however used the same slats, suitably shaped on my sleeping bunk. Very comfortable and a fraction of the cost of the yottie ones.

 

[Fire99]

My redstart currently has a large solid piece of ply with lots of tasteful holes drilled in it. Was done by the previous, previous owner. All fine whilst she stays inflated but I think I may go for something a little more practical when she needs to be folded up.
But hey you can forgive the old girl since she is older than me..
Back on topic a touch you can see why she is still working good as gold over 30 years later and why they are still made. (and fetching north of £1k)

 

[rudolph_hart]

My question is what should I look for - a traditional shaped plastic row-boat type; a dory; a cathedral-hulled one; a larger inflatable; something else?

Which shaped hull / design would best provide me with the stablity I evidently desire?

Much depends upon the tender's role: is it only used for boat-to-mooring, or does go with the boat on trips?

After years of trying various cominations of inflatable/rigid/oar/outboard, with trolleys or clip-on/bolt-on wheels and getting soaked, I've at last found the best compromise solution for our situation.

For the 1/2 mile trip from pontoon to mooring I use a 3.65m aluminium hulled RIB (no steering console = weight & space), with a 15hp engine permanently attached. It carries at least 4 + weekend 'gear', planes (=less wash) under the 8kt local limit. It's very stable, and most importantly it's DRY (we have got wetter going on the Club launch)

For the 200 yard trip from car park/boatshed to pontoon end, I have made an alloy tube launching trolley with pneumatic tyres (off the 'Pavement Panzers' driven by local VOAPs). It's strong enough to carry the RIB (50kg) & Engine (37kg) plus the weekend 'gear' & a couple of grandkids, yet dismantles & stows in the RIB in a few seconds.

On board we have a 2.4m rigid transom inflatable, which is much more stable and drier (just) but heavier than our previous Redcrests, but still rolls up small enough (just) to stow in a cramped cockpit locker. Its 2.3hp engine stows on the pushpit.

With either inflatable, we board from the side, tie up tightly fore and aft and use the non-slip rigid thwart as the step up/down to/from our 35 footer. No problems. - yet!

As I say, this suits our requirements & situation, which hopefully will have some parallels to your own.

 

[oldsaltoz]

An old friend who had lost a leg changed from mono to cat, but found he had another problem, getting aboard from his inflatable.

He resolved this with a fibreglass catamaran dinghy about 2.5 m by 1.6 m, very stable and dry, short leg outboard enabled him to nose the boat onto the ramp or beach and flip wheels on the back, the rear and mid seats were filled as was was each bow making almost unsinkable completed the package.

Avagoodweekend......