New tender

[forelle541]

The time has come to invest in another tender. It needs to be about 10' and very stable as my brother who is my crew is disabled. Have tried a Walker 8 but it was just not sufficiently stable. Also has to be ridged as life on the pontoon is hard! Anyone got any good ideas? Had a Bonwitco Wurth one once, good but to heavy.

 

[prv]

We used to have a 10' cathedral-hull dory, that was much more stable than anything round-bottomed.

Pete

 

[forelle541]

Yes I did wonder about one of those Bic plastic jobs.

 

[VicS]

Yes I did wonder about one of those Bic plastic jobs.

Sportyak 245?

http://www.guildfordmarine.co.uk/ebuttonz/webdocs/bic245.htm

Somewhat shorter than your suggested 10 ft but I am sure you would find it very stable.

I have been given the dinghy in the pictures below. About the same size I suppose and amazingly stable. I capsized by little plywood dinghy a couple of years ago and have been very nervous about climbing in and out of it out on the mooring ever since ... even started wearing a life jacket.

 

[forelle541]

So what make is that one Vic.

 

[VicS]

So what make is that one Vic.

Not a make still available I am afraid but I wish Id bought one when they were

 

[FullCircle]

The Walker Bay 8 is TRANSFORMED when you add the inflatable tubes. I can stand on the gunwales and it wont capsize.

 

[Vara]

The Walker Bay 8 is TRANSFORMED when you add the inflatable tubes. I can stand on the gunwales and it wont capsize.

Second that, they are used round here for taking people with mobility problems sailing, without the collar they are a bit tippy.

 

[prv]

I have been given the dinghy in the pictures below.

That's just like the one I was talking about. They made various lengths; dunno if that one is the 10' but I'm fairly sure ours was.

They're very stable - the shape of the hull doesn't want to rotate through the water at all, unlike most round-bottom dinghies. Being square, you get a lot of space for the length. The vertical "ribs" halfway up the inside are designed to locate the thwart(s) - they came with a plastic one, but a suitable-sized wooden plank works fine. We had one original plastic thwart and two wooden ones for packing lots of kids in. Only possible downside is that they might not row all that well (I don't know, but the shape suggests so to me) - we always used ours with a 4hp Yamaha.

Even if this particular manufacturer is no more, searching on "dory" might find something like it.

Pete

 

[VicS]

That's just like the one I was talking about. They made various lengths; dunno if that one is the 10' but I'm fairly sure ours was.

Pete

Sniper 8ft

Now has a wooden thwart. Not found quite the right rowlocks but some that will do. Skips along with a Seagull Featherweight.

It's been bashed in several places unfortunately but the foam core does not seem to absorb any water

 

[prv]

Sniper 8ft

That's the one! I was dredging up "Snipe" from the depths of my memory, but I know that's a brand of trailer so I assumed I'd mixed up the boat with the trailer we used to keep it on.

Ours was the Sniper 10. Used for many mackerel-fishing and snorkelling forays around the West Wales coast on family holidays twenty years ago.

I would happily use one as a stay-at-home tender if we had a swinging mooring.

Pete

 

[Halo]

Plastimo rigid tender worked for me
Very square but stable and tough
Sold it on ebay last month

 

[VicS]

That's the one! I was dredging up "Snipe" from the depths of my memory, but I know that's a brand of trailer so I assumed I'd mixed up the boat with the trailer we used to keep it on.

Ours was the Sniper 10. Used for many mackerel-fishing and snorkelling forays around the West Wales coast on family holidays twenty years ago.

I would happily use one as a stay-at-home tender if we had a swinging mooring.

Pete

Well worth the OP Googling for one. One recently sold on ebay for £400 but earlier there was one that attracted no bids!

The next one will fetch silly money as a result of this thread!

 

[forelle541]

Thanks all, that's the sort of thing, I will hunt something down.