Recommendation for good ROWING tender?

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Tam_Hazan

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Most advertisements for tenders seem to concentrate on the size of outboard that it can accomodate - along with the number of persons that can be carried.

Why can't we go back to the less frantic style of yachting - rowing quietly through anchorages and moorings in a sociable manner, rather than rushing past with accompanying wash?

But is there a decent ROWING tender available anymore? Do we have to settle for second best after the motorised version?

What recommendations do forumites have for a realistic tender - suitable for a family cruiser, and not a superyacht?
 
Tinker family of inflatables all row very well.

I have also been very impressed by my zodiac 260 FR. The deep V and underbody fins keep it very directionally stable.

If these dont suit, try a more classical dinghy like the walker bay (not to my taste).
 
A racing eight?

Could store it under the boom /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Certainly quick, but a bit dicey on carrying loads of shopping, and a bit suspect in any sea.

Otherwise there was a very good-looking folding dinghy that was very row-able at SIBS.
I am sure somebody will know which one it was.
 
I have found that a much better pair of oars should help.

Longer if you can and nicely balanced.

THe problem is often storage, but take a look at the two piece oars. A non floppy joint is important too.

I agree, rowing can be very enjoyable - if you can make the time.
 
I have a Plastimo solid dingy, with a square bow and a large blue roller in the centre of the transom. It rows about as well as my car would! The thwart is in the wrong positon, unbalanced and uncomfortable! Oh it was very cheap as a secondhand buy!
Allan
PS. If I was to buy a good rowing tender, it would have more than one position for the rollocks and a bench along the centre.
 
Walkerbay 10 is ok ... but you soon bust the rowlocks if you row hard ... which you have to if it is windy and the tide is on the way in as well ... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
I you want to enjoy rowing rather than use it for emergency when the engin breaks down then it has to be a rigid dingy and shaped like a traditional rowing boat. Flat bows and flat runs aft are for motor boats. It also needs to be on the generouse side, a five man with 3 people in will row much better than a three man and probably have two rowing stations

Next to that SOLID support for the oars, if you go for the walker bay (which is exellent) then get the delux version with stainless oarcrutches. Unfortunatly these ar captive, personally I prefer traditional open pattern so you can ship the oars quickly

Last and equally important a nice set of wooden oars that are long enough to give a gentle relaxing sweep not the frantic windmilling of ruber duck with alloy blades that are more padels than oars

Now try towing it, you will be amazed how simple it is with modern ropes and how good it is to always have a dingy ready to jump in instantly
 
There are some very good rowing tenders around, both rigid and inflatable - what size dinghy are you thinking of?

Avon Redcrests are reasonably good rowing tenders, especially with just one person on board. They are infinitely better to row than eg the modern tenders with large transoms for outboards - these seem to have enormous form resistance, and are usually equipped(?) with far-too-short oars.

If a rigid dinghy, will you want to be able to stow it on deck?
If yes, then what is the longest dinghy you have space for?
Have a look at some of the other threads on this forum re dinghies, and maybe do a google for two part nesting dinghies - lots of info out there. I must admit to being very keen on nesting dinks - they do make sense, same as nesting saucepans....

If you dont have to stow a rigid dinghy on deck, and just want a good pulling boat to eg go out to the mooring with, and maybe tow behind in settled weather, then the Whitehall type from the USA are a real joy to row.
Similarly dories - ten years ago I met a chap here (Nick Skeates, on Wylo II) with a two part home built Gloucester Light Dory (http://www.instantboats.com/ggull.htm) designed by Phil Bolger, and based on the famous Gloucester Gull - Wylo II is 32' long, and the tender is 16', and stows on deck in 8' of nested length.....
I went for a row with Nick and his partner in this dory, and she really did shift with two pairs of oars, despite being fairly laden with 3 of us plus shopping on board at the time.
 
I tried rowing a dory once, it was horrible and very hard to steer.

I am surprised by your positive experience.
 
Well, this Bolger dory did row very nicely - but his Gloucester light dory has got a very good reputation, and the original Gloucester Gull was quite legendary apparently.

I must admit though that if I had a choice I would prefer a more classically shaped rowing tender, ideally with a beautiful wine glass transom.
Here is a rather nice 'little' tender - she is the smallest produced by Whitehall in the USA : http://www.whitehallrow.com/rowboats/minto_9_rowboat.php
 
I used to have a "Banana-boat", a foldable plastic dinghy. Although the sides were not very sturdy, I found it rowed better than an inflatable. When folded it stowed like a surfboard along the railing and was fastened to the stanchions and took up little room.
 
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Avon Redcrests are reasonably good rowing tenders, especially with just one person on board.

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Frankly I'm amazed that in a thread asking about good rowing tenders anyone would mention an inflatable. Apart from the fact that every stoke is a start up stroke, they never get natural way on them, they are impossible in wind or tide and really only function usefully with an outboard. Oars are emergency devices only.
 
We like to row and our primary tender is a walker bay 10. As already said it rows ok, i.e. better than the inflatable. The answer to the rowlocks breaking is to buy the optional solid stainless steel ones, they won’t break but they are expensive (if you buy a WB get them included in the deal).

When it in the water I would love it to be a lot heaver, when I am hauling it on deck or the beach I realise a heaver tender would be impractical.
 
Have a look at the self-build / self-assemble / pre-made wooden boats. They row much better than inflatables and the small ones make excellent tenders if you are willing to tow or have davits / room on the deck.

Sites include Classic Marine & Fyne Boats
 
We row our Redcrest as well, as said above a decent pair of oars is the most important bit of kit. I found I had to remove the leather bits from my s/h boat jumble oars to get them to fit into the avon rowlocks, but otherwise no problem.
 
I\'m going to disagree with everyone else here. Here are two good ones:

Having sailed my own cruising boats on the East Coast for 37 years now, always kept on moorings, and having owned an outboard motor only for the last two of them, I think I am in a fairly good position to understand what is meant by "a realistic tender - suitable for a family cruiser, and not a superyacht" which is "a decent ROWING tender".

Let's start with the basics - it cannot possibly be any sort of inflatable.

Next, it needs to be stable, which means it must have flat floors, unlike a pure rowing boat, as it will be needed to carry passengers, stores, etc and it may be needed to row out an anchor in the event of a grounding. This rules out the dory type.

Next, it needs to tow well, because it is often difficult to stow a rigid tender on deck. Again, the dory type is ruled out.

A boat that needs to be "assembled" before use is OK for an ocean cruiser, which will be spending some time in each anchorage, but it is a real pest for coastal cruising.

Finally, I don't reckon a pram rows as well as a stem dinghy; certainly not into a head wind.

There is a lot of discussion of this subject in the yachting textbooks of long ago, and they all come down in favour of a boat at least 8ft long and 9ft if at all possible. From my own experience, I agree with this.

I come down to two boats; one larger, one smaller.

The larger one is the GRP replica smack's boat that Brian Kennell sells. He will sell you the moulding and it is up to you to finish it. These boats are decidedly popular with members of the East Coast branch of the Old Gaffers Association; they row really well with two people pulling and can keep up a good four knots over a distance. They also scull well, but they are about 13ft long.

The smaller recommendation is the boat I've used myself for the past 15 years, the 9ft glued clinker ply "Nutshell" which was originally made as a kit by Malcolm Goodwin and is now offered by Barrowboats; either as a kit or as a finished boat. It is perfectly practical to row this boat over a couple of miles, with passengers; I have often done so. It tows very well and sculls reasonably.

Incidentally, both of these also sail well.
 
Some time ago, 2003 I think, either PBO or YM did a review on rowing tenders and I remember that Walker Bay came out well , and another, in particular, but both expensive.

I have an 8ft TEPCO(also expensive new) which is ok with 6ft oars and there is an almost identical shaped dinghy sold from a small producer in Essex which even new is 'only' about £195-£245 depending on spec- this last outfit still advertises in PBO (P131 Nov issue) tel 01268 792927 and I would have bought one except I picked up the TEPCO at a good price in the meantime.

No connection with the manufacturer but was impressed by the look of the dinghy at a boat jumble in 2003
 
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