Rigid tender for a Centaur

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
what is the biggest tender you can reasonably get on the foredeck of a Centaur

purely hypothetical question of course

but following on from the success of my duck punt building exploits I thought I would like to build a small sailing tender

and would like it to fit the Centaur I dream about owning

Dylan
 
Before anyone else says it....

dylanwinter said:
what is the biggest tender you can reasonably get on the foredeck of a Centaur

purely hypothetical question of course

but following on from the success of my duck punt building exploits I thought I would like to build a small sailing tender

and would like it to fit the Centaur I dream about owning

Dylan
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the Slug fit on the foredeck of a Centaur?;)
 
Nothing big enough to be usable I would think.

The Centaur has an baby stay fixed to the very front of the cabin top ( rather than a rig with a pair of forward lower shrouds) That effectively means that you cannot get anything longer than about 5 feet on the deck.

If it was not for the baby stay you'd have best part of 10 ft between the stem head and the mast to play with but any dinghy on the foredeck of a smallish boat will get in the way and be a total PITA IMHO


I have seen a Centaur with davits. Maybe you could consider that as way of carrying a usable size of dinghy.
Out of the way of foredeck work and manageable without slipped-discs or hernias.
It would not be outrageous to carry a dinghy of about 8 ft on davits.
 
aha

righto

what I need is a nine foot dinghy that breaks down into two halves down the middle of the boat

I am going to cad one up tonight

Of course I could always store the duck punt lashed vertically to the mast

Dylan
 
dylanwinter said:
righto

what I need is a nine foot dinghy that breaks down into two halves down the middle of the boat

I am going to cad one up tonight

Of course I could always store the duck punt lashed vertically to the mast

Dylan
Click to expand...


If there is just one or two of you then an 8' will be more than adequate. You could either buy one of those split pram dinghies that occasionally pop up on ebay, get a folding one or as vics says fit some davits.
 
I have 3 bits of kit:

1. A Centaur.
2. A very old but servicable avon (redcrest? - the smallest one anyway).
3. An electric pump.

Works a treat. The air pump blows it up in a couple of minutes. It's reversible & allows me to deflate the avon flat too. It then very easily folds small & fits between the V-berth under the infill piece.

The Centaur foredeck is very small really. The baby stay is atatched to the front of the coachroof. At a guess the coachroof extends to within 1.3m of the stemhead. Hence, you're talking about something that length or shorter. Plus in the centre of the foredeck is the cleat.

Go infateable.
 
I bought a set of plans for an 8-foot nesting dinghy that I changed my mind over and will probably never build. Big bundle of plans, instructions, a CD of photos and sundry paperwork including some kind of number for Americans to register it with their state authorities (it's a US design). Nested dimensions are 4 foot square.

There is a sailing version although I was going to only build it for rowing (no centreboard or mast step). I think the plans cover both options.

Cost me about £50 I think; if you're really going to use them (not just put them on the shelf like I did) then I might be prepared to swap for a non-expiring KTL subscription.

Pete
 
What is wrong with towing

We had a series of boats ending up with a Westerly Pentland (31 ft) and towed a 9'6" solid Tepco dingy for years. We rigged double painters running in a vee to the transom if we were going out in a blow and used to keep a 10 lb weight on a 10 foot rope as a drogue in the event of running before a following sea.

Always had more problems with inflatable’s.
 
My nesting d5

I built a nesting version of the famous D5 as a tender for my 26 ft trailer yacht.
I am very pleased with it.
Can provide more details if you wish.
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Dylan,

I have to say I'd go for an inflatable & LVM pump ( which I'm sure you know draws a lot of current so must be clipped to the battery direct ).

Most modern cheap inflatables have solid transoms which makes them heavy & awkward to stow; if at all possible go for a round-tail, they still have outboard brackets.

Lots of thin floor slats rolls up a lot smaller & handier than a few big ply slabs too, unless paying for an inflatable floor.

I have a 25 year old Zodiac 240 round-tail which is still brilliant - much larger tube dia' & better quality than modern cheapo jobs, but the modern day price for Zodiacs is truly eye-watering !
 
you did

jellylegs said:
Where abouts are you right now? I thought I saw your boat in Wells on sunday evening....
Click to expand...

last autumn I had the trip to the humber all fixed up - lock booked, berth sorted at the yawl club

bumped into massive eldercare committments so the slug stayed in Wells this winter

spent this week sailing the duck punt around the estuaries

Dylan

as for a tender - I want something I can sail

I have plans now I swapped with pete for an immortal ktl subscription
 
Last edited:
have a look at the walkerbay ,thay do a 8ft clinker dingy that i use i can carry it with one hand very very light,also do a tube kit if you need to carry large loads mother-inlaw ect
also a sailing kit
 
Or...

How about a Hobie 14? :D

Rather than finding a whole boat that fits between the babystay and mast, you'd only need space for the cat's trampoline.

And the dual banana bowsprit profile should gain you all the fame and public recognition any self-publicist could ask!!

Might have to treat the Centaur as an una-rig with the cat on deck...
 
dancrane said:
How about a Hobie 14? :D

Rather than finding a whole boat that fits between the babystay and mast, you'd only need space for the cat's trampoline.

And the dual banana bowsprit profile should gain you all the fame and public recognition any self-publicist could ask!!

Might have to treat the Centaur as an una-rig with the cat on deck...
Click to expand...

Dancrane,

so, she'd be a sort of trimaran forward, monohull aft; I get the feeling I've seen that before somewhere...

K7-december-1964-small.jpg

Good luck, Dylan !
 
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