Safety question - which tender for a HB34

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Safety question - which tender for a HR34

Hello all, so I would like to get a tender for my HR 34 - and an outboard, obviously it's going to be stored on deck when not in use - as davits would be a little silly for this boat.

Can someone point me in the right direction/give some advice - I was thinking of a 260 length giving me some room - there won't be more than 4 onboard so doesn't need to be huge.

Help? :)
 
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We have a Jeanneau Sun Odyssy 342 and use a Seago 270. Good tender with big tubes that make all the difference when in anything other than a flat calm. The 270 will carry 4 adults (3 recommended) with ease. We use a Yamaha 2.5hp which is more than adequate and still liftable on and off at the back. The Yam is not the cheapest or lightest but is by far the best in terms of build, handling and power.

Not sure if the HB34 is power or sail but we just tie the Seago up against the stern.

P.S. Don’t know where you are based but I will be selling a 7year old very good condition Seago 270 Airdeck when I get around to it, I’m in central Scotland, if you are interested.
 
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First step, measure the space on the deck in front of the mast to determine what will fit.

With that in mind I would go as large as will fit and is practical for your use.

If you can manage it a RIB is always the best for stability, comfort, etc but a soft or inflatable floor will roll up and offer more storage options. You might be able to handle a larger soft floor than a RBI,
 
There are so many options to choose from.
Really depends how you intend to use it.
I have a small 3 person 8ft rollup. primarily to roll it up and put it I the back of the car. I need it to get to and from the mooring. Not sure of the weight. 30 or 40 Kg doesn't sound like much until you lift it.
Small cheep light works.
I usually tow it. I can pull it up the fore deck and stow it in front of the mast quite easily by my self.
It fits quite nicely on my deck, C&C 35. So close.
If it was much bigger or a rib I would need help or have to winch it up with a halyard. Also stowing on the fore deck I want to get past it easily. which I can.

A Rib or inflatable floor would be a better tender but the ability to lift it myself was important to me. For my use.
 
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We started out sailing on a Bav 34 10.8 metres and went at time for a quicksilver around 2.9 with inflatable floor I believe which is great for 4 people and canine crew plus kit however when sailing with just 2 of us we found it too heavy and time consuming to pump up (with electric pump) and off load so after a few years bought a small Seago with inflatable floor which for 2 plus dog is great . Personally I think you need to consider your crew and kit requirements . We swapped as required depending on trips and crew numbers For travelling to the boat if on a mooring or river pontoon in our case we had a hard dinghy as well but left on mooring.

We have subsequently with a change of boat have obtained a 2 person seylor inflatable canoe plus on occasions have 2 visiting sup from dycathlon on board .

In summary would go for an inflatable floor and chose a short length you can rig across the stern- not hoisted upright although some create rigs on backstay to do this . Personally I am not convinced by inflatables advertised as light weights as look quite tippy . I think best way is perhaps to get down to a few retailers but if you are manovering solo don't forget to consider ability to get out of the cockpit locker you hide it in or up the hatchway from a spare berth below . There quite a difference in price and whatever anyone says a pricy version (Zodiac) with larger tubes rips just as easily as a cheaper model on a metal spike or pontoon metal surround.

Lastly don't be tempted by any ones with round tails .
 
skipmac said:
First step, measure the space on the deck in front of the mast to determine what will fit.

With that in mind I would go as large as will fit and is practical for your use.
Click to expand...

This is the critical point. With our Sadler 34 we had a Quicksilver 2.7 that has carried six people at a pinch on flat water. We liked it very much but because the boat has a babystay it was very difficult to pass it going forward to the anchor. We reduced size with our next dinghy to 2.3 metres that was easier to pass going forward but is much less satisfactory on the water. We have now purchased the new Quicksilver 2.4 that we hope will be a better compromise.
 
As I said in my reply to the OP's other post, joining the HROA would give access to more experience via the forums. A lot depends on your style of cruising what you will need. On my HR34 I have an Avon Redstart folded in the cockpit locker. Although I would rather have a transomed dinghy, this is about the largest I can fit in the locker as well as a liferaft and at least one bike. I have a solar panel on the deck, and so this is not appropriate for my dinghy or liferaft, though this could be a solution for others. I'm not clear if it is intended to have the dinghy inflated, half inflated, or deflated, which would make a difference.

I think that my advice would be to beg, borrow or steal a second-hand dinghy that will do the job for one season and see how it works out.
 
It's really a question of what sort of use the dinghy will see, rather than what sort of boat it is a tender for.

How many people does it have to carry?
Do you enjoy rowing?
How much time will you spend in marinas/harbours vs anchoring? And if anchoring, what kind of distances and conditions will you be needing the dinghy for?
Are you going to be day-sailing and using the dinghy every day, or making longer offshore passages where the dinghy is best kept out of the way?

You might not know the answer to these questions yet- so as suggested above, get a basic cheap inflatable to start with and go from there.

FWIW, I use an old Avon Recrest (round tail), and hardly ever use my outboard. But this suits me because I prioritise light weight and ease of stowage. I had the use, for a season, of a larger dinghy with a transom. It had bigger tubes so was drier, and worked much better with the motor, making longer and faster dinghy trips possible. But we didn't really need to do long dinghy trips, so in the interests of ease of use went back to the Avon.
 
The later Avons had much bigger tubes. My 2001 Redstart is a better boat than my previous Redcrest from 1974. The major disadvantage of these is the awkwardness of deploying the outboard, relative to dinghies with transoms, when the operator's weight is more central.
 
LadyInBed said:
When you have decided what length inflatable will fit your foredeck, when looking at the inflatable specs, choose one with the largest tube diameter, as there is nothing worse than arriving ashore with a wet bum!
Click to expand...
:encouragement:
 
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