Sailing dinghy and tender - recommendations please

[homa]

Hi,

Anyone recommend a sailing dinghy abt 10-12' overall suitable for teaching the kids the basics of sailing (prefer 2 piece mast) plus able to use as a tender for the mother ship.

Needs to have a transom to take an outboard, and be able to row.

I'm not asking too much am I ?!

Cheers
Homa

 

[EBoat126]

Mirror Dinghy does all of the above. Just make sure you check for rot on wooden ones but they do actually sail reasonably well and if the kids take to racing there is a strong circuit.

 

[sarabande]

Mirror's too big to act as a dinghy if you want to tow behind the She.

(despite the fact that I have a reasonably good example for sail, ahem)

Pentane posted about the Walker 8

http://www.walkerbay.co.uk/detail.php?product_id=8

which looks quite interesting if a little chunky. The inflatable section seems to develop the liferaft idea, but if you want to cruise, anchor and then sail, I think you are only left with a Tinker of some description.

I have the 12ft Traveller which sails more than adequately, motors very well, and deflates enough to be carried on board.

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

 

[VicS]

Another vote for the Mirror as a good dinghy for teaching the kids to sail. Good enough to go onto class racing even. Rows well and was designed with a solid transom to take a small outboard.

If you dont want the hassle of maintaining a wooden one then look at the more modern grp ones. The original gunter rig will stow within the length of the hull so probably satisfies the requirement for a two piece mast and it is car toppable. Recently a Bermuda rig has been approved (I dont know if that is a two piece mast or not)

For towing I suggest an eye bolt with ring should be fitted low down on the fore transom and bolted though a good backing pad. Dont rely on the original little ally fitted that is only screwed on. Also for towing make up a little dummy centre board that blanks off the top of the centre board case to stop water coming up through it.

My only reservation about its use as a tender is the smallish amount of space for carrying gear but you can't have ample buoyancy tanks and stowage space.

Mirror website

If you want something smaller and come across a Puffin In good nick especially a grp one go for it. Same comments apply about mods for towing though and a little skeg, like a Mirror's, will make it tow in a nice straight line. Needs a bit of ingenuity to fit an outboard though but can be adapted to take a light one as well as the electric one shown on the above website.

Mirror 49074, Puffin 2184

 

[Seagreen]

Seahopper Kontender - exactly like a mirror but folds flat to store ondeck small, whilst sailing.

 

[William_H]

Well the cheapest way to get a sailing dinghy is to buy a second hand on with all the gear. However it may be too big or heavy for a tender.
I have built a couple of Sabot dinghies one of which was set up to sail. That is 8ft long and can be made very light if you are considering stowing on the foredeck. So I suspect your request for dual purpose might be a bit impractical.
Actually for teaching kids to sail the bigger the boat the easier it is to learn so teach em on the big boat. Dinghies can be very scary. Don't imagine small equals easy. olewill

 

[homa]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm not sure about the Mirror, with all that buoyancy there's very little carrying capacity for getting equipment out to the mother ship. I'm on a swinging mooring so this is important. However, the dinghy will only be towed for short distances on day sails, as we have an old avon for longer trips. Also not sure about it's durability when hauled up down shingle river banks. The GRP one might be better.

I've had a look at the 10' Walker Bay and that looks very close to what I could go for, one attraction of the Walker Bay is that they are plastic and lighter than a GRP dinghy. I like the idea of the inflatable tube for extra buoyancy and stability - retains volume inside for load carrying. Only down side appears to be that they are still quite new and therefore very expensive - over £2k for a new one fully loaded, and secondhand seem to hold their price.

Cheers
Homa

 

[Elessar]

This is perfect for the job and is what I have. Funny to sail at first as they bend rather than heeling. They are stable and don't cause too much damage when the inevitable happens in a crowded anchorage. The company is absolutely fantastic too if you need repairs or advice.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
Mirror......Also not sure about it's durability when hauled up down shingle river banks. The GRP one might be better

[/ QUOTE ] The bottom of a wooden Mirror can be glass fibre sheathed to make it more hard wearing. It does however add to its weight. Grp ones, though, are presumably a similar weight to wooden ones in order to remain competitive.

When I built mine the minimum hull weight for "measurement" purposes was 100lbs.

 

[SolentBlue]

Try a Walker Bay - we got a 275 with tube and sail kit. You can row it, motor it or sail it - same size as a rubber boat but takes more load - 375Kg and it is light enough to haul on deck

 

[Saddletramp]

I have a 10ft walker bay which is great for getting the family and gear out to the swinging mooring. Maintenance free and built in bouancy. If getting your family to and fro safely is your main priority go for a walker bay.