Should I get a tender ... what sort?

[maxcampbell]

I'm hoping to get my tiny weekender onto a mooring next season, rather than trailer-sail.

I normally do round trips of 3 or 4 days, and so far most nights afloat have been in a marina. I do want to do more anchoring, and we have picked up an empty mooring a few times, but I haven't felt the need for a tender at our destinations. The boat herself, at 6m and 650Kg and drawing a metre, is small enough to park on a landing pontoon for a brief stop.

There's a good HM-run water taxi (it's Brightlingsea) that runs at least office hours even out of season.

So, should I get a tender to allow more flexible use at the mooring, particularly bearing in mind that it's not allowed to leave a dinghy on a mooring, so it would have to come with me, in which case should I tow something? The only alternative would be the smallest possible inflatable kayak, which deflated would take up a big portion of my lockers (though not impossible), and require inflating (without use of electricity).

 

[Rossynant]

Isn't a 6 meter boat already a tender?
I'm quite used to sail such boats inland and so treat them same way as Kayak or rowboat. But if problem with getting to the mooring or such I'd buy very light, small inflatable - round one, those may be smaller when deflated - and put in a locker. Just in case.

 

[Zagato]

I have reserved an inflatable Sea Kayak for £200 I think it was but decided to go for a tender instead as storage room isn't a problem and I was worried about falling in trying to get from kayak to boat. No problem in my ordinary Sea Kayak but wasn't sure how stable the inflatable one would be. It does sound to be your best option pack size wise though. Towing a tender is PITA apparently but I may do so sometimes just within Chi Harbour.

The deal i have on the Kayak is a bargain if you are interested will found out the model - got to put brats to bed!!

Here tis but mine comes with oars worth £30 and a pump. It's at Lansdale Marine or next door at the Lansdale camping shop, Chichester if anyone wants it. It's reserved under the name C Calvert.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004MW4I...nd=5022258601873440082&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=

I wouldn't worry about inflating it without electricity use a blimmen foot pump it literally only takes 2 minutes to pump both sides of my Avon 2.7 - Why does everyone need gadgets

 

[VicS]

Not being able to leave a tender on the mooring is a pain Unusual as well I would have thought. Can you leave it somewhere on the shore when not in use ?

I would have suggested a decent tender capable of getting you and your crew + baggage and supplies out out the boat and back again in any conditions you are likely to to have to face, plus a small inflatable to keep/stow on board that you can use to get ashore from a mooring or anchorage

The dinghy would have to be no smaller than 8ft and stable

I have towed my dinghy around the Solent but its a hell of a drag despite being light and just under 8ft.

Your solution must be an inflatable, I think but even a 2.4m one is difficult to stow on a boat that size. I do in fact have a 2.4m Avon Typhoon. I bought it at a price I could not resist to replace an old Campari that was no longer serviceable. I have had it about 10 years and not used it because its too big to stow on board.

Id not fancy a kayak. Ive capsized my dinghy. Im sure I'd have drowned by now getting into or out of a kayak while afloat

Its a problem faced by many small boat owners

My tender is light enough to lift singlehandedly onto a car roof rack, is not particularly stable and only suitable for two smallish adults or one large one and a child.

 

[maxcampbell]

Not being able to leave a tender on the mooring is a pain Unusual as well I would have thought. Can you leave it somewhere on the shore when not in use ?

I would have suggested a decent tender capable of getting you and your crew + baggage and supplies out out the boat and back again in any conditions you are likely to to have to face, plus a small inflatable to keep/stow on board that you can use to get ashore from a mooring or anchorage

The dinghy would have to be no smaller than 8ft and stable

I have towed my dinghy around the Solent but its a hell of a drag despite being light and just under 8ft.

Your solution must be an inflatable, I think but even a 2.4m one is difficult to stow on a boat that size. I do in fact have a 2.4m Avon Typhoon. I bought it at a price I could not resist to replace an old Campari that was no longer serviceable. I have had it about 10 years and not used it because its too big to stow on board.

Id not fancy a kayak. Ive capsized my dinghy. Im sure I'd have drowned by now getting into or out of a kayak while afloat

Its a problem faced by many small boat owners

My tender is light enough to lift singlehandedly onto a car roof rack, is not particularly stable and only suitable for two smallish adults or one large one and a child.
[/IMG]

I think the only thing I can stow on board would be the kayak, so other than that it would be a choice between towing something or, as you suggest, going through the palaver of taking dinghy plus mother ship to shore and storing dinghy there (I'll probably be single-handed quite a bit, too). How bad is towing a dinghy? I don't mind losing half a knot (while sitting here, anyway), but twizzling, filling with water, surfing into your own a**e...

 

[Rossynant]

I think the only thing I can stow on board would be the kayak ... How bad is towing a dinghy?

Constant nuisance.
Look into a kind of beach toy dinghy, 'cheap china' kind - thin skin but wide and stable enough. Such thing can do for occasional use, will probably keep couple years and should fit into locker like this kayak you mentioned. No idea what you can find in UK since not much sun on beaches you got there but such dinghy costs some 50, not much to lose. Something like this http://img04.taobaocdn.com/bao/uploaded/i4/T1a8vEXnBmXXaQ0wnb_094130.jpg
(they cost £5 wholesale from china, btw...)

 

[maxcampbell]

Constant nuisance.
No idea what you can find in UK since not much sun on beaches you got there

I'm East Coast - we don't even have beaches, just mud.

 

[Rossynant]

At least less problem tearing a toy dinghy

 

[FWB]

It's a dilemma we all face I'm sure.
I have a large Avon which fits in a locker and I can get it in the water in less than 15mins and retrieve it and stow it in a little over that time. However psychologically I groan when I have to do it, crazy really since with the electric inflator/deflator it is actually no big deal.
I bought a rigid tender, not unlike in one of the above posts but much lighter, in fact it's very much lighter than the Avon.
It looks good behind my boat and is ready for instant use. As a consequence I go ashore from being at anchor much more often.
So the choice is blowing one up or towing one around.

 

[Tam Lin]

Charles Stock managed for umpteen years without a tender and with a boat your size.

 

[Uricanejack]

I'm hoping to get my tiny weekender onto a mooring next season, rather than trailer-sail.

I normally do round trips of 3 or 4 days, and so far most nights afloat have been in a marina. I do want to do more anchoring, and we have picked up an empty mooring a few times, but I haven't felt the need for a tender at our destinations. The boat herself, at 6m and 650Kg and drawing a metre, is small enough to park on a landing pontoon for a brief stop.

There's a good HM-run water taxi (it's Brightlingsea) that runs at least office hours even out of season.

So, should I get a tender to allow more flexible use at the mooring, particularly bearing in mind that it's not allowed to leave a dinghy on a mooring, so it would have to come with me, in which case should I tow something? The only alternative would be the smallest possible inflatable kayak, which deflated would take up a big portion of my lockers (though not impossible), and require inflating (without use of electricity).

I have a mooring. its cheep but inconvienient. I kept my 24ft on it and tenders were a requirment and a pain. I like to sail to quite anchorages and go ashore my kids loved to play and potter about in my avon inflatabe. It was stolen. So I aquired a cheep ugly beat up old hard dingy to keep at the dock thinking no thief would want it instead. It was stolen. Being so ugly I was able to steal it back. when a friendly fisherman called me and told me some shrub from one of the derelicts was ussing it. His excuse hey man it looked abandoned. It was stollen again different shrub who moved on.
Its a real pain how do you get out to you boat when your dingys gone.
right now I launch my MoBo every time from a boat launch to get to my mooring. Its a 16ft with 55 on the back. not convienient and looks silly when towed by a 24ft sail boat but a good coversation starter.
Now I'm going to get a nice inflatable and keep in the car. having and relying on others is inconvienient and I often want to use when I arrive.
Sailing without a tender is just to limiting.
I like rowing a hard dingy. I hate rowing an inflatable. but inflatables deflate a roll up. are lighter. can be easily pulled up onto fore deck, don't scratch the gell coat. you can step on side without flliping or sinking. They dont sink if left out in the rain.

 

[VicS]

I think the only thing I can stow on board would be the kayak, so other than that it would be a choice between towing something or, as you suggest, going through the palaver of taking dinghy plus mother ship to shore and storing dinghy there (I'll probably be single-handed quite a bit, too). How bad is towing a dinghy? I don't mind losing half a knot (while sitting here, anyway), but twizzling, filling with water, surfing into your own a**e...

For an inflatable that might stow on board check out the Intex Excursion range. Much better than the really cheap beach toys I think although along way short of the "proper" inflatable boats. They do a range from a 2 man to a 5 man. All of which can be found at under £100

http://www.outdoorleisuredirect.co.uk/excursion-boat.php

I have thought of buying one myself. A few forumites have bought them and been pleased although there has never been any feedback AFAIK on their longterm performance

 

[dylanwinter]

shoal waters tookthe ground

Charles Stock managed for umpteen years without a tender and with a boat your size.

the Max boat does not take the ground

shoal waters sits on the mud

D

 

[V1701]

I have an Avon Redcrest which folds fairly small. You could look for a good example of the smaller Redstart. If you wanted a modern inflatable a Seago 230 roundtail will fold smaller than the others...

 

[maxcampbell]

Charles Stock managed for umpteen years without a tender and with a boat your size.

Yeah, but that was a centreboarder, and actually even smaller than mine. I won't be able to get to the mooring without either a lift or a tender.

 

[FWB]

Gaffers and little tenders go well together

This is one by Fyne Boat Kits, similar to the type shown by VicS above
It weighs around 25kg

And is no problem to tow

 

[VicS]

This is one by Fyne Boat Kits, similar to the type shown by VicS above
It weighs around 25kg

There is nothing similar to mine .... it is a truly unique one off

 

[FWB]

There is nothing similar to mine .... it is a truly unique one off

Yours is a nice tender. I did say similar type ,ie pram.

 

[DoubleEnder]

It's a dilemma we all face I'm sure.
I have a large Avon which fits in a locker and I can get it in the water in less than 15mins and retrieve it and stow it in a little over that time. However psychologically I groan when I have to do it, crazy really since with the electric inflator/deflator it is actually no big deal.
I bought a rigid tender, not unlike in one of the above posts but much lighter, in fact it's very much lighter than the Avon.
It looks good behind my boat and is ready for instant use. As a consequence I go ashore from being at anchor much more often.
So the choice is blowing one up or towing one around.

I'd be interested in knowing more about your light weight rigid tender. Can you tell me where it came from?
Thank you
Graham

 

[Zagato]

East Port Pram

http://www.fyneboatkits.co.uk/

I like this to put magazines or logs in

http://www.fyneboatkits.co.uk/kits/rowing/cradle-boat/