Sportyak 245 - towing one

[AHoy2]

On the basis of function, price and availability my shortlist for a tender to use with a river mooring is down to one, viz. a Bic Sportyak 245. I am also considering using it as an alternative to my inflatable for get-ashore convenience when local pottering, so would appreciate any feedback on how well it behaves under tow. I have searched the forum but only found one comment re. towing.

Note that I do not have deck space to stow a dinghy and regular readying and storing of the inflatable is a challenge for the same reason. So as a benchmark, will the Sportyak tow better than an inflatable (old Redstart).

 

[vyv_cox]

Have you tried it before buying? The only time we used one as a tender we were convinced that it would capsize. There is no way its stability compares with an inflatable.

 

[rotrax]

+1!

Not a very stable platform-I have been close to being tipped out of one of those while fishing on the Upper Thames.

Dylan of KTL fame found the best use for a Sport Yak-a dog bath!

 

[longjohnsilver]

Have you tried it before buying? The only time we used one as a tender we were convinced that it would capsize. There is no way its stability compares with an inflatable.

Agreed. I owned one for a season. I used it in a sheltered river and still it felt unsteady. No way would I want to be in one in any small waves, unsinkable maybe but extremely wet. Give me an inflatable any day.

 

[dylanwinter]

+1!

Not a very stable platform-I have been close to being tipped out of one of those while fishing on the Upper Thames.

Dylan of KTL fame found the best use for a Sport Yak-a dog bath!

I confess that it is in the garden - but then I have not needed it given the shallow draft and carry an ebay £30 inflatable that I have only used twice

it towed pretty well for the first 30 miles or so - but towing a dinghy behind an 18 footer soon wears a bit thin

D

 

[dylanwinter]

+1!

Not a very stable platform-I have been close to being tipped out of one of those while fishing on the Upper Thames.

Dylan of KTL fame found the best use for a Sport Yak-a dog bath!

I confess that it is in the garden - but then I have not needed it given the shallow draft and carry an ebay £30 inflatable that I have only used twice

it towed pretty well for the first 30 miles or so - but towing a dinghy behind an 18 footer soon wears a bit thin

D

 

[bluerm166]

We have a BIC 245 bought for the short row out to our previous mooring.I am puzzled by previous comments.We bought ours for it's stability and we have not been disappointed.It has allowed all sorts of liberties and in a sheltered estuary it can take pretty well as much load of gear as you can pile in.Conversely it doesn't tow at speed too well.We haven't tried a bridle or raising the tow point but it does have a strong mind of it's own.It might well tow better with the wheels removed but they have proved useful where we can't get ashore at the right point.

 

[Cruiser2B]

I had considered one of these, but they are somewhat hard to come by over here in the colonies. I thought they seemed pretty stable - at least this picture seems to suggest it:
http://www.bicsportboats.com/technology/stability,20.html

 

[AHoy2]

Interesting comments re. stability, I have the Sportyak 245 on my short list based on the mainly favourable comments in earlier threads wrt stability. I will obviously try and get a ride in one before purchasing.

 

[Lodesman77]

I borrowed a friend's BIC - the earlier one, the same but without wheels (252?) - for a season, and found it very stable. But with a low freeboard and a boxy shape it took on a lot of water in a chop. Similarly, it towed OK in flat water when it tracked in a fairly straight line but became unruly in rougher water.
In the end I decided that towing any dinghy wasn't great on smaller boats and rigid dinghies don't fit well on the foredeck, so now I have an inflatable which I can tow or leave inflated on the foredeck on short trips (and is better for either of these than a rigid dinghy) but usually deflate and lash to the deck in front of the mast, which I find to be the best all round approach...

 

[aquaplane]

A Sportyak and a Bic 245 are different beasts.

A Sportyak is indeed tippy.

I have no experience of the Bic 245 but found the Tabur Yak II, one of it's forerunners to be a good tender. They row and motor well and carry a good load.

 

[Blueboatman]

Not sure I would have one nowadays ..

Used one for years and years and it was a lot better than it looked ( oh how we all larfed at the name). Seagull or oars pushed it along well and a great load carrier, gear and people.. Drag it up the beach, paint the wooden yacht from it etc
But once the skin is cracked, not an easy patch up...

They tow well but require two painters, one to each 'corner' ( I used a long looped one)..


I think technology has moved on, really and those who row just use an old knockabout that they leave on the mooring..

There are some new Zodiac types and old wood floored Avons that will suit the OP better imho.

But def try a Sportyak!

 

[Lodesman77]

It seems there may be some confusion - having checked, the situation seems to be that originally there was the smaller Sportyak (tippy?) and the larger 252 (stable). But now the name Sportyak is used for both, and the two are distinguished by number, i.e. Sportyak 213 and Sportyak 245, as shown here:-

http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/

 

[vyv_cox]

I can no longer be certain which one it was that we used (once was enough!) but I urge the OP to try before buying. Maybe current ones are more stable, in which case he could be lucky.

There is another current thread somewhere about towing dinghies. We tow an Airdeck, inflatable keel dinghy just about everywhere, two quite separate painters, one to a central D ring and one with a bridle to two D rings at the sides. It probably slows us down a bit. A Redcrest is far less hydrodynamic with its floppy soft bottom and will cause more drag. A rigid dinghy will probably cause less drag than either but is renowned for being a nuisance, banging into the transom quite frequently.

 

[VicS]

SPORTYAK 245 not 213



Sportyak 245.

http://www.bicsportboats.com/products/sportyak-245,3,69/sportyak-245-blue-white,636.html

........ Good stable tender





Sportyak 213

http://www.bicsportboats.com/products/sportyak-213,3,49/sportyak-213-orange-white,589.html

........ Dog bath / "big safe toy for children"

 

[mrming]

I've got a Bic 245. Stability is fine, freeboard is very low though.

I've towed it locally in sheltered waters (down the Medway and through the Swale). Directional stability when towed is good. The low freeboard means there can be quite a bit of water in it if there's any waves. It's unsinkable so it's okay from that point of view, but it's obviously not great for fuel economy to be towing a tender half full of water.

I also would not want to tow it in a following sea, but that goes for any rigid tender. The 245's main good points are it's indestructibility and the complete lack of maintenance required. The integrated launching wheels are handy too.

 

[rotrax]

SPORTYAK 245 not 213



Sportyak 245.

http://www.bicsportboats.com/products/sportyak-245,3,69/sportyak-245-blue-white,636.html

........ Good stable tender





Sportyak 213

http://www.bicsportboats.com/products/sportyak-213,3,49/sportyak-213-orange-white,589.html

........ Dog bath / "big safe toy for children"

Thank you-you have answered the question of which one is which.

I have used a 245 for Pike fishing on the river in winter-OK- not the other one though-thats the one that nearly tipped over with the wash from a Thames Weekend Admiral's wash........................

 

[NUTMEG]

Had a 245 for two seasons. Rowed and small outboard great. Very stable but talk about wet! In any sort of chop the two handholds on the bow act as scoops and lots of water gets in. Perfect dinghy in many ways but you need oilies in a chop. I sold it and bought a plastimo 240. Pain blowing it up but much drier, very stable and tows fine. Bugger to row if it's blowy though.

 

[BurnitBlue]

I had a Tabur Yak (245) for 5 years on both sides of the Atlantic. Very stable, I would climb aboard over the side after swimming, have a wash down before boarding the mother boat. Dragged it over coral with only a few scratches. Fitted a dagger board and sail rig. Would have another if I could get one delivered to Greece at reasonable cost. Brilliant boats.

 

[AHoy2]

Thanks all for the comments, the 245 remains on my shortlist although a couple of similar alternatives have come to light during the time of this thread. Interesting last comment about sailing conversion as this was an original tender requirement but nothing available that meets the other requirements.