tender advice

[Mhvoiceuk]

I recently bought a boat which is moored at Emsworth (Chichester Harbour) on a drying mooring. The chap who sold it to me let me have use of his mooring for free until April and also gave me use of his tender which is kept on a chain on the beach. I have requested another swinging mooring in the area for when I have to let him have his mooring and tender back. I am now looking for another tender which I can use with a long shaft 5hp Mercury outboard that I have. The boat at 22'6 is a bit small to store an inflatable on the deck and the idea of inflating and deflating one seems a real fag, although I could always get an electric pump. I have been towing the poly 9' sportyak dinghy that I was lent but this does seem a bit unwieldy. I am new to all this - what does anybody think the best option is? To buy another GRP/plastic dinghy and to carry on towing or to get an inflatable to either tow or inflate/deflate with an electric pump? If I do get an inflatable, it would have to big enough to take the engine which I currently also use as a back up for the sailing boat. If I do carry on towing, which is going to be more stable? Also if you do tow a dinghy are you supposed to put a light on it at night?

Any advice much appreciated.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[StephenW]

If you do go for an inflator for an inflatable tender then the LVM High Speed Inflator is excellent - expensive (£60-£70) but very quick. Clips on main battery terminals

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Alexis]

Is the mooring a long way away from where you leave your tender? If it is not, I would consider forgetting about having an engine on it and keep a pair of ours paddlocked in it.

As for having the 5 hp outboard as a back up for your boat, I'd forget about having it onboard, as if your boat is of the sailing variety, you have sails as back up and if it is not, sculling a 22 footer should not prove impossible. An extra engine is bulky, smelly and heavy on that sort of boat.

Depending on the kind of navigation you do, I would leave the tender on the mooring and have a tiny low cost toy inflatable in a cockpit locker for use when you really need it.

As for the light a night, a single allround white one is what you need.

Hope this may help and doesn't sound to patronising,
Cheers, Alexis

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[oldharry]

Its an old chestnut this one for small boats - inflatables can be relatively easily stowed away, but are not much fun to row in choppy conditions, while a rigid dinghy is a total pain to tow around, but a far better option when you are actually using it.

You have probably already discovered that Emsworth can get quite choppy (downright rough!) when the wind pipes up, and if your mooring is any way down the channel you will need something fairly solid if you dont want to get wet. If you do go for the inflatable option an engine will be a must - which means you have to find stowage for that too.

Also, dont leave an inflatable on the chains - if its still there next time, it will almost certainly have been damaged - dinghies have a hard life left on the open foreshore.

And no - you do not need a light on a towed dinghy, only when you are actually using it independently of the boat. most of us carry a torch and wave it at anything that is coming our way after dark.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[kilkerr1]

Hi there, welcome to the forum!

We have a 22' saily boat and use an inflatable tender, towed behind. Inflating/deflating is a pain with a foot pump (which is all we have) - so we don't do it! We're lucky in that we have secure storage at the boatyard at our mooring to leave the tender in so we just leave it inflated the whole time and top up when needed, which isn't very often. We've used an electric inflator once and were so amazed with the speed of the thing (I know that's the whole point but we're new to it all too and easily impressed...) that we're planning to get one so we can deflate and store the tender onboard when we need to.

I would have thought that a GRP tender would be too unwieldy to tow behind a 22' boat, but the couple who owned ours before us used to do just that and were quite happy. I'd go for the inflatable with an electric pump thingy. I'm also thinking you're going to need a pretty large inflatable to deal with a 5HP too, no...? We also use our 4HP as a boat back-up - and we've needed it too!

Good luck!

Justine

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://kilkerr.members.easyspace.com/santateresa_pics.htm>Santa Teresa and other t'ings</A>

 

[Mhvoiceuk]

Thanks so much for all the comments. I will think on't. Luckily the boat has a free outboard bracket so putting the engine on that takes care of the stowage. Emsworth can get a bit nasty and it is about 3/4 of a mile to the mooring so rowing is out of the question unless it's a lovely calm day and I'm feeing strong. I am hoping that I'll get a mooring in Emsworth Pool next year which will allow me to keep a dinghy in a proper park - so either tender option would then become viable. Since I made the posting I looked around the internet to see what others do and it would seem to be split about 50/50 for inflatable or rigid as a choice.

BTW - "Saily" - I like that expression. With my little 4 berther I feel a bit self conscious saying yacht and don't much like "trailer sailor"!.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Evadne]

My boat's a bit bigger but moored a mile or so down Mill Rythe so we had the same problem. We have two tenders. A heavy rigid one to get to the mooring and back. It is left there while we're away and has only sunk once. (But was retrievable! Long story.) Outboard comes off and lives in the boat for the duration.
The other is an inflatable stored in a bag on deck. Theoretically I could use the outboard but I tend to row it (not hard with proper wooden oars).
2nd hand inflatables are relatively easy to come by, but nobody sells a rigid tender until it's dead, although some boatyards sell off unclaimed dinghies (contact HYC, Hayling Island before xmas for this year's offerings). We bought a new one at Soton Boat show, expect to pay about £300-£500. Get a big one if you go down this route, the rigid will transport the entire crew and up to a fortnight's provisions and clothing, whatever the weather, the inflatable is just to get you to the pub and back.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[kilkerr1]

Having the 2 sounds like a good idea - husband is desperate to go fishing and this is a no-no towing the old rubber duck. Also don't need to worry about small scratches becoming holes quickly with GRP: "Sweetheart, there seems to be a lot of water in the dinghy suddenly, why do you think that is..?". I've just put a couple of patches on the inflatable's floor tonight, and it's curing very nicely on the kitchen floor.

Do tell the story of the sinking tender..ah, go on, go on...!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://kilkerr.members.easyspace.com/santateresa_pics.htm>Santa Teresa and other t'ings</A>