Tender Advice

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BlueHeaven

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We are about to change to a 10m motor boat. No surprise that this has a lot less space than its 38ft predecessor. When we have looked at similar boats to the new one it seems rare for them to have a visible tender. Are they not carrying one at all or are they carrying a 2+1/2 dinghy folded in the lazarette, or are they carrying a 4 man dinghy taking up all the space.. Does no-one ever have a need to rapidly get in a dinghy? For instance for sorting out a mooring. All views and experiences would be gratefully received!
 
A boat without a dedicated tender place is a real pain. What I used to do was have a very light inflatable 3D tender, they are so light that man handling them in an out of the lazaret is easy. And a powerful battery operated pump to speed up the process plus the floor of the dingy requires high pressure. I also had a 2.3 Honda outboard and a single davit to lower on the transom, after I launched by hand, so to eliminate the risk of loosing it overboard. On reflection I would have got a Torqeedo as it can be broken down into manageable pieces and I wouldn’t have had to install a davit.
 
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for some things you need a tender

for everything else there is a marina/pontoon
or if the food/beer is really good, a bloke on a RIB will come and get you and take you back, even in Scotland!
 
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I have a 2.2m Lodestar UL220 that we kept in its bag in the lazarette of a 10m Nimbus 335. Seemed to work well, but a bit cramped to inflate in cockpit.
Also have a Torqeedo 1030 electric outboard which can easily be kept in a cabin.
 
I've just bought a 2.5m 3D tender in deference to my aching back ... put my 2.5m Zodiac in Le Bon Coin for sale. By comparison it weighs a ton! Even the memsahib, who is knee high to a capstan, can carry the 3D above her head! I've already got the Torqeedo to go with it ... :encouragement:
 
Funnily enough, I bought a 3D 2.5m yesterday and am ordering a Torqeedo 1003CS to go with it. Want it as a back up in case the Williams packs up when I'm far from a service centre (as I will be in Sicily this summer). Love how light the 3D is - though seems a lot lighter inflated than it is in the box (which can't actually be the case, I know!!!).
 
A few of us in Sant Carles have these:-

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Some of the yachties use them as tenders.
Inflatable floor means it can be packed away.
But being a small sailing dinghy, it does have a double use.

It might be too big and cumbersome as a tender but someone in our marina had a Torqeedo for theirs so I gave it a try.
Yep works well with a Torqeedo.

However, I only consider our DinghyGo as a toy and not a tender.

Here's a link to the DinghyGo website
http://www.dinghygo.com/
 
thinking about a 3D tender myself. Any advice regarding Twin Air vs Round Tail? Round tails seem to be lighter again for the same length and weight capacity presumably due to not having a transom.
 
I have a transom 3D. Mine is under 2m, and I think the transom means you don’t need a bracket for the outboard. I have no experience with the round airs.
My advice to the op would be to get the biggest one that he can layout in the cockpit, otherwise it’s a pain to inflate. The 3D is amazingly easy to row, you actually don’t need an outboard. But legroom for the oarsman is limited especially with passengers and dogs. So get the biggest you can reasonably use, but of course the weight goes up with the size
 
Mmm very interesting! I would like to thank you all for an informative and useful collection of replies. Well up to the usual forum standard. I was not aware of the 3D tender and will investigate that further as it looks a possible good route to go. The Dinghygo is also new to me and would be great but a tad expensive at the moment. So its probably 3D plus an electric pump. Many thanks for your time and effort
 
We managed fine with a 26' boat and a Bombard Max 2 airdeck.
Fitted well on snap davits for instant deployment (we use the dinghy 3-4 times each day when we are out) going to the beach, pub etc.
weighs only ~13kg so only the same as a 2hp 2stroke o/b and easily handleable.
 
MedMilo said:
Funnily enough, I bought a 3D 2.5m yesterday and am ordering a Torqeedo 1003CS to go with it. Want it as a back up in case the Williams packs up when I'm far from a service centre (as I will be in Sicily this summer). Love how light the 3D is - though seems a lot lighter inflated than it is in the box (which can't actually be the case, I know!!!).
Click to expand...
Wow, I just looked- 14kg tender, 14kg outboard incl battery, £2k all in. I had no idea stuff this light existed. As you say, makes an excellent reserve tender.
 
Is there any sacrifice in durability or longevity with a 3D tender? The weight makes it an attractive proposition as mine must weigh close on 50 kilo if not more. But it lives on the swim platform on snap davit like affair so pretty exposed to sun and elements and can get a fair bit of wear on shingle and shell beaches
 
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