tenders and outboards

Carolwildbird

Carolwildbird

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Hmm... my shakedown cruise to ireland has highlighted a shortcoming in my tender and outboard set-up (too small!)... I was going to struggle on with it, but long trips in 20knot winds have persuaded me that its not good enough. I also met up with Kioni from this forum in Ireland, and his comments on viewing a tender/outboard as one's car have changed my views... need something bigger with a more powerful engine for the planned escape next year!

I'd be interested to hear what set-ups other people have.. size/style of tender (eg rib, vs airdeck etc) and size of outboard

cheers
carol
 
Carol,

Sorry we missed you in Ireland - we are currently in Bayona - looking to head down the coast on Saturday after a front has passed through tomorrow.

We have a 2.6m slatted floor dinghy and a 3.5hp Yamaha outboard. We want to change the dinghy for something with bigger tubes (to protect against waves - but not too big so you can't climb in from the water) - but having a cutter rig with a baby stay we can't stow a solid floored dinghy on deck, so we are hoping to get an airdeck one (solid would be preferable though). Current plan is to get a Caribe one once in the Caribbean.

We like the outboard - light enough to lift on and off the boat - doesn't make the dinghy to heavy to carry up a beach, and economical on fuel. I know it doesn't plane the dinghy two up, but when cruising you have plenty of time!

If you go down the new engine route - be aware that the 4 strokes are much bigger for their hp than the 2 strokes and therefore heavier. Also, the bigger the outboard the more attractive they are to thieves!

From recent experience too .... get a dinghy with decent rowlocks - ours are poor and the oars pop out when trying to row!

Jonny
 
SWMBO and I did our Atlantic circuit with a second hand Zodiac air deck 2.6m, IIRC. We started out with a new Honda 2hp 4 stroke.

The outboard was rubbish. Noisy, poor range, pig to start, awkward gear arrangement to name some of its faults. Sold it to an unsuspecting Frenchman. Bought a Yamaha 4hp 2 stroke with the proceeds.

The PVC Zodiac, though remarkably seaworthy, wasn't really strong enough. The floor had to be stuck back on at great expense in St Lucia. With hindsight, I would not have anything to do with the Englishman who repairs inflatables on that island. Take your business to the chaps in Le Marin, Martinique.

Interestingly, my new boat came with a Zodiac clone from West Marine. This dinghy has had its floor re-stuck too.

Next time I intend to use an hypalon Avon 2.8 air deck coupled with a Mariner(Tohatsu) 3.3hp 2 stroke.

Irrespective of the fact that a RIB won't fit on my boat, I wouldn't have one. You must be able to shift the dinghy up the beach/slipway, on your own if necessary. Also I hate having deck cargo of any sort. Even boat hooks get stowed below.
 
If you are doing a transat wait until you are there and try to pick up a tohatsu 9.8 two stroke - somewhere like budget marine in Grenada etc. You will find it hard to better these little fellas as they are extremely light compared to all other makes and very reliable. Unfortunately you cant buy them in the EU anymore. Chuck in a carib or zodiac dinghy and you are away. It will plane two up and you can wake board behind it on the 'bed base/saloon locker covers' from a sadler 34. If you want video proof, I'll post it. Our friends used to make do with a little double ended rowable avon - despite being a bit damp and having to get the odd lift ashore, they were happy enough though and good exercise. We dive a lot so were thankful of something a bit more capable.
 
We have a Plastimo 3.2m inflatable floor rib. You have to look seriously where its going to go when at sea. In our case towing means it may flip and it produces a lot of drag. On the foredeck can be a pain to lift it and tie it down and it often traps the genoa sheets under it, scratches the forehatch and deck and reduces visibility. Routinely deflating and storing inside is not really an option, as even deflated its very heavy.

We lift out most nights with the spare spinny haliard both for anti theft but also to stop the dreaded bottom fouling.

Equally each time you tow or put in the foredeck you have to remove the engine. We have a 5HP Yamaha 2 stroke. The 8HP 4 stroke we originally bought was just too heavy. We thought of a crane but couldn't find anywhere to put it!! I got mine from outboards direct (google should get them) and they had some 2 stroke stock left - but that was last year.....

Performance wise - on my own it will plane, with me and my slim wife it will just about plane, anything else and it slows markedly but even so its served us very well for our first season.

Strongly agree about hauling upon beaches - with two of us a 3.2m is just about OK, but wish I had got a solid floor, the inflatable floors are OK but need a high pressure pump and can get damaged on shingly beaches.

I got thoroughly fed up with lifting the engine in and out and not having a good solution for passages so have had some davits made up (much cheaper in Trinidad than UK!!!!). Hopefully now the motor can stay in and we can hoist it out of the way for sailing - might get in the way when we catch fish though!!
 
Hey Jonny- H- great to hear from you! Yes.. think we used the same weather window to come across to Ireland as you did to leave... and it was a lot more windy than predicted (as it seems you experienced too- reading your blog- up to F9 briefly for us!) My dinghy loses its oars too and its only 2.4m so pathetically small with a 2hp engine.


Foxy-I've just been offered a mercury 10hp 2 stroke.. pondering it as we write.....how would that compare to a Tohatsu?
 
We've got davits with a 9ft caribe rib. Tried various engines over the years from a 15hp (ridiculously heavy) to a 4hp Johnson to a 5hp Honda (new but unreliable junk), both of which were too slow when 4 up plugging strong tides.

Following recommendations on here, have been using a 9.8hp 2 stroke Tohatsu this season, which weighs the same as the Honda 5 hp 4 stroke. I'm very pleased with the Tohatsu as easy to get on and off the boat and we can plane, when required, with two up and the shopping. Oh ... and it's pretty quiet too.

Now just wish I'd bought right , bought once. One day, I'll learn!
 
HI there!
Well the Merc is 34kg and the Tohatsu 27. Makes quite a difference. I think the tohatsu is a suped up smaller engine and the merc is a restricted larger one (as followed by the other manafacturers). The Tohatsu is very popular with cruisers because of this. Seems popular with mechanics too - guess its pretty simple. Re the other poster about thinking twice, buying once..... I had a yamaha 5hp first, so join the club! Other thing to remember is short or long shaft..... almost always short for dinghies. We hoist ours up onto the pushpit with a small block/tackle, has been fine there for several years.
Cheeeeeers!
 
Carol, I'm sure the trip to Birmingham to collect is probably too far for you, but my 3.65m tender and 6.0hp Johnson outboard is still for sale - top of its range /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Just a thought anyway /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Carol

I bought a honda 2.7 inflatable witha Honda 2.3 outboard. The dinghy is brilliant having an inflatable floor in a V section that is near rigid when inflated, much like a rib. This combined with much larger tubes than many others keeps us dry in quite choppy conditions.

Whilst I am very pleased with the outboard, given the chance to make the decision again I would go for a bigger one -say 8 hp so I could get on the plane. Long trips in the dinghy (2 miles in Mahon) were extremely tedious....

At the time of buying I was too concerned about weight and manhandling the dinghy and outboard and I should have been more concerned about performance/primary funtionality. Handling issues can always be sorted out with a block and tackle.

I didn't go for the v expensive options of Avon/Zodiac because sooner or later I think it will get nicked.

Hope this helps
 
Agree with the view that your tender is your car/workhorse. You are going to lug a lot of stuff/visitors/baggage in it so you need the biggest you can handle. That means the biggest you can yourself haul onboard with whatever winches you have available. The outboard needs to be strong enough to get you back to your boat against that 30 knot wind that just came into your anchorage (which you cannot row against). Sorry if sound like teaching grandma to suck eggs, but the message is to go for maximum that you can handle. That might not be a RIB.

We have a 2.7 meter Suzumar inflatable with an airfloor and a 4hp 4 stroke Yamaha outboard. We are very happy with this setup. The tender is very steady in seaway but still easy to haul aboard and the outboard is powerful enough but still light enough that I can pull it up myself.
 
For local days out I have an Avon Redstart, and a Mariner 3.5.

Longer cruising means that we take the Tinker Traveller - approx twice the bulk of the Avon. IMHO they (and the smaller version )cannot be beaten for shear toughness, and if you are lucky you can pick one with a liferaft conversion too. Ours has the sailing kit, which can be really fun for tinies.

Not currently interested in a bigger engine - but I suppose I would be if I had a journey over a couple of miles to contemplate.
 
FWIW we bought a (secondhand) AB 3.2m RIB. It's hypalon and totally solid, with a higher, more flared bow which meant it planed well and kept the spray out. Powered it with a 9.8HP Tohatsu 4-stroke bought new. Excellent engine, reliable, quiet, easy to start, no messing with oil in the fuel etc. With a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 pre-teen boys) we could plane easily and ferry large amounts of food, water, fuel etc in windy and choppy conditions. Rowed it as well with the boys for a bit of fun (in fact, the engine was only bought a couple of months after the RIB). Very safe and stable for the boys, who often played in it hanging off the stern at anchor, poking jellyfish with sticks or crabbing.

Naturally this is heavier than your 1.5m rib and 1hp 2str superlightweight combo that you can carry on your back but we never regretted the decision and it was used intensely on our 6 month liveaboard. I installed a good solid pair of davits and an outboard crane and carried it all on the stern - this is, of course, why one buys an Island Packet after all... Hauling up on to the davits was not a problem. Hauling up onto the beach was not a problem, done regularly by self and SWMBO as the RIB had dolly wheels on the stern, which solve most of the issues.

There was one common theme from many of the long-distance American cruisers we met who had got to the Caribbean and that was nearly all had regretted buying a small inflatable. Wind and waves generally bigger and longer dinghying distances made it all hard work. Most traded up and nearly all went for RIBs. Many Americans also strongly recommended the Caribe boats for being well made, reliable and much cheaper than local US inflatables. We didn't reach the Caribbean on this first cruise but hope to do so in the fullness of time.

A RIB on davits is not a great idea for a transatlantic but our objectives were mostly coastal cruising and occasional longer trips and it worked flawlessly for us. Incidentally, when deflated we can also store the AB lashed to the coachroof under the staysail Hoyt boom, but in many ways I think this is worse than off the stern. I'm open to opinions on this /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Anyway, that's what we did. I'd love a Tinker though - something to sail in the bay when at anchor and mess around in with the kids.

Neil
 
2.4m AquaPro aluminium rib with hypalon sponsoms complete with a (just about serviceable)Suzuki DF6. Plenty big enough for 2 adults and 2 kids with shopping. Will plane with 2 people no problem almost planes with 4 (but it is designed for a 9hp engine). At only 30Kg stows easily on the foredeck, is a comparable weight to most inflatables.
 
We have a 3.2m Zodiac RIB and a 6hp Suzuki. While the Suzuki has never failed in service, I am very unhappy with it and wouldn't buy Suzuki again. Parts have seized up despite being greased regularly, tickover is poor and there is hesitation (have cleaned the carb). The Zodiac is a good size and is safe and reasonably dry in anything we'd ever wish to be anchored in.

We have wheels of the type that stow upwards, sandwiching the motor between the wheels. The drop down very easily. We don't often need them but sometimes they are a godsend.

By the way, the one good thing about the Suzuki (and the main reason we bought it) is that you can tilt the engine by about 20 degrees to reduce the depth - ideal for shallow water; the bottom of the prop is actually higher than the bottom of the RIB.

We fitted Simpson davits strong enough to take the RIB with engine. Makes life much easier though I take the engine off when crossing big chunks of sea.
 
We had the same problem. We started off with a tinker and a 3hp malta. Problems, tinkers don't do serious chop (2ft waves are not unusual in the more exposed anchorages and they quickly become semi-submersibles), 3 hp is too slow for passages more than a couple of hundred metres.

We now have a Zodiac 3.7m fastroller and a 6 hp Suzuki. The fastroller sits on the foredeck inflated for day passages or rolled up for longer voyages.

I agree with tcm but don't have as big a platform to carry otherwise I'd probably have a bigger o/b. The 6 is about as much as I can manhandle.
 
Yes, agreed these o/boards get too big to manhandle.

I leave the ob on the boat whilst at anchor or crusing eg in med.

For longer passages the outboard gotta come off, and i use long long line via shackle off the boom then to mast winch, to winch the thing up off the tender, and onto stern clamp.
 
As far as I can see in the Caribbean AB has taken over the quality yellow jersey from Caribe. I'd go with an aluminiun floored AB, they are lighter than GRP floors. As somebody said the 9.8 Tohatsu is good and popular.

On the subject of inflatable floors, if you buy a dinghy with one get written confimation that the floor is Hypalon. Avon floors were (are?) PVC and they go sticky sand break up in the UV. As an 'accessory' they are not covered under warranty.
 
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