tenders and outboards

When pootling shorter distances we got lazy a couple of times and hauled the whole RIB including o/b up onto the davits. I wouldn't do that in anything other than calm conditions though and in any case an IP is built like a battleship. Otherwise with the crane and a 6:1 block and tackle the 9.8 Tohatsu was not difficult to haul up onto the stern rail bracket.

For those that may not know all outboards under 10HP by Mariner and someone else (can't remember who just at the moment) are actually re-badged Tohatsu engines.
 
>all outboards under 10HP by Mariner and someone else (can't remember who just at the moment) are actually re-badged Tohatsu engines.

Mercury I believe. Mariner was originally Yamaha but changed I think in the late nineties.
 
Top consideration for us is that the dinghy and outboard can be properly stowed away and manhandled not only on and off the boat but also through shore break.

We carry two, a tatty 2.0m home-made plywood dinghy for rowing only, and a smart 2.8m Zodiac inflatable powered by a 4-stroke Nissan 3.5. Both dinghies, and the outboard, each weigh about 35lbs.

In practice we very rarely use the latter, as the time spent inflating/deflating it outweighs the convenience of the outboard unless we have more than a mile to go. Also the hard dinghy is quite safe on Boat-boy Beach, it is always still there when we get back, even if we've declined the offer to pay a guy to keep an eye on it. But we do lock in the oars, as we've seen them being eyed up by other yachties who've returned to find their outboard gone.
 
We have a swifgig dinghy (no longer availabler) which is made of GRP, and sails, motors or rows. There are conveniences to an inflatable but we wanted the strength and sailabiity of hard. It comes in two so stows on the foredeck for longer passages, but on short ones we have her strapped securely on the davits which makes life much pleasanter. We can each of us seperately get her on the davits and can (with a bit more effort) get her on deck and strapped down alone. But it is much easier with two.

We do sail and row (and she does both very nicely) but also use the 2.5hp Honda outboard which (with two up) has got us home in 37 knot winds. We wanted a v small outboard because much biger and we can't manage the weight of the thing.

She'll take three easily (four if two are children), and loads of shopping/stuff/bags/whatever. She is part of our suvival kit, because being able to sail and manage direction is more likely to get you to safety sooner, but works very well for us as a tender.
 
I know that we are all different, but we have now got to the point, 1 small (3,4) rib with a new Tohatsu 6hp 4 stroke (nice engine, quiet, fuel efficient, quite light (for a 4 stroke) easy to start and uses an external tank so range is no problem.) and we also have a 13 foot hard launch, this is big and stable, works very hard and will survive all the knocks and tumbles of life as a live aboard run about. This also has a new Tohatsu 6hp 4 stroke (fewer spares, can always strip down one to fix the other, got as good deal on the price as we bought two).
Both tenders are / will be painted in unique colours as will the engines, we also have long plastic tube coated s/steel security straps, these tie together the tender, the engine, the fuel tank and any thing else that may go for a walk (oars et cetera).
Whilst these tenders are both quite heavy they do fit on deck and can be launched quite easily and quickly (Gaff rig Schooner so lots of spars and lines).
I am sure that we will change our mind about one or the other at some point but this works right now.

Regards

Simes
 
> we also have long plastic tube coated s/steel security straps

Just a thought assuming your straps are wire. Don't know where you are headed but in the Caribbean almost everyone has changed to stainless chain from wire (the bigger size the better). Wire is too easy to cut with a relatively small tool. Chain needs a bolt cutter which is less easy to hide.
 
I think I agree with you here, as we've also come to the conclusion that we could really do with 2 tenders: the "big rib" (equivalent to your hard dinghy I suppose) and a second smaller one that stows away in a locker. This was my interest in a small Tinker, to use as a secondary tender but with sails for some fun and for teaching the kids a bit. Get a smaller engine (yes, it would be another Tohatsu but I was thinking of a 3.5 or something) so there's backup if one of them fails for some reason.

It's only money after all... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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