Tiny Tenders

Little Rascal

Little Rascal

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Anyone got any recommendations for a teeny tender for a teeny yacht?

I have been thinking of inflatable canoes and rubber dinghies of the holiday beach variety!

Its probably only going to be used for me or for two at the most.

Unfortunately the 'Charles Stock option' (Wellies) is denied me by my 3 foot fixed keel...

Any ideas or experiences to pass on?

Ta!
 
I have a "Gumotex Palava" canoe which I think would be fine for one person. There's plenty of room for two, and you might be able to squeeze a small third, but it would take practice to keep the thing balanced.

It's meant for whitewater, which on the plus side means the fabric is sturdy, like proper dinghy fabric, but on the minus side means it's a bit tricky to keep it going in a straight line (meant to be highly maneouverable). I've been meaning to make a plywood-in-epoxy skeg for it.

Pete
 
For a rigid tender then knock up something like that pictured below from a couple of sheets of WBP ply. Small enough to tow behind a 19 footer. Light enough to load onto a roof rack single handed. Just large enough for two people provided they are not both large. Will take a small outboard.

No decent quality inflatables currently available that I can find that are small enough to stow on board. Take your pick from the budget ones available. You won't catch me in a real cheap kid's beach toy

 
Little Rascal said:
Unfortunately the 'Charles Stock option' (Wellies) is denied me by my 3 foot fixed keel...

Any ideas or experiences to pass on?

Ta!
Click to expand...

Would these help?

skywalker-stilts-2.jpg
 
Little Rascal said:
Anyone got any recommendations for a teeny tender for a teeny yacht?

I have been thinking of inflatable canoes and rubber dinghies of the holiday beach variety!
Click to expand...

If I had the money I'd get a Sportyak for the Hunter 490:

510381_spo_2l.jpg


They don't seem to come in at less than £300, though, which is a wee bit steep for my unofficial boat. I've been looking for higher quality toy ones - they are said to exist, but the ones I found in Weymouth last weekend were utter rubbish.

Before you all jump down my throat, again, I need to cross about 100 yards of sheltered fresh water loch and if I didn't mind getting a bit damp I could walk it!
 
Seriously Though

I have towed a dinghy in the past (12ft grp behinnd 22ft Newbridge Navigator) and whilst it was luxury with 4 people aboard, I'm really not so keen to tow when going further a field.

The canoe option is proving more expensive than a normal inflatable, except Sevylor perhaps (any views?)

Do people object to the toy dinghy on safety grounds or just cause it's ridiculous looking? I know they're unrowable in the normal sense - but packed size is attractive!

What's the smallest coventional inflatable available dya think?
 
For my first 18 footer I bought a very cheap Gremlin dinghy - similar in concept to the Optimist but even smaller. I even sailed it once or twice which was quite a feat as I'm 6'4".
 
Bombard AX1 is one of the smallest "real" dinks around

•Overall length 6'7"
•Overall beam 3'9"
•Buoyancy tube diameter 1'1"
•Passenger capacity 1 + 1
•Max payload 170kg
•2 Airtight compartments
•Short shaft engine installation
•Max 3hp
•Max engine weight 18kg
•Dimensions folded 2'9" x 1'7" x 12"

weight 20 kilos
 
You may get out to your boat, but if the wind is against you on your return you could end up anywhere.
I had a 9ft SeahawkII inflatable and it was hopeless.

If packed size is important get a drysuit and swim out.
 
Re Little Rascal's suggestion - that dinghy is certainly cheap, and VERY light, but I wonder how durable it would be?

I bought a 1.8 m. roundtail Wetline from Force 4 in Lymington a few years ago, and it travelled south on the plane with me, although I had to leave the (very substantial) thwart behind, as I was on the weight limit already.

This wee Wetline rows well, is reasonably sturdy, has 3 slatted floorboards to make the floor less wobbly and will even fit inside (just slightly deflated) the back of an estate car with the back seat down.
I still havent got around to making a new thwart (I kept the wee brackets for securing it) as I just sit on a little portable icebox when rowing.
Or I sit on the floor if I really want to reduce windage when going to windward (but then I get a damp bum).
Trouble is, they do not appear to make them anymore.... Waveline also do a similar range of dinghies, but they do not seem to make the 1.8 m version any more either.

Here is a 1.8m Wetline that was for sale on here last year, but it is probably sold by now :
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210622

PS - Re Sport Yaks - brilliant wee dinghies! I have one, but it was acquired second hand almost 30 years ago, and it was probably a bit elderly then, and the plastic hull has now gone brittle, probably from a combined effect of age and intense U-V sun rays.
So I am keeping it to someday use as a mould to make a wee fibreglass dinghy from.
 
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Try one of the Intex dinghies. Slightly overspecified beach jobs that pack much smaller than any yacht tender. Cost between £40 and £80 generally.
 
Tender

You need a beamy dinghy to make it easier to get into and out of over the side. You need one that is easy to row.
I would hate the idea of towing a dinghy but on a small boat it is difficult to stow one on deck.
Perhaps your best answer is an inflatable kept on the boat deflated and an old dinghy as a tender left attached to the mooring. Or taken home.
The lightest dinghies are made of aluminium. However you could build a fairly light weight dinghy of plywood. There are many designs around. Consider a Sabot sailing dinghy without sailing gear. These will cary 4 people in very calm water and row beautifully. I imagine the design could be scaled down from the 8ft design.
Small dinghies are easy to come by here but mostly are fibreglass and so quite heavy. I use a 10ft Al dinnghy at present but leave it on the beach and never tow it. good luck olewill
 
I was looking for the smallest/lightest proper inflatable tender last year... in particular weight was a issue... as lugging it from the aft locker onto the foredeck is a pain...

I chose the Plastimo P220sl ......

All in weighs 18 or so kilos... and is noticabley smaller and more compact than our Seago 240...

I towed it behind for 2 weeks this summer... no problems. Rowed it in some wind (Falmouth Anchorage in particular)...

Used a 3.3 hp on the back when I motor...

http://marinestore.co.uk/Merchant2/...de=PL55724&Category_code=plastimo-inflatables


New around £300 or so... quality is good.
 
We had a 6 foot Plastimo P(?)180 - round tail, no facility for an outboard bracket. Was reasonable quality, quite light, packed small, and (people often forget this advantage of small dinghies) pumped up really fast. It wasn't a boat you'd want to be out in the ultimate storm in, but was fine for getting to and from our boat in the harbour, except:
1) With two on board there was litttle room for stores and luggage: I'd often do two trips, one for kit, the other for the First Mate. We could live with that.
2) With my long legs (I'm 6 foot) and the boat's narrow tubes it was difficult to row because I couldn't get the oars down low enough (because they'd hit my legs) to get the blades properly out of the water. That was the reason we sold it on.

Our replacement boat (a Zodiac) is too big for us and our boat, so I'm still looking around for the inflatable of my dreams. Will probably get a 2.3 metre round-tail.
 
Little Rascal said:
Any ideas or experiences to pass on?
Click to expand...

I've got a 2.5m Sevylor.

Pros...

Packs up small and is light.
Plenty of buoyancy and space.
Cheap.

Cons...

Not as rigid as a proper inflatable so rowing is less effective.
Oars supplied are rubbish. Spend another tenner and get some better ones.
Not suitable for an engine despite what they say.
Only really suitable for short distances on smooth water.
 
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