What mobo as tender from Exe to Brixham?(!)

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From a thread on a raggie forum the seed of a mooring in the outer harbour at Brixham for our deep draft sailing boat (which we emphatically do not wish to change) has started to germinate. Main concern is getting there and parking - understand both can be a bit of a ‘mare in season. But...

We live on the Exe and are able to lay a drying mooring off the village for a small (up to 30ft I think) boat. I know nothing about mobos and their seakeeping capabilities but the seemingly obvious solution is to get a (as cheap as reasonably practical) rib or some such and do the 15 milish journey by sea. Looks from land or sailboat as though that should be safe, if not always armchair comfortable, the great majority of the time over the summer half of the year anyway. If I needed to spend more than say £15k for the tender it would be diminishing returns, but is this even remotely practical, and if so, what would be the sort of quickish but practical boat I should look out for?
 
Probably the most seaworthy fast boat you can get for the money would be a RIB as you have said. Bigger is better for seakeeping as always. Is the 'tender' to be left on the Brixham mooring as you go sailing or is it to be towed / stowed? Does the tender need to fulfil other duties? Picnics, day sailing, fishing, diving etc.? How many people is it to carry?

Best RIB's in my book are british built, deep vee hulls and have hypalon tubes. See Redbay, XS, Cobra, Avon, Ribcraft, Osprey (all in no particular order). However these can range from rough and ready rescue boats to plush superyacht tender (prob. not for 15k).
 
Thanks Ferris - just what I needed to know. The plan is to leave it on the buoy while we go off cruising. Up to four people with baggage and lots of beer (and a bit of food etc.). Rough and ready would be perfect (our usual tender is a 2.6m blow up floor inflatable with diddy outboard and oars so even rough and ready would feel like luxury!). Might use it occasionally to go fishing off exmouth I guess, but that would be ‘make do’. Some sort of spray tent at the front would extend usability I imagine. But seaworthiness at the top of the list. Any thoughts on minimum boat/engine size to achieve that at 20kts when it’s flat?
 
Yeah, I know easterlies would be out, though I don’t think that is the norm. But that is the sort of thing I welcome views on, so thank you. Know we’d have to use the car sometimes, but all the time would be a deal breaker - after 30 years in London I hate traffic jams!
 
Offering a different solution as leaving a rib on a drying mooring to me is just inviting all sorts of trouble and most especially in these particular times. I'd suggest something more solid and preferably with an inboard that can take to the ground. Plenty of fast fisher type boats can be had well under your budget but depending on sea worthiness you might want to consider something slower and phlegmatic if not entirely pragmatic. I was thinking along the lines of a Mitchell Mk1 or IP24 but couldnt find one. This may give you an idea though: Trusty 21 pleasure boat | eBay

If more speed is required then something like this, just ensure the outboard is locked

Hardy Navigator 18feet New 50hp Evinrude Engine, Boat, Fishing boat,speedboat | eBay
 
Thanks Bruce, really interesting perspective there. I would not worry about the rib from a security perspective here - the moorings are feet from lots of inquisitive sailors overlooking the water, including us, and am not aware of theft being a problem. Don’t know about the Brixham end though. But having a cabin of some sort would allow usability in a wider range of conditions - and something like the Hardy sounds as if it would be quick enough too - we’ll be doing enough slowboating when we reach the mothership!
 
I don't think it is that practical:

i) You spend a load of dosh on the big tender.
ii) On occasions you get wet, cold and and tired either going, coming or both
iii) You have to slosh through the mud to the tender or get a tender for the tender or keep in on an expensive pontoon.
iv) It's always covered in seagull crap when left on it's own - or the yacht mooring.
v ) It's an attractive piece of kit vulnerable to damage and theft.
vi) The trip will be slow unless you get a fast machine (see i) again)
vii) It's owning two boats, maintenance and costs. Great if you are dead keen on that but otherwise not so good
viii) There will be times and conditions when you can't take the big tender and end up in the car anyway.

I have done a little bit of this, and a big inflatable (11 foot Avon I used) that is capable of being launched from a Yacht Club or similar, where the parking is easy and free, can work in reasonably sheltered waters.
I dunno, think Paignton Yacht club - I am not suggesting this is an option but is the sort of scale that could work. Sort of thing.

In the end I think you may just have to bite the bullet with the car thing.

.
 
doug748 said:
I don't think it is that practical:

i) You spend a load of dosh on the big tender.
ii) On occasions you get wet, cold and and tired either going, coming or both
iii) You have to slosh through the mud to the tender or get a tender for the tender or keep in on an expensive pontoon.
iv) It's always covered in seagull crap when left on it's own - or the yacht mooring.
v ) It's an attractive piece of kit vulnerable to damage and theft.
vi) The trip will be slow unless you get a fast machine (see i) again)
vii) It's owning two boats, maintenance and costs. Great if you are dead keen on that but otherwise not so good
viii) There will be times and conditions when you can't take the big tender and end up in the car anyway.

I have done a little bit of this, and a big inflatable (11 foot Avon I used) that is capable of being launched from a Yacht Club or similar, where the parking is easy and free, can work in reasonably sheltered waters.
I dunno, think Paignton Yacht club - I am not suggesting this is an option but is the sort of scale that could work. Sort of thing.

In the end I think you may just have to bite the bullet with the car thing.

.
Click to expand...
Agreed
The A380 is dual carriage way most of the way to Brixham from the Exe
Do the trip in the comfort of a car with heating in the winter and air con in the summer.
It would be way cheaper as well.
 
Thanks Doug - food for thought. This has all come about in the past 24 hours when I saw a reference to the Brixham moorings in another thread, followed up thinking I was enquiring about the waiting list, and got offered a mooring here and now. So need to do some proper thinking. If it has to be car then that’s a deal breaker - just fancy a mooring rather than a marina when not planning on going anywhere, and there is something lovely about the idea of it all being by boat. Though swmbo has raised another interesting question - what would be Brixham harbour masters view of us tying a 20 foot fishing boat to Nooka n the mooring as a tender - dunno but suspect themy might not be impressed. Be so much easier if there were available moorings in the Exe!
 
we travel Exeter to brixham most weekends by car (boat in marina). We do it in 38 minutes, pretty much year round. Only rarely held up in traffic. 15K is a lot of fuel for car journeys. I'd go for the dry (car) option ?
Mike
 
:p other peoples ideas of fun and pleasure are just that. What yours are, is entitled to be different. I refuse point blank to commute to anything. I even up sticks and moved so I didnt have to commute to my boat. I did less than 2k by car in the last 18 months and half of that was school runs, the other half boat runs. I have absolutely no idea what your waters are like but if it's on your doorstep AFAIC it's a no brainer. You're going boating. So what if the first hour is by power. You'd think some people didn't like boating and want to minimise the time spent doing it. I'm in the other camp. Go with your gut I say. As for expense, boating is expensive period, a 10k boat with a new engine under several years warranty isn't going to break the bank.
 
RIB.....fantastic all round fun boat. But not I fear the best solution for your commute to the yacht.
It would be fun and probably quick most trips but there will be time so when you and the crew get
soaked along with all your bags. There really is nowhere to hide on a RIB unless you all don dry suits!
I would agree with a BruceK and get a fishing/angling type boat.
Will have some protection from weather and stowage for bags. Available with inboard or outboard engine versions.
 
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