would anyone like to sing the praises of Walker Bays?

[JumbleDuck]

had a look on the web for one of them

could not find one

Made by Ferranti (the electricity meter people) in North Wales as part of a not-terribly-successful diversification project.

would it car top on the polo?

Nope. Too heavy to lift up there reasonably. I can lend a trailer for it, or reassemble its own if I buy a few bits.

and do you have the sailing rig?

Yup. Standard Mirror rig.

 

[dylanwinter]

thanks JD

I have always found that I can usually find some-one to help me lift stuff on and off car roofs

I will try to find out how much it weighs

that would do to see if I can live with towing something around.

So now you can tell your wife that she is spoken for

I have been offered a mooring in Plockton for the summer so I will need a decent dinghy

D

 

[JumbleDuck]

So now you can tell your wife that she is spoken for

Splendid. Do you want the dinghy too?

 

[FulmarJeddo]

I bought a Walker Bay 10 to replace a Heyland Toad to get out to my mooring. I haven't got the sailing rig, but use it with oars and outboard. The Heyland Toad was flatter bottomed and gave a much better feeling of stability but started shipping water over the bow in a chop. The walker Bay does feel less stable, but I have never been close to tipping it over. I think you soon get to know what you can and can't do in it. It is a dry boat when motoring into a chop and rows extremely well. When boarding the Heyland from the boat I used to go down the stern boarding ladder and hook the painter with my foot to pull the dinghy close and step on to the bow seat. First time I tried it with the Walker Bay I thought I was going in. However, now with care I can safely step on the bow seat with a firm grip on the ladder and step into the bottom of the boat. When I have crew, I always secure the dinghy across the transom. I have towed it a couple of times, but not regularly and it seems to tow extremely well due to it's mock clinker and high bow. There obviously is drag, but not excessive. To me it is the best dinghy I have owned, and it seems to be envied by most other club members, including Walker Bay 8 owners.

 

[dylanwinter]

I bought a Walker Bay 10 to replace a Heyland Toad to get out to my mooring. I haven't got the sailing rig, but use it with oars and outboard. The Heyland Toad was flatter bottomed and gave a much better feeling of stability but started shipping water over the bow in a chop. The walker Bay does feel less stable, but I have never been close to tipping it over. I think you soon get to know what you can and can't do in it. It is a dry boat when motoring into a chop and rows extremely well. When boarding the Heyland from the boat I used to go down the stern boarding ladder and hook the painter with my foot to pull the dinghy close and step on to the bow seat. First time I tried it with the Walker Bay I thought I was going in. However, now with care I can safely step on the bow seat with a firm grip on the ladder and step into the bottom of the boat. When I have crew, I always secure the dinghy across the transom. I have towed it a couple of times, but not regularly and it seems to tow extremely well due to it's mock clinker and high bow. There obviously is drag, but not excessive. To me it is the best dinghy I have owned, and it seems to be envied by most other club members, including Walker Bay 8 owners.

Thanks for that - let me ask you.

.... would you be prepared to car top it

currently a Polo which happily carries both duck punt and push bike

(actually I have not asked it if it happy.... just assume it is)

and can you and your missus carry it up a beach?

D

 

[dylanwinter]

Splendid. Do you want the dinghy too?

I merely stand them up for others to knock down.

 

[FullCircle]

Thanks for that - let me ask you.

.... would you be prepared to car top it

currently a Polo which happily carries both duck punt and push bike

(actually I have not asked it if it happy.... just assume it is)

and can you and your missus carry it up a beach?

D

I used to throw mine on top of our trailer tent. It is lightweight.
Oh, the little wheel at the back is carp. It jams with little stones.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I bought a Walker Bay 10 to replace a Heyland Toad to get out to my mooring. I haven't got the sailing rig, but use it with oars and outboard. The Heyland Toad was flatter bottomed and gave a much better feeling of stability but started shipping water over the bow in a chop.

My crew's Swift is the sailing version of the Toad. Something longer would work even better, I'm sure, but 8'6" is already quite big for a 26-footer. If I can get round to some serious restoration work this winter we'll be using a 7'6" stem sailing dinghy next year.

 

[NUTMEG]

Had a WB8, no tubes. Great primary stability, flatish hull that feels safe. Rows well and probably motors well although we never used an OB on it.

BUT, the secondary stability without tunes is dreadful. If anyone dares put a foot anywhere near the gunnels whilst boarding it will flip in an instant. A WB8 nearly killed the missus and I one November Eve on the R. Debden some years ago. Me settled in boat ready to row ashore, she put foot too near the side of the dinghy and, wham, we were both swimming in an instant. No chance to recover or even react.

I strongly believe they are lethal without the tube kit.

Went on to buy a BIC 245 which are bomb proof, if a little wet in a chop, settled on an inflatable in the end, but, of course, no sailing it.

 

[rotrax]

A Walker Bay Genesis was the best dinghy we have owned, except for the weight. everything else was bang on.

 

[dylanwinter]

Thanks R,

As we get older we get less steady and transfer from boat to dinghy is always the most dangerous part of any sailing adventure. I assume that having a fender all round the boat also helps a lot to keep it quiet and not knocking against the boat at night.

So, the other part of the story then

what happened after you fell in, how did you get back on the boat, were you wearing auto-inflate life jackets, did they?

D

 

[NUTMEG]

Dylan, I am sure I have bored you with this tale before.

November, about 17:00 so dark and cold. Woodbridge was empty. So there we are in the Deben, cold shock, unable to breath without gasping let alone call for help. Tried to pull myself aboard the 19' trailer sailer I owned at the time. No ladder, no footholds, wet winter clothing etc. No chance. I remember the first attempt I nearly made it, second belly button height, third nipple height, fourth barely got my chin out. Gave up. Ex dinghy sailer so told wife to 'stay with boat' initially, when I realised how serious things were I told her to swim to the shore, about 150 to 200 meters or so, with the tide ebbing fast this turned into, I would guess, 3/4 of a mile.

Stumbled ashore unable to talk or even walk straight. Hypothermia setting in. Stumbled, fell and staggered to where car was parked and started engine for the heater. After a bit walked to station cafe where they fed us hot tea and sticky cake. Good move.

We were lucky, others have died on that river in similar circumstances. We both had dinghy jackets on, the proper LJ's were kept on the boat. The WB8 was found and retuned from a few miles downstream, sold on eBay

You did ask.

 

[Seajet]

There's a Walker Bay 8 with tubes near my tender; it's only a few years old and looks really shabby and I'd doubt the tubes are trustworthy; doesn't seem up to U/V let alone normal use, too small to be safe and utterly silly price.

BTW I know Jumbleduck's Ferantiboat, saw them when they came out - pretty sure I have the brochure if you'd like a scan.

 

[dylanwinter]

There's a Walker Bay 8 with tubes near my tender; it's only a few years old and looks really shabby and I'd doubt the tubes are trustworthy; doesn't seem up to U/V let alone normal use, too small to be safe and utterly silly price.

BTW I know Jumbleduck's Ferantiboat, saw them when they came out - pretty sure I have the brochure if you'd like a scan.

the tubes are not as durable as the rest of the boat - so I am told - pretty much the way a flubba decays over the years. What about the hull itself?

D

 

[JumbleDuck]

BTW I know Jumbleduck's Ferantiboat, saw them when they came out - pretty sure I have the brochure if you'd like a scan.

They fiddled with the design a bit, but the "Sail" version shown is fairly close. I haven't weighed mine, but 53kg seems on the low end of plausible.

 

[dylanwinter]

They fiddled with the design a bit, but the "Sail" version shown is fairly close. I haven't weighed mine, but 53kg seems on the low end of plausible.

that looks great - all that curved plastic

a classic

D

 

[JumbleDuck]

that looks great - all that curved plastic

a classic

It is rather nice, I think. By the time they built mine they had dropped the moulded in thwarts and instead there are two wooden ones which can be placed in several positions.

 

[dslittle]

Iuu

Thanks for that - let me ask you.

.... would you be prepared to car top it

currently a Polo which happily carries both duck punt and push bike

(actually I have not asked it if it happy.... just assume it is)

and can you and your missus carry it up a beach?

D

When we got our WB10, the missus and I brought it back to the boat on top of a Transit. Needed help getting it up but got it down with just the two of us. We frequently drag it up beaches when we land.
That being said, the WB advert showing a man and boy strolling up with the WB between them can only be right IF the boy was Charles Atlas!!!

 

[paul-essex]

I have a dingy ... a Blue peter...... sails and row / outboard doubled skinned and a tad heavy

 

[Seajet]

the tubes are not as durable as the rest of the boat - so I am told - pretty much the way a flubba decays over the years. What about the hull itself?

D

Dylan,

the hull would probably clean up - but that would be of little help increasing the size of the thing, too small even for our sheltered moorings.

My 8'6" grp round bilge tender is quite standard and a pleasing boaty shape but seems twice the size.

The WB 8 in question is I'm sure only 2-3 years old and seems lightly used ( to be fair not sure if it is out in the weather at the shore pen all year ) which is why I remember it, I was shocked, especially considering the price !