Choice of dinghy for future use as tender

There are a few good threads here on the virtues of hard vs. RIBs. I have read them beginning to end and still have not formed a clear opinion one way or the other. My situation has two wrinkles. First, I won't own a trawler for another several years, maybe as many as seven more years. And second, my self-imposed budget is limited to $2500 in a market that can easily reach $25,000.

I am looking for a dinghy with a forward console (center or otherwise) and room for 3 adults. No need for speed. My goal is to have a small boat to putt around backwaters and places where I hope to eventually putt around from a big boat.

My first impression is to find an 11' Whaler that will last forever. By the time it's ready to be a tender for our future boat, it will be a comfortable old friend. A RIB could do that too, but I've read plenty of stories about limited life expectancy of inflatables. If I buy a RIB today, it seems like I might have to buy another one when it comes time to buy the bigger boat.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Buy the boat that you will be using and enjoy now rather than one that you might use as a tender later. Doing otherwise is like buying a big family home while you are single just so you will be prepared. Keep in mind that many trawlers are sold with a tender included in the package. Mine was.

dhays said:

Buy the boat that you will be using and enjoy now rather than one that you might use as a tender later. Doing otherwise is like buying a big family home while you are single just so you will be prepared. Keep in mind that many trawlers are sold with a tender included in the package. Mine was.

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Agree 100 percent. Buying and selling dinghies when your needs change is easy and quick. Don't over think this.

Buy a little Whaler for now. Depending on what you get as a big boat it may or may not work. But meanwhile it will be a lot of fun and easily sold if need be.

13' Whaler or 10.5+ Rib with proper power could open some opportunities, the Whaler would have better resale opportunities then a RIB as well.

Most of us can't predict the future and seven years is pretty far into the future. Your plans may change or circumstances may change them for you.


I suggest buying the best boat you can find for your budget right now. Worry about the dinghy/tender thing when you get that trawler.

My life has a lot of needle in the haystack stuff. Thanks for the input. All makes a lot of sense.

A whaler will retain it's value better and be easier to sell if your future. Hypalon inflatables can last a very long time but perception is more pertenant to fact when selling so you will have a hard time selling for much more than the value of the motor. 11' whalers are harder to find (at least in my area) than 13' models. If you can be patient and watch your local classifieds you can find a good deal. That said, it takes a considerable sized trawler to carry a 13' whaler and you are quite likely to end up selling it. More reason to listen to everyone else and buy what you will enjoy the most now.

Greetings,
Mr. H. Whatever you buy will get you on the water. I'm in the "buy it now and enjoy it" camp. There are most probably a multitude of boats available in your area or nearby. If you purchase cheaply enough, within reason, you will minimize any losses if, in the future, you ever sell. Pretty well anything that floats and runs will fill that gap for the next 7 years. Enjoy...

I've never towed a tender. I'm wanting to purchase a BW 11' or 13'. What is the limit that I can expect it to take while towing when things get rough. Lake Erie can throw six footers + in minutes during squalls. Our West Indian isn't really designed to take a hard tender onboard so that's not really an option.....

Yup ......
Go on CL and find the boat you want for the next 7 years. Most people would'nt want a RIB as a real boat and most all people would want a real boat bigger than they would want a dink. Also the perfect dink for your new boat may have special requirments like length, speed or lack of same. You do'nt know those special qualities as you don't know what boat you'll have.

Just get a boat most would call a runabout. Some speed, carry 2 or 4 people safely whatever distance you intend to go and be easy to handle on a trailer. And a 16 to 24' runabout could be fairly inexpensive on CL. Surfing CL may even give you ideas about what boat to buy.

And in those 7 years you will probably learn much of what you'll need to know to operate the big boat when it comes. Or in those 7 years you may see other boaters experiencing so much grief (including expense) with their bigger boats you may decide not to get a big boat. So the little 18 - 20' runabout could be very important in your life.

Another thought is that you needn't limit your boat inventory to one boat w a dink. I have canoes, outboards, rowboats and kayaks. Many people have quite a few boats beyond a trawler and it's dink. My username was previously "Manyboats".

Keep in mind that many dinghy docks restrict boat length to 12 ft. Of course, like most things in life, it is rarely enforced and mostly ignored. But then again, most dinghy docks request that you use at least 6 ft of painter, and we know how often that courtesy is extended.

tedted said:

I've never towed a tender. I'm wanting to purchase a BW 11' or 13'. What is the limit that I can expect it to take while towing when things get rough. Lake Erie can throw six footers + in minutes during squalls. Our West Indian isn't really designed to take a hard tender onboard so that's not really an option.....

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Don't expect to tow a dingy in six foot waves. If you can't fit a hard dinghy onboard, an inflatable is your only choice.

WesK,
One could w the right rig I'm think'in. If the dinghy had a drouge of course it would be harder to tow. But it may not plunge ahead on the face of a wave. And would be much less likely to broach. But if the mothership was running fairly parallel to the seas .. and they were breaking. Hmmmm. But it depends on many variables.

What would be the chance of rigging up a radio control that could deploy a drouge or cause an OB to lower it's prop into the water (untilt)? Or start a bilge pump? A battery could be the ballast and w a small pump it could run a long time. With enough control devices and some ballast in the bilge a dink could possibly ride out some rough stuff.

Then there's the disposable boat concept. Buy an old 12' skiff for $100, throw some ballast in and see how it goes. I thought of that but I'd want an engine on it and up goes the cost.

So WesK you're probably at least 95% right.

If I wasn't sure about a lot of things and didn't want a lot of money tied up....the 12 or14 foot Carolina skiffs offer a lot for what they are.

One in a bit of rough shape goes for a song and depending on power will hold resale too....because it's way lower up front cost and a little cosmetic work goes a long way when selling.


The other nice feature is the longer bow platform on Carolina skiffs. Fitted with a tall lip at the rear edge and a tightly fitted cover, it will shed water pretty well.... so towing in a blow is possible...but don't expect to hold course and speed like nothing is happening.

But anything can happen in a squall, including bad things to the mothership. Whenever caught in severe squall, you are rolling the dice.

Check this one out! These come in different sizes. Great boat and less expensive than inflatables!



Rigid Boats

I grew up with a Whaler Newport 17, but have been without since adulthood struck. Aways wanted one of their small models. As we are living in the trailer world away from water, small makes a lot of sense. Even more as thoughts of the big boat life took hold.

That said, the reality that this 7 year boat does not have much bearing on the eventual tender for our big boat makes a lot of sense. Time and patience are on our side.

We have two 13' Whalers, a 2010 in WA and a 1981 in AZ. The newer one handles waves much better, the ride is softer and drier, and tows at the end of a 50' line at 10kts like a dream. It has a console, comes standard with a 40hp Merc and handles 4 adults well.


I've read the posts above about buying disposable boats for low bucks to see if you like them and there's probably some validity to that, but let me suggest that a cheap, throwaway boat is not going to perform like a "regular" boat would.

Heavy heavy heavy.

I would personally never spend money on a Whaler.....not a bad boat....but more legend than substance.. Back in the day, compared to most small boats....maybe.

A Carolina skiff is not a throwaway boat any more than a Whaler....it just isn't a fluff boat, they were originally marketed as much as work boats as fluff boats. Some models have been fluffed up more like Whalers and taken care of all will last just as long...

I know there are quite a few BW lovers on here, but I have seen a lot of skiffs work side by side for a long time....

The difference is just a different philosophy. Like maintaining a work boat finish or a yacht finish. What does each cost? And....what is practical for you needs?

HeadedToTexas said:

I am looking for a dinghy with a forward console (center or otherwise) and room for 3 adults. No need for speed. My goal is to have a small boat to putt around backwaters and places where I hope to eventually putt around from a big boat.

My first impression is to find an 11' Whaler that will last forever. By the time it's ready to be a tender for our future boat, it will be a comfortable old friend. A RIB could do that too, but I've read plenty of stories about limited life expectancy of inflatables. If I buy a RIB today, it seems like I might have to buy another one when it comes time to buy the bigger boat.

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Without regard to type or brand...

Length, beam, weight -- and your intended method for transport -- will be major factors.

If towing, maybe more flexibility on LBW. If mounting athwarthships... LBW will all be constraints.

Mounting in any form comes with davit, launch, recovery issues... as well as potential center-of-gravity issues if you're thinking high up on a boat deck.

And so forth.

Maybe useful to posit your preferred transport method, first. That could guide not just the dinghy decision, but also your eventual big boat shopping. For example, after "deciding" that, you could compare LBW of console Whalers (or whatevers) to console RIBs.

FWIW, I've read Hypalon wears well. I think many RIBs can be retubed, too, somewhere down the road. Our current dink is Hypalon, but not old enough for me to report a track record, yet.

Another FWIW, ours happens to be a Walker Bay Genesis 310FTD, without console. Bought that because I wasn't sure my desired carrying plan could deal with the weight, or the additional length of the next larger model. (The next larger model simply has longer tubes, so interior space is the same.)

As it turns out, I could probably handle the additional console weight, now, after mods we made to the davit system. And I can add the console and re-rig the outboard, just haven't gone there with boat buck$$$ yet. As it also turns out, I could probably handle the slightly longer length of the next model size, although at that point we risk treating it as an extra -- sometimes inadvertent -- fender on the quarters as we dock stern-to. Anyway, my point here is that I was looking for ways to buy something useful for now... with an upgrade path (to a certain extent) if possible.

-Chris

I agree w all that you say psneeld but at least the Whalers are classey good looking boats not so the Carolina. But the Carolina may be lighter and more useful. The Whaler is a Ray Hunt boat. Prestige like a Rybovitch.

Nomad Willy said:

I agree w all that you say psneeld but at least the Whalers are classey good looking boats not so the Carolina. But the Carolina may be lighter and more useful. The Whaler is a Ray Hunt boat. Prestige like a Rybovitch.

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Well each to their own.

Carolina grew to cover both ends of the market.

We will see who survives the next big down turn.

I am guessing BW will as their legend lives on.

Even if Carolina didnt, some other low end builder will pop up and take a turn as there is always a need for a reasonable, well thought out and built work boat.

And to me, that's my definition of a tender....a work boat.....having a pretty, rowing, sailing dingy is a great treat...but not my first need.

psneeld said:

And to me, that's my definition of a tender....a work boat.....having a pretty, rowing, sailing dingy is a great treat...but not my first need.

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They do look like nice boats.

Your spent a lot of years on the water working. That is likely why you view a tender as a work boat. My years on the water have been purely for play. That may be why I look at a dinghy as much (or more) for its fun as it's utility.

I think serious cruisers look at something they can tie up anywhere, in tough conditions sometimes, carry gosh knows what, needs less maintenance than momma boat, etc.

I love rowing, sailing, gunkholing, pretty boats and all too..... what some consider an all around tender would raise a few eyebrows with my cruising friends.

Second tender maybe, but not primary.

Then again, like most discussions here.... it all depends

Is'nt a "tender" a boat that "tends" to things?
Or does that not apply?

Angus99,
Is the boat in your post a Carolina? If so my comments were about a different boat called a Carolina Skiff. It's very utilitarian and barge like compared to the one in your picture. It looks like imitation Whaler but your pic must have been taken w a phone. I can't read what it says on the side.
I actually don't like the Whalers either. Just sleds to me. But I see the utility in them and they hugely better than a duckie and they are good looking.
Another heavy duckling is the Bull Frog. I tend to kinda sorta like them but oh so heavy and there's little of the boat to keep the water from slopping aboard.
I'm partial to clinker or lapstrake style boats that keep the water out and have lots of room inside.

Nomad Willy said:

Angus99,
Is the boat in your post a Carolina? If so my comments were about a different boat called a Carolina Skiff. It's very utilitarian and barge like compared to the one in your picture. It looks like imitation Whaler but your pic must have been taken w a phone. I can't read what it says on the side.
I actually don't like the Whalers either. Just sleds to me. But I see the utility in them and they hugely better than a duckie and they are good looking.
Another heavy duckling is the Bull Frog. I tend to kinda sorta like them but oh so heavy and there's little of the boat to keep the water from slopping aboard.
I'm partial to clinker or lapstrake style boats that keep the water out and have lots of room inside.

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Eric, my boat is a Carolina Skiff 198 DLV. The barge shape you refer to used to be the only model they offered. Sometime before 2008 (my model year) they began offering a the DLV line which has a semi-V hull and drier ride, while still allowing you into skinnier water. (Prior to that they had another semi-V that was not dry and pounded like hell in a chop.) Unless you're strictly into towing, the DLV is not suitable as a tender for any Trawler I know of, but other smaller, lighter CS models are. As Scott noted, these are not meticulously finished boats, but their utility and value for $s spent are hard to beat.

angus,
The Carolina boat I saw in Alaska was obviously the one you refer to as a CS model boat. This boat may have been flat on the bottom. Your DLV looks like a good practical boat for scooting around and capable of carrying a good load.