What is the best inflatable tender

Hi Everyone,
We have decided after much research and trial that we need a 10-12ft inflatable as a tender. We have looked at most all the different types and seem to like the aluminum rigid bottom for lightweight and durability. The problem is choosing the right manufacturer. Are there any ones that stand out for longevity and durability?
Thanks in advance,
Bud and Dawn

We did a similar search a few years ago and ended up with an AB. It has proven to be an excellent little boat. We have no fear of running it up on rough PNW beaches and the build quality is good.

Bud said:

Hi Everyone,
We have decided after much research and trial that we need a 10-12ft inflatable as a tender. We have looked at most all the different types and seem to like the aluminum rigid bottom for lightweight and durability. The problem is choosing the right manufacturer. Are there any ones that stand out for longevity and durability?
Thanks in advance,
Bud and Dawn

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They tell me that Hypolon are good for the tropics (?) definitely Alum. V bottom with largest tubes that you can get ( drier ride IMHO ) I would stay away from Zodiac !! We have a Highfield Alum. PVC here in Ontario and love it.



my .02 CAD f

We have an 11 foot Novurania and a 15 foot AB. You can't go wrong with either brand.

If you're towing or beaching the dinghy, then Aluminum is a better material. The Aluminum has a beefy pad-eye welded to the hull. The fiberglass pad-eye is through-bolted with washers. If beaching the fiberglass will need a keel guard and potentially be subject to gouging.

I don't know about lighter. Looking at a few examples, the Aluminum looks heavier than the fiberglass for the same boat.

Mercury 280 (Fiberglass/PVC) (8' 10"): 82lbs
Mercury 280 (Fiberglass/Hypalon) (8' 10"): 89lbs

Mercuery 270 (Aluminum/PVC) (8' 10"): 132lbs
Mercuery 270 (Aluminum/Hypalon) (8' 10"): 143lbs

I have been looking at a new inflatable RIB and I also believe aluminum hull is the best way to go.


Here's what I've found. I've been looking at three major players and there's plenty of regional ones, too. The ones I like the best are AB, Achilles, and Highfield.


AB is top of the line, extremely well built and quite a bit more expensive than the other 2. It has a "deeper" bow area which can be better for rougher areas. The one thing I don't like about the AB is the aluminum is bare metal. I honestly don't know why they do that.



The Achilles and Highfield are also well made and I think are about the same price and about the same level of quality. The hulls on both are powder coated inside and out with a keel guard factory installed. Of note if you want to save some money the Highfield is available with PVC or Hypalon tubes. The Hypalon being more expensive but longer lasting if the boat spends a lot of time outside (Don't they all?)


Most of the boats are available with or without a forward compartment. Also many are available with an additional interior "flat floor" as opposed to just the hull shape inside. Much easier to walk/stand on plus when there's water in the boat it still means you can get in without having to step in it (unless there is a lot of water).


Ken

Shrew said:

If you're towing or beaching the dinghy, then Aluminum is a better material. The Aluminum has a beefy pad-eye welded to the hull. The fiberglass pad-eye is through-bolted with washers. If beaching the fiberglass will need a keel guard and potentially be subject to gouging.

I don't know about lighter. Looking at a few examples, the Aluminum looks heavier than the fiberglass for the same boat.

Mercury 280 (Fiberglass/PVC) (8' 10"): 82lbs
Mercury 280 (Fiberglass/Hypalon) (8' 10"): 89lbs

Mercuery 270 (Aluminum/PVC) (8' 10"): 132lbs
Mercuery 270 (Aluminum/Hypalon) (8' 10"): 143lbs

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Weird. Those Mercury's are unusually light for fiberglass hulled RIBs. My *Air Floor* Mercury 270 is 86lbs! And the aluminum ones have a forward compartment which will add some weight. The 280's I've been looking at are something like 140's for fiberglass and 120's for aluminum.


Ken

Hypalon with fiberglass hull and a keel guard. I do not like aluminum in salt water.

I have an Achilles with a bow locker and a flat floor inside. A little heavier due to the double hull, but I think it rides better in a chop.

kchace said:

Weird. Those Mercury's are unusually light for fiberglass hulled RIBs. My *Air Floor* Mercury 270 is 86lbs! And the aluminum ones have a forward compartment which will add some weight. The 280's I've been looking at are something like 140's for fiberglass and 120's for aluminum.


Ken

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Pulled specs from Defender. They could have the airfloor specs on the fiberglass. I actually thought that was light as well, but double-checked the models.

I don't have a horse in this race, so didn't dig that much into it.

Im not complaining. Did some digging and could find a few other random FG hulled inflatables that were pretty light. But I think I'd like my next one to be aluminum.



Ken

I have a 15’ AB with a 70HP Yamaha. A great well build boat. I had a Novurina prior. Both great boats

To the original question: What is the best inflatable tender? Besides just make, consider what you are using it for. Most people use their tender just to go from their boat to shore. After owning several inflatables, I have found that one that can get up on plane with four adults greatly adds to the utility and fun. It puts that waterfront restaurant that is five miles away within reach while traveling, or exploring places that are farther away. For 18 years a Caribe C12 RIB with a center console and a Nissan 30 hp has fit the bill. Large 18.5 tubes are important. A few specs. length-11' 6", weight-350 with engine, beam-5' 7", max load- 1450 lbs, hypalon fabric. I realize that not everyone can lift 350 lbs, but if you can you won't regret it.

Ex Sailor said:

...I would stay away from Zodiac !! ...

my .02 CAD f

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Last time I checked, if you get the Zodiac Pro series boats, you get the European made tubes. The PVC ones are thermowelded, not glued.

If you get the cheaper Zodiac boats (e.g. Zoom). These are made in China and the PVC is glued.

I had a Zodiac Pro 470 RIB with a Yam 40 and it was a great boat!

We purchased a West Marine 8 foot with 17 inch hypolon tubes and an aluminum bottom this summer. Was reasonably priced. Very happy with it thus far. Floats high when empty so initially feels a little unstable. However any weight makes it float on the tubes and it becomes quite stable. Let you know on the longevity in 5 years or so.

ssobol said:

Last time I checked, if you get the Zodiac Pro series boats, you get the European made tubes. The PVC ones are thermowelded, not glued.

If you get the cheaper Zodiac boats (e.g. Zoom). These are made in China and the PVC is glued.

I had a Zodiac Pro 470 RIB with a Yam 40 and it was a great boat!

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You may be right ..?.. all I can say is that I had Two ! The first I bought new, Zodiac brand, RIB fiberglass, the valves leaked, water kept getting into the false compartment under floor, very wet ride !!! and it was heavy like hell, was hard to plane even with a 15 HP !. The 2 nd. came with a boat I bought, exactly the same thing !! Since then I owned a Caribe, Titan and now a Highfield, all deep V Alum. and like them all. f

I live in Florida and will only purchase a dinghy constructed with Hypalon/CSM. We love our Achilles LS4-RU. I mostly use it to row ashore, but it handles nicely with an outboard (rated up to 6HP). I needed an inflatable that was light and could easily be stored in a smaller boat.

A 13' Boston Whaler?

Seriously - we had an AB Inflatables 11' tender, with the little console, nice seating for 4, a cooler under one seat, and a 25 HP Yamaha. Fun little boat... for two people. It was crowded with four, and impossible for four with any kind of cargo, even snorkel gear. And it wouldn't plane with four, and it was a struggle with three. My point being - make sure you consider all the ways you'll use the boat, and get enough power to get on plane with whatever your "fully loaded" configuration will be.

(And we love the 13' BW - we have beached it all over the Bahamas over the last 8 months, and can take four people and our SCUBA gear!)

I have had 2 ABs and both have been very good boats.

Bud.

Have a look at a Bullfrog. You cannot beat them in my book.

Yacht Tenders, Utility Boats, Dinghies - Rigid Aluminum Hull Boats


Cheers Mate and best of luck to you.

H.

kchace said:

Im not complaining. Did some digging and could find a few other random FG hulled inflatables that were pretty light. But I think I'd like my next one to be aluminum.



Ken

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No worries, it was a good call. Just explaining my possible oversight. I like the idea of aluminum because I occasionally like to tow the dink, and would prefer to beach the dinghy (I anchor it and wade in now).

At the risk of hijacking the thread (apologies to the OP). You and I are neighbors kchace. I live in Nashua.

Just bought a Bullfrog and used it on the cruise this fall. My impressions so far:

It is heavy.
It is indestructible.
It rows very well, compared to any inflatable I've owned.
It will do less damage to your topsides than a hard dinghy, but maybe more than an inflatable.

Like anything in boating, a compromise, but worth considering. Especially if you have the lift capacity for the extra 100 lbs or so.

Shrew said:

No worries, it was a good call. Just explaining my possible oversight. I like the idea of aluminum because I occasionally like to tow the dink, and would prefer to beach the dinghy (I anchor it and wade in now).

At the risk of hijacking the thread (apologies to the OP). You and I are neighbors kchace. I live in Nashua.

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Cool. Maybe we can get together some time.

We have Williams as we like jets but if going with an outboard, I'd rank Novurania #1 and AB a very close second. Novurania will cost more and the main difference is that they may be dressed up a little fancier.

Anyone in the San Diego area have a Bull Frog I can see?

I've never had any luck with inflatables, between leaks and vandals slashing them they are not suitable for me.
When in Australia I noticed that they used tube covers to stop UV degradation on the inflatables, I thought that was a brilliant idea.
I can dig out a photo if anyone's interested.

I have a Bullfrog 10 foot tender with a 20HP Honda outboard. It is somewhat heavy (I would estimate 450 pounds ready to go), but I have a strong lifting boom/winch system that handles it easily.
It is very stable (and quite fast) underway, particularly up on the plane, which is very easy to accomplish with the Honda. Off the plane the bow high attitude is definitely evident, but not a serious hindrance. The bench seats are quite nice, as is the steering wheel/station.
The boat is very well built and essentially indestructible. It has a thick aluminum hull and roto-formed tube construction, so if you are interested in taking it ashore at harsh locations, that is a non issue. It's not for everybody, but if it's features and strength are what one needs, it's hard to beat.

The best inflatable is the one that does not leak! Recently have had 2-Zodiac Wave 10-2 No leaks- before Achilles no leaks- before Force 4 fom NZ-- horror show- before- AB 11ft with console --- a leak impossible to fix on a 20k boat plus way out of practicable balance with nose way up.. Conclusion-- cost does not relate to reliability in the inflatable world.

^^ Hence the love for the Bullfrog....

Like many have said, it depends on how you are gonna use it. Get one that will plane....and put the biggest motor on it that it will handle. Definitely get hypalon if you are going inflatable. Also get the double floor/flat floor. I cheaped out on my most recent West Marine 310 and got the single floor. It really is tricky stepping into the boat. Most people are off balance anyway when you are going from the mothership to the dinghy. Add an uneven floor into the mix and it is a **** show....and I am a pretty agile person!!! Lesson learned.

One brand people have mentioned is Caribe/Nautica. The one thing I have noticed with this brand is the deep Vee and the deadrise all the way back. It makes for a very smooth riding boat and a dry boat. I have a CL14 with a 60hp Yamaha....very nice boat.

I have had an AB290 double floor. A West Marine 310 single floor. And a Caribe CL14 center console....all hypalon They all haved served their purpose well. The AB was definitely a better boat than the WM. I bought the WM on sale for $1700...that is pretty damn cheap for a hypalon boat. I have had it for 4 years and so far so good. But you can definitely tell the build quality is not as good as either AB or Caribe. It holds air and it floats....what more can you ask for!!!

I just finished my search. Ended up with less than I wanted. I have 1 piece of advise. I wanted Hypalon and a "roll up". I don't like leaving the boat inflated on the deck or on davits. That's a personal choice. I got a good deal on a Hypalon dink, but it has a floor. I hate it.
My advise is, think about the features you want and then go and buy THAT. Do Not Settle for less. I saved a few hundred dollars, but now I am stuck with an expensive mistake.

I would have been much happier with a roll up floor.