The right tender

[Sea Hunt Video]

Perhaps add the following to the mix of possible tenders or "dinks":

http://www.portlandpudgy.com/

The "base price" is a mere $2,595. Ouch

My math is not very good but I think that works out to about 84-88 cases of Guinness. They may not be Mr. Vigor's "boat units" but "Guinness units" are an equal measure of effective cost.

[Jeff D]

My experience with an inflatable is different than noted above. I had a 10' RIB with a 10hp four stroke. When it was right it was great - stable, fast, capable of carying four. My problems were weight (not mine at least not in this case) and more importantly durability (aka holes). Some of these may have been specific to my application (chipmunk's during off season storage and rubbing against our association dingy dock), but I found it to be a pain in the neck. I finally had enough when my 75 yo father in law was called in (I was traveling) to pull the dignhy out of the water and raise the submerged outboard after one of the tubes became completely deflated and the dingy rolled. After 6 years of struggle I sold it for what the outboard was worth. They may last a long time under certain circumstances, but they are not the ideal solution in all applications.

[Duncan Maio]

I have looked at that boat too. I was afraid it might be too big for a 27 so I was thinking of their Eastport nesting pram. How does the Passagemaker work with your 27?

Haven't tried towing the Passagemaker behind the CD27 yet. We need something as big as the Passagemaker to get all four crew and a weekend's worth of gear to and from the boat, and the sailing rig is fun. I started out building the take-apart version, but abandoned that when I realized it was a bunch more work and didn't really "nest".

[Stan W.]

I finished this 8' stitch & tape pram last year and learned a few things you might be able to use if you decide to go the build-it-yourself route.



First, I am happy I built a pram and not a pointy bowed boat. For a given capacity, prams are easier to build, easier to transport and easier to store, and a properly designed pram gives up nothing in performance.

Second for 2 adults and 2 kids you will need a boat bigger than 8'. For a pram I would say at least a nominal 10 footer and for a pointy bowed boat you are probably looking at a nominal 12 footer.

Third, while I am quite pleased with my stitch & tape dink, if I ever build another boat it will be glued lapstrake. Glued lapstrake requires more work up front cutting and hanging the extra planks but you come out ahead in the end because there is much less fairing and sanding required to get a good looking finish. Cutting and hanging planks is fun. Fairing and sanding, not so much. Also, most people find most glued lap boats to be more aesthetically pleasing than most stitch & tape boats.

To those points, I would add don't worry about a nesting dinghy as even a nesting dinghy is not going to fit comfortably on deck on a 22' boat.

In my opinion, the best 10' (nominal) glued lapstrake prams are Joel White's 9'6" Nutshell Pram (already mentioned above) and Ian Oughtred's 9'4" Granny Pram. These are both tried and true designs that have been home-built hundreds of times and you can't go wrong with either one.

[CapeTyphooner]

I have tried many dinghies trying to find the "perfect" one (that is, the one with the least number of compromises). As much as I wanted to love it, I was not crazy about the CD10. It had gorgeous lines and rowed well but was tippy and did not have great load capacity. I had the sailing rig for my CD10 but it did not sail very well. The RIB are great for what they are but are not that pretty and don't tow that well.

I now have a Fatty Knees and think it is perfect. Rows well, tows well, sails great with the optional sailing rig and is very well build.

I know they are spendy, but if you can swing it, I do not think you will be disappointed.

[NateHanson]

Thanks everyone. Lots of useful experience here.

I think I'm going to start by sneaking over to my dad's house, and swapping my Walker Bay for his Puffin (I'm thinking it's the 8'6" model). It's been guarding the door to his barn for about 8 years, so I don't think he'll mind. I suspect the puffin will row better, and might fit the family (for now). Price is right! Maybe I'll consider building a more permanent fix over the winter.

Nate

[pete faga]

Nate let us know how the swap went in the fall!

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

My choice was a 10' Port-A-Boat. I got it in the aluminum gray color. White and hideous green also available. I bought it through a local dealer at the Tampa boat show about 2 1/2 yrs ago. It was delivered to my door from California for about $1,400. That's quite a bit less than the on-line factory price.

It has an available sailing rig that I did not get.
I love it. It is stable. I can stand at the chine on one side and it does't tip much.
I have carried 4 adults in the boat, not linebackers, but normal people. 6 X 5 gallon jugs, no sweat.
It planes with me aboard with a used 3.5hp two stroke Tohatsu. With a new 4hp four stroke I think it would fly.

I met a family of four in Papeete with a 12' version. They also loved it but wished they had gotten the 14'. It flew with about an 8hp motor, that's way too much for the 10'.

I have had and 8' f/g lapstrake with sail rig no OB, an 8' Zodiac inflatable w/4.5hp 2 stroke.
An 8' Force Five(NZ built) aluminum ribby with a 2.5 hp Tohatsu. And two self made stitch and glues, one with sail rig no OB, one with oars and small OB.

The Port-a-Boat I consider #1, the Force Five #2. I chose the PAB for durability. Tubes get holes from many diiferent things and chafe a lot on coral and sand. The PAB can be drug over just about anything with little or no damage.

It has positive flotation and rows quite well. That's why I wanted a 10' not an 8'. The increased capacity is great too. It takes a bit of time to assemble the first 3 or 4 times till you get it figured out after that no more time than blowing up a 10' ballon boat. But you got to have a place to stow the thwarts, not easy on a small boat.

The two larger thwarts, middle and aft, are cracking. This is largely due to local kids using the boat as a trampoline when I am not there. I will be rebuilding them with ply and epoxy.

The hull only weighs 60lbs. But at 10' long and 2' wide when folded it is a handful aboard. A bridle and a halyard keep it under control. I rarely tow a dingy except for very short distances. I lifted the dink with the bridle and carried it that way for over 100 miles recently. This was under power and no wind.

It may not be beautiful and many people at first think it is aluminum cause of the color but it does what I need and does it well.

Take care,
Fred

[NateHanson]

The four of us sat in my Dad's 8'6" Puffin, and it seemed much roomier than the Walker Bay. Rowed faster when loaded, and sat higher too.

On our way home we bought a sail-equipped puffin that happened to show up on Craigslist. We'll see how it works for us this season.

Thanks for the advice.

[David van den Burgh]

I have a Shellback that I built. At nearly twelve feet she look a little large behind my 25 but towed great. I've thought about the similar Nutshell to be able to bring onboard our larger boat.
the Shelback does very well with two adults and two children for rowing.
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I don't suppose you have any pictures of the boat or the build, do you? I have a group of 18 high school students building four Shellbacks - which, by the way, I think makes an attractive tender for classic boats like the Cape Dory. Anyway, I'd be interested in seeing some pictures and comparing notes. I'm documenting the build at Waypoints, and my four student groups are each keeping their own blogs. I'm sure they'd love to receive some input/feedback from another Shellback builder, if you have the time or inclination. Their blogs are viewable here. And who knows, I may just have to build myself a Shellback to tow behind Ariel.

[jbenagh]

David,
here's my photo gallery for the build: https://jbenagh.smugmug.com/Boats/Shellback/
And my two favorite photos: launch day and riding around Maine:



Thanks for the blog link; I look forward to following along. Susan commissioned a 9'6" Nutshell pram, the little sister of the Shellback, from the Compass Project in Portland who did the project with a high school team. We've really enjoyed that from her dock the past couple summers.

Jeff

[David van den Burgh]

Jeff,

Great pictures and a pretty little boat. Thanks for sharing. I'll be sure to share your link with my students.