Good dinghy tender for 33' sailboat recommendations?

[RichW9603]

Hi all,
I am closing in on buying a Hunter 33.5. Even though I don't expressly need a dinghy / tender for it, I'd like to have one. Any recommendations for what a good tender might be? I'd want to carry it aboard (upside down aft or forward of the mast) normally, then launch when needed. It should be sailing-capable and decent to row. From trying to research, most tenders seem to be either 8' or 10', but not sure if a 10' would fit or be much harder to load back on board at an anchorage. Prams seem popular due to high cargo carrying capacity but something with a more traditional bow would be nice for when the boat is being used just to sail around in while the mothership is at anchor.
It seems some popular options are:

• The D4/D5 pram. (8' length.)
  • Plans here: http://bateau2.com/free/D5_free_m.PDF
• Eastport pram (8')
  • http://www.clcboats.com/shop/boats/...rt-pram/eastport-pram-rowing-sailing-kit.html
• Nutshell pram (9'6")
  • http://www.woodenboatstore.com/product/plan_9_6_Nutshell_Pram/tenders_-_prams
  • This one is a little longer than the others, and heavier, but folks who can fit it on their boat seem to love it.

There could be others too but these three seem to be fairly common.
Oh, part of the reason I looked at those is because I would want to build the tender in my garage to have a home project.
If anyone has any thoughts, experiences or recommendations for a good tender that could be stowed (without aft davits) on a low-30's Hunter please do share. Thanks all
'Dubs

 

[centerline]

buying a dinghy is kinda like buying underwear.... for comfort you have to have something that fits, but the shape and design is a personal thing that only you will know after using it for awhile.... if it doesnt fit right, buy a diffent kind.

I prefer a hard dinghy, where some others like an inflatable... I am sure I could build something that fits our "wants" better, but I dont have the time, so we will stick with the 8ft walker bay for now.
adding the flotation tube to the walker bay dinghys make them into a much heartier/safer little boat

an 8ftr may be ideal for a single hander, but two people can safely fit in one in normal harbor conditions, and a 10ftr is a much better choice without argument, but you may have a much tougher time trying to find a place to store it on the boat....

I really like the design of the one in the third link you show.... it will be a drier boat in rougher conditions, and will take some pretty good water/waves before becoming unsafe..
I dont have much use for a sailing dinghy, but it could be fun sometimes.... I would build it and use it as a row boat.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Bigger is usually better.

While this is good for only inflatables, there is a lot of wisdom in the dieas expressed.

Good luck.

http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Choosing-An-Inflatable-Dinghy

 

[seadaddler]

Wow a hard dinghy up on the deck of your 33.5 ??????.
The only type of dinghy up on a deck of a sailboat are usually inflatable and would
rethink that idea of a hard dinghy on deck and will you even have room and most just pull behind or davits.

 

[BudGates]

I also prefer a hard dinghy. Even though they are more tippy than an inflatable I enjoy having the option to row or sail, whichever suits me at the time. Often I'll get up early in the morning, while the wife is still sleeping, and take the dinghy for a sail or bring the dog for a row if there's no wind.

Any of the prams that you listed would do great. If you really want to store it on deck you should first measure the deck to see what will fit. A cardboard and masking tape mock-up can help with 3D measurements.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I've built (in 2000) an Eastport from CLC. Very nice little boat and a decent kit. The owner loves it. It is not that complex a built, but since lapstrake, different.

 

[RichW9603]

Thanks so much for the great tips everyone. Great insights. Based on the comments, I wonder if a "nesting" two-part dinghy would be the best path. I know they have some disadvantages over their single-hull counterparts, basically they are more "rickety," but it might be easier to store on deck. I also wonder if there might be a way to store it behind the cockpit, maybe make some brackets on the walk-through transom.

 

[Ron20324]

[QUOTE... bring the dog for a row if there's no wind...[/QUOTE]

How did you teach the dog to row? A modified 'dog paddle', perhaps?

 

[DSqr]

I had a 33.5 for 6 seasons. I like the concept of the hard dinghy, but I don't think that it would store well on the foredeck. You'd be stumbling over it during docking and anchoring. Have you considered a folding boat? I've seen some that have sail kits available as an option. I've built folding kayaks that would have stored well against the life line stanchions or along the side of the cabin.

 

[seadaddler]

Weaver davits are good for putting dinghy off rear stern and know a few who have done so
and one with a fiberglass sailing dinghy off the stern.
I have the weaver davits but switched to Ocean Marine lifting davits.

 

[DougM]

I have a similar sized boat to your Hunter and opted for a 10 foot Zodiac inflatable floor roll up because, if need be, I can deflate it and stow it in the lazarette. There is enough room to store it upside down forward of the mast, but that blocks the hatches. Whichever way you decide, there are advantages and disadvantages.

 

[Benny17441]

Most use inflatables as they are stable, can carry a lot of cargo and are convenient to store. You need an outboard as they do not row well and have to be careful in rocky shores but other than that are very practical for sailors. Getting a hard dink on the deck might be a chore due to size and weight. If you are looking for a toy craft to use at anchor consider a kayak.

 

[BudGates]

[QUOTE... bring the dog for a row if there's no wind...

How did you teach the dog to row? A modified 'dog paddle', perhaps?[/QUOTE]

I put a harness on him tied to the boat then put him in the water with a steak hanging in front of him.

 

[druid]

I built the D4/D5 (although I stretched it to 9 ft). It's not great for carrying a lot of passengers (I'd say the limit would be about 3), but she's GREAT for handling rough water, tows very well, and is lots of fun to row. I also made it into a sailing dinghy with a modified Laser sail, and she sails great!

I'm currently trying to find time to build a "plywood inflatable" which would have the same underwater profile as a 8.5 ft inflatable, but would weigh about 30 lb less, and would fit easily on my Ontario 32's foredeck.

I've had inflatables, but they're heavy, hard to store (if you want a "good" inflatable, that would include at least an aluminum floor, which is a PAIN to set up and take down!), hard to row, and have no soul. They also are prone to leaks when dragged ashore or stored on the foredeck.

druid

 

[whatfiero]

Do you think if you rigged up a bridal to pull one of those square nosed prams up tight to transom of boat with padding it would lengthen the effective hull length and increase hull speed

 

[RichW9603]

Weaver davits are good for putting dinghy off rear stern and know a few who have done so and one with a fiberglass sailing dinghy off the stern.

I had never heard of Weaver davits but just looked them up and they look exactly like what I was hoping for. I'm not a super fan of the lifting davits because, while very practical, I just don't like the way the boat looks with them on the stern. These Weaver davits look like they are fairly inconspicuous and mainly serve to pivot the dinghy up against the transom. Came across this while googling what they were:
http://www.catalina320.com/article.php?story=20110808005526564

I could live with that.
So it seems the best options might be a nesting dinghy up on the deck (so it becomes a 5' x 4' rectangle), or a regular 9' or so one-piece one using the Weaver davits.

 

[RichW9603]

I built the D4/D5 (although I stretched it to 9 ft). It's not great for carrying a lot of passengers (I'd say the limit would be about 3), but she's GREAT for handling rough water, tows very well, and is lots of fun to row. I also made it into a sailing dinghy with a modified Laser sail, and she sails great!

Thanks for the thoughts Druid. Interesting you sail the D4/5 sails well, I have heard it is kind of lackluster when it comes to sailing. That is the main reason I didn't just go for it, was because I was curious if there might be other good tender candidates who were better in the sailing department. In reality, my dinghy will see most of its use putting around a cove while the mothership is at anchor. I see it mainly needing to carry one adult and one child at a time, so I'm willing to give some on the storage capacity in trade for better sailing performance.

 

[RichW9603]

Oh one other thought, anyone have any experience with the Spindrift? Apparently that's supposed to be a good at sailing and useable as a tender, but doesn't carry as much cargo as a pram (which I'm okay with).
http://bandbyachtdesigns.com/spindrift/

 

[Apex]

I have plans downloaded for the D5 dinghy....so interesting thread.

 

[seadaddler]

RI
I did have weaver davits on on my 07 H-36 and they did work very well except
when heeling one end would hit the water but I did not have the same system you
showed on that catalina which more $$$$$ but looks like it would solve hitting water
being higher.
I never did want lifting davits but we cruise with many other sailboats some times 10
or 20 boats and stop every night and use the dinghy a lot and taking the outboard of and on got old and with davits can leave the motor.
I wish I could have a sailing dinghy or maybe some kind of Kayak to play with.
Nick