Perfect Tender for a Macgregor

Stan Breaux21640 · Dec 10, 2007

I doubt there is much difference in towing

a 9' vs an 11' dinghy.My experience has been that the 11' dinghy will hold my wife and 3 kids reasonably comfortably, wheras the 9' boat didn't seem to have nearly as much space.Remember that the interior volume is much shorter than 11' (probably 8.5') because of the tubes. On a 9' dinghy, that interior length becomes 6.5 feet. then subtract another foot if you have a gas can in the back.Then put 5 people in it, add some waves, a couple of wakes from powerboats passing nearby, and your wife will ride in it once. Subtract the kids, and you're fine.Honestly, towing the dinghy is practically effortless in relatively calm water. Where I have run into trouble is in waves (2-4 feet, not big stuff), where the dinghy hits waves at a different time/spacing than the sailboat, causing it to jerk at the tether. I may need to haul the front of the dinghy up out of the water and tie it onto the stern rail or something to fix this problem, but I haven't tried that, yet.I woudl suggest taking the whole family to the store to sit in one of the boats. Assume the rowing position in a 9' dinghy and see if you can actually row it without your elbows and knees bashing your kids in the head.Good luck.

Capt. Kermie · Dec 11, 2007

Get with the program!

Captain E;You really need to stop thinking so far outside the box and start thinking more logically and rationally. Those far fetched ideas you keep comming up with are just that 'far fetched' and in the end will wind up being a waste of time energy and resources. Just get a conventional dinghy about 10' long that will fit the whole family and make them feel safe and be done with. Read what Stan wrote, he got it right for you. Those hundreds of other sailors that go conventional and tow cannot all be wrong. I can fit my 9'9" inflatable bundled up in the bag across the topside windows and I can fit the dinghy inflated on the bow section with the transom up against the mast easily but it obstructs my view so I choose to tow it with the engine mounted on the transom. It works fine and makes my wife feel safe and will make yor family feel safe. Time to get with the program Captain E.

MrBill_FLL · Dec 12, 2007

Capt E - get the Kaboat!

It looks good (to me), and you can tell us how it worked...personally, I'd think about a hard bottom dingy like a walker bay. (you may need to pull ANY dingy on the foredeck if its over 3' seas, so a RIB will be pretty much impossible.) -read some stories of dingys flipping in rough seas... scary stuff! most cut the free if they flip to save the mothership.but 5 people in a dingy (3 kids?) thats like 500# capacity! Thats a lot for any dingy in anything but flat calm water... unless its unskinkable.FWIW, I've been thinking about building a 'stich n glue' type dingy.little more work, but theres a lot of options...http://www.bateau.com/products.php?cat=13http://www.bateau.com/products.php?cat=9ps: I (beach) scuba dive from my SOT kayak, so its possible.. havent flipped it.... (yet)

Capt. Kermie · Dec 12, 2007

No Attack Intended

Capt.EJust an expression of frustration. My dink is 9'9" (nine feet + nine inches) which is closer to 10' (ten feet)than 9' (nine feet). Some of your ideas sound wet and unsafe for a family. Also you say you wish to dive, so where do you plan to put those big air tanks and other diveing gear? How about fishing gear? Are you going to wear a wet suit while out fishing? You will with one of those ideas! A 10 or 12 foot conventional inflatable dinghy is your best answer. My 9'9" weighs in @ 80# and is a bear to move around, ditto for the 5 hp honda @ 60#. I am a big strong guy and I still find it a major hassle to struggle with my set-up so I tow it. It was not so bad before I got the engine as I just strapped it across the bow until I arrived at my destination then inflated it. With the heavy engine added to the package and no where on a 26M to transport it, I have no other place to carry it but on the transom of the dink, besides I would not want to lug that heavy engine onto the dink transom while floating out at anchor.Now about possible other uses, diving aside and dinghy dock service, you sound like you want to zip around too. Well many of us are guilty of that and I am no exception I like it too! Where do you plan to zip around anyway? Is it safe flat water or do you plan to circumnavigate some small island out there? I am in the Pacific Northwest and have an abundance of areas to explore and small islands to zip amongst, but it is not flat calm water, I am still out in the big waves and just the thought of those goofy kabot/kyack ideas you mention make me shake my head.(got a wet suit?) You have a wife and children, do you expect your wife and children to feel safe in a kyack while being bounced around in big waves (powerboats create these too)? Keep in mind your wife will have the childrens' safety in mind as top priority. I also use the dink for supplies replenishment at various harbours & marinas as well as making gas runs to fill the boat tanks and need room to carry all that stuff from the dock out to my anchorage without getting it wet or having it fall out. Over time you will also discover alternate uses for your dink so now is the time to consider all your options/uses. Size matters, a lot, not just for carrying capacity and safety in big waves but for portability issues too. I don't know what your sailing venue is or what facilities you use but even in my case portability is a big issue. I only trailer to the marina then rent a slip for the season so I can moor my dink along side the Mac during travel season which is only a couple months, the remaining time it is delfated and bundled in the garage. I could not imagine trying to lug a big heavy cumbersome 12-14 foot dinghy from my truck down to the slip even with using the carts the marina supplies. You really need to get your hands on one and try moving it around, ask a sales peson if you can try lifting it out to your vehicle, that should be enough to change your mind about big. I use a dolly with inflatable wheels to move mine around deflated and in a big hockey size bag, ditto for the engine, a dolly makes it easier, and I am talking a 9'9" inflatable @ 80# and 60# engine, you sound like you are are talking bigger and heavier in some cases. There is an upper limit you want to consider when size influences weight. There is also a lower limit considering your needs. You are not in a 45 foot yacht with davits, but rather a 26 foot Macgregor. No way you will get some honkin big dinghy down into that V-berth and back out without a couple big football players to help you. Your best alternatives are to tow, or strap it across the bow deflated and find a place to carry the engine, good luck with an M there is no where to attach a kicker engine. Give up on your long shaft engine and get a short shaft, you are restricting your options with it. Perhaps you might try going down to a marina and have a look at some of the dinghies in use there to get an idea of their size and weight of them. With a 26' Mac a 10' foot dinghy is pushing the upper limit of size/weight.I am not attacking you, just trying to open your eyes wider. You are toying with ideas that may not address all your needs. Trust me, a 10' dinghy with 17" inch tubes and 5'foot beam is plenty big and holds 1100 #lbs and will make everyone feel safe. I am 6'feet tall and can lay right out in mine, it carries my wife and I plus stores and we could easily add 3 children to the mix.Keep looking and be aware of the consequences to your final decision, you do not want to make the mistake of getting it wrong and having to start over.

Blake Chartier · Dec 19, 2007

Storage?

Hey Cap, congrats on the GREAT deal on the porte-bote. I have looked into them an agree that they woud make a great tender. They even make a sail rig for them! The only thing that put me off was wondering where to stow it. Have you decided where you are going to put yours? For $200 I would have bought it anyway, what a deal!

Blake · Dec 20, 2007

towing

Towing is convinient and all, but I don't want a tender at all unless I can figure out a way to store it on board. My used boat came with a new cheap vinyl raft stored in the shallow compartment under the aft birth. I doubt if it had ever been used and I was sure that I would never bother. The porta-bote looks easy to set up on a small boat. I hope you will keep us posted as I am really curiuos to see exactly how you store it on board.

Capt. Kermie · Dec 20, 2007

Yes Tow it!

Well Capt. E, looks like you got yourself a deal!You likely wil be towing it since there is not a lot of deck space to lay out and assemble on, not to mention the hassle of mounting the engine. I saw the you-tube videos and laughed at the PWC comparisons, the PWC must have been at idling speeds, bit of a joke comparison, but that's advertising for you. Funny you didn't get a bigger HP engine for it after watching the videos, didn't they inspire you? I got a 5hp honda for mine and I wish it were 6 or 8hp as just a bit more would increase the fun, right now I just barely get it up on plane in the right conditions. But then yours is 15# lighter than mine and you may weigh less than me so who knows what 4hp will do for you. I find that a dinghy provides much more than just dinghy dock service, they really become a second boat. It will be interesting to hear how you make out with it, I have always shied away from those type of craft but for the price you paid it is as good as a BIC disposable lighter, can't go wrong. Good Luck.

Perfect Tender for a Macgregor

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Blake Chartier

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