My soon to be acquired Hunter 38 will be moored. I am going to need a tender to get from dock to boat and back. The mooring field is a fairly quiet anchorage (the Niagara River at the mouth to Lake Ontario). Primary requirements for the tender are stability when transferring from tender to mothership and visa versa, a calm, dry ride, and the ability to carry 3 people and gear.
I love the Whaly 270, except it's 160 lbs and $2500.
A similar boat is the Dogfish, though I'm concerned about whether it will be as dry as the Whaly. But it's only 100 lbs, and 1/2 the price of the Whaly at $1200 (shipping included).
I love that the Whaly and Dogfish will never deflate at exactly the wrong time. I love the rotomold construction. It not only seems to be indestructible, but also strong enough to hang the boat from davits (unlike, for example the West Marine 9.4).
On the other end of the spectrum, I'm also considering an inflatable, like the Zodiac C270. It seems very stable, fairly dry and the lightest of the bunch at 64 lbs.
I'd love to run a propane O/B but the smallest propane O/B is 5 hp and 60 lbs, and I would prefer a 30 lb 2.5 HP Suzuki that only comes in gas.
Eventually I may want a stowable tender, which suggests I should consider getting an inflatable now, but candidly I am concerned about punctured tubes. Until I decide to cruise to more remote locales, I anticipate the only real need for the tender will be as a water taxi from dock to boat and back. When I sail I'll leave the tender on the mooring. When I cruise I'll mostly stay at reciprocal yacht clubs where it's unlikely I'll need a tender.
So, wise ones, what thoughts for me do you have?
I'm currently leaning toward the Dogfish, but honestly I seem to change my mind daily. So a little real world experience from the readers of this forum would be helpful.
I love the Whaly 270, except it's 160 lbs and $2500.
A similar boat is the Dogfish, though I'm concerned about whether it will be as dry as the Whaly. But it's only 100 lbs, and 1/2 the price of the Whaly at $1200 (shipping included).
I love that the Whaly and Dogfish will never deflate at exactly the wrong time. I love the rotomold construction. It not only seems to be indestructible, but also strong enough to hang the boat from davits (unlike, for example the West Marine 9.4).
On the other end of the spectrum, I'm also considering an inflatable, like the Zodiac C270. It seems very stable, fairly dry and the lightest of the bunch at 64 lbs.
I'd love to run a propane O/B but the smallest propane O/B is 5 hp and 60 lbs, and I would prefer a 30 lb 2.5 HP Suzuki that only comes in gas.
Eventually I may want a stowable tender, which suggests I should consider getting an inflatable now, but candidly I am concerned about punctured tubes. Until I decide to cruise to more remote locales, I anticipate the only real need for the tender will be as a water taxi from dock to boat and back. When I sail I'll leave the tender on the mooring. When I cruise I'll mostly stay at reciprocal yacht clubs where it's unlikely I'll need a tender.
So, wise ones, what thoughts for me do you have?
I'm currently leaning toward the Dogfish, but honestly I seem to change my mind daily. So a little real world experience from the readers of this forum would be helpful.