Judy and I took a couple of the Stearns inflatable kayaks with us to Mexico and they were a great deal of fun. I do concur with Bill and Roger also. Can't do much in the way of provisions with them. Another thing that you MUST! consider with any inflatable or dinghy powered by oars or paddle is that if the wind comes up you may be blown out to sea. Carry appropriate stuff with you. For the more serious stuff we used an inflatable dinghy with a 3.5 Nissan outboard. Bombard was our choice as we got a "good deal" on a last years model from West Marine. About 9.5ft and with an inflatable floor. For longer trips we carried it in its bag on the cabin top for shorter trips we towed it. Use a bridle attached to the stern and led over the bow. More than one cruising boat has arrived at its destination to find itself towing a dinghy painter attached to a dinghy bow handle with no dinghy. We wouldn't go with a Bombard again. I really liked the inflatable floor but it was a PVC boat and just didn't hold up. We used 303 protectant on it and also had a sunbrella cover for the tubes. Just didn't do it. Sent it back to West Marine when the floor started coming off of it. They fixed it it and sent it back. They didn't bother to fix where the tubes were seperating from the transom. Zodiac now owns Bombard and as I recall they also make the West Marine dinghys. Of course the way things are doing now everything is probably made in China.
My nest dinghy will be an Achilles. They still use Hypalon and also have the inflatable floor. Available from Defender in various sizes. There is a 10.5 ft one on Ebay now. I'd go one size down. We had friends with the smallest one and it just wasn't quite big enough. 9.5 feet allowed us to inflate it on the foredeck. We used a 2 cycle outboard and parts were hard to get in Mexico. I'll probably go with a 5 or 6 hp 4 stroke next time. After a long hard row against the wind after running out of gas I always carried a liter of fuel in a plastic drink bottle. I used it more than once! Just one last comment. Never tow it with the outboard on it. and never leave it tied to the boat with the outboard on it. It can capsize while being towed and a strong wind can turn it over while tied to the boat. Been there, saw it happen and had to take the motor apart twice because of it. Walt
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AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comFrom: CaptSail@...: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:10:44 -0500Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Tender?
I concur with Roger - I have cruised at times with a kayak and there are certainly tradeoffs...Pros:Virtually indestructibleLightweightFun to explore anchorages once the hook is downEasy to stow - I just lashed mine to the stanchions for short hops, and stuffed it up into the V-berth for longer hops or when conditions were badNo dealing with an outboard and the associated gasCons:Only good for a singlehander - if you are two or more forget the kayak right here...Can't carry much in the way of groceries, etc - weight and volume are limitedSlow if you're anchored far outDifficult to enter and exit from your boat, compared to an inflatable or rigid dinghyNot the best emergency lifeboatI guess it depends on where you're going and how often you'll have the chance to get alongside to top up water, fuel, provisions, etc. I remember hauling many 6 gal jugs of water by dinghy in the Bahamas, and that certainly wouldn't have worked in a kayak!Bill #1390
