I am looking for a sailing boat/dinghy that will double up as a tender for my boat. I want something that will perform well as a sail boat but that I can attatch an outboard to so I can get to my mooring. I reckon it needs to be between 12 - 18' although as long as it goes on a trailer easily the length is not that important. I would prefer something with a good classic line, just not sure what to search for. Anyone got any ideas?
Your size range is a bit big, otherwise I'd say the 10ft Sea Hopper folding boat is a good one for a Pram dingy. See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seahopper.homestead.com>http://www.seahopper.homestead.com</A>. Sails well, good under power & best of all it folds flat. The big minus is that costs a fair amount.
Been thinking about this myself. A bit of research shows that both the GP14 and Mirror dinghies can easily be fitted with a small outboard and oars, these come up often on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk>http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk</A>, and will give you a well known sailing boat as well. Often sold with trailers if you haven't already got one.
Probably many other classes that could suit this purpose. Good luck - let us know if you get something and how it works out.
There's a huge difference between some of these boats. A Wayfarer or GP are hugely heavy. Most Wayfarers have anose wheel on thelaunching troley. Both have a significant stern deck, so outboard fitting has to be on a bracket rahter than transom fit. Other things to look at may be a Gull (11'). Mirror is a good choice, but you really have to decide what the "main" purpose is and by a boat for that, and then see whether it will do the other thing as well. My own preference would be a tender that is occassionally sailed.
It would be helpful to know what sort of boat you have, for which you need a tender, and what sort of journeys you intend to make while towing the tender. I towed a mirror behind my cat for a couple of years while kids were at that age. Would have prefered to have had a Tinker sailing/tender/liferaft.
<hr width=100% size=1>
__________________
"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors - and miss."
Robert A Heinlein
I have a SCOD. but the dinghy is for use on the Cornish rivers over the summer. Need to satisfy the need of my teenage children and my need to get to my boat! I dont really need to tow so can be a little less utility.
I'd get a Mirror. Loads of them around, cheap as chips, classes everywhere if your kids want to race, and they are fine with an outboard. Ours is propelled by an elderly 2HP Mariner when not sailing but they are fine to row as well, albeit a little heavy. Standard oars are a bit utility, but a browse round a boat jumble should sort that out.
<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho
I agree a mirror is ideal size etc. for a tender which will sail but can you get GRP ones? The wooden ones do rot and are OK when upside down in a dinghy park but accumulate water when sitting on a mooring . You do not see many wooden tenders.
<hr width=100% size=1>" there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".
Good question. Yes, you can get GRP Mirrors but they are as rare as hen's teeth and mostly the preserve of serious racers, so equipped and priced accordingly. I guess it depends on the relative amounts of time that the dinghy would spend out of the water or on a mooring. I have to confess that we use our Mirror exclusively for sailing/pottering about, and keep her on a trailer in a dinghy park. Our boat is on a mooring but we have a rubber duck (and a high speed inflator) to get to and from the shore.
I still think that a Mirror is the perfect sailing/tender compromise, though.
<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho
Dinghy/tender
Linear Mode
