TENDER CHOICES
A hard dinghy serves well to row out to your mooring and set off on a day sail. For weekending and vacation cruising you will find a lightweight inflatable with a small outboard serves you better and allows you to go further. As your cruising range extends, the demands on your dinghy change. By the time, you get ready for longterm cruising, you will appreciate all that a rigid inflatable dinghy has to offer.
My wife, Cristina, and I were forced to reexamine our dinghy needs on a trip through New England’s Buzzards Bay on our 31ft C&C. Our 9ft air-floor inflatable with a 2hp outboard was so light we could easily stow it on the foredeck, and it rolled into a small package when not in use. It moved the crew back and forth to shore for many years.
Even when we moved up to a 38ft boat, the little dinghy happily skipped along behind us all over New England, until one day when we encountered a heavy squall. The dinghy flipped in the wind and waves and we had to wait until the squall passed before we were able to get it up on deck, with the motor ruined and one tube punctured. It was time to take a hard look at our options. Our cruising style had changed
