My wonderful husband and I are having a hard time coming to a compromise on a tender that is right for us. When frequently anchoring, having a small tender to get you to shore, take the dog for a walk, explore shallow areas, visit neighbors, and just general safety is one of the keys to a positive experience.
Our current tender is an old eight-foot wood floor inflatable with a 1969 six horsepower outboard motor. It is a hand me down that has been much loved. When we made weekend trips, it was great, now that we are living this full time, not so much. We are grateful that we have had it for years.
I am married to Mr. FixIt, and 99% of the time, his skills allow us to make this trip cost-effectively. The tender leaks, he keeps fixing it. He added plywood to the bottom for more stability; he has fixed the motor repeatedly. In my opinion, we are done, but he wants just this one more time. And as a shot across the bow, he says he wants to make sure my expectations are clear, that a new tender will still get my feet wet. So, I responded, I want it clean, a seat and reliable. Enough said. I have won a small battle, he has agreed that at a minimum, we need a new motor.
It has been said that every boat is a compromise, and that is especially true of a tender. Because we are not retired, live off of savings and part-time work, our pennies are precious to us, making compromise even more critical. There are many options, lighter in weight or heavier with a lift, hard or soft bottom, kayaks, rowing or a motor, inflatable or noninflatable, electric vs. diesel vs. propane motor, 8, 10, or more feet. You can now even get a hard dinghy with an inflatable kit.
So, here we are. Our discussions of late are around what we want from this and how long we will keep it. Will we use it to explore areas in the keys, does it need to handle rough water, how big/small do we need to stay light, do we buy new or used? We have ten months or so of our Loop adventure left, and the future beyond then is uncertain. Buying a used inflatable is a gamble and new is expensive. We need something reliable, relatively stable for this non-coordinated writer, can carry two adults, a dog, groceries, cleans easy and light enough to pull on to the swim platform manually.
We have looked at various options: the Portland Pudgy, inflatable RIB, Walker Bays with an inflatable kit attached, aluminum floor inflatables, air floors, even kayaks. It would be helpful to have them all to try out in real life, but it doesn’t work that way. So, we search YouTube, Google, ask for advice and in the near future watch the AGLCA webinar on dinghies. We shall see who wins this war. For this one, advice or recommendations are encouraged!
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