Dinghy size too small?

Question of simple physics really, the heavier you are the further the dinghy will become immersed , so put simply, the further in the water it sits the less tippy it will become All seems good to me

Hi all. New here. That stability thing. Might work with bigger boats, but not sure in dinghies. Have a canoe, (amongst other toys) and with two people, it is very stable. But with four, tends to be a lot more unstable. Probably the flat bottom and no reserve stability.(And higher centre of gravity) As for tenders, I once owned a beautiful Herreschoff pram (designed I think for his 'Neria'). About 8 ft, towed and rowed brilliantly. I used an old Seagull on it and it worked a treat. If you want to whack on a 20 hp and plane across the anchorage, probably not the boat for you, practically or philosophically.

That is wayyyyyy to pretty to put in the water ..... just hang it on the wall and occasionally polish it

When i moor my b20 on the rare occasions i use a 8' sabot as a tender.


It is an exposed mooring and causes me much angst especially in rough conditions.



However even in benign conditions accidents can occur those mainly due to the size and lightness of the sabot.
I believe that getting to and from my boat while on its mooring is my most dangerous time i experience while on the water.
I have a choice of 3 boats to use as a tender the 8' sabot , 12' f/g dinghy and 14' tinny all being equal i would use the tinny because of its stability however it has draw backs , launching and retrieval is more involved and its security when left on mooring (has near new mercury 15 hp outboard).
my next choice would be the f/g dinghy but once again just that much more of a hassle to launch and retrieve security not such a problem however oars are'nt cheap


so it normally ends up being the most dangerous option for its convenience and simplicity so far i have survived but been swimming or stuck on board on more occasions than i care to recall an aging body will soon dictate a change needs to be made getting in or onto boats from the water will become more difficult with time although with experience my technique has improved .

picking up the mooring in rough conditions is another whole issue best left for another thread

so brizzydave goodluck with your hunt for the perfect tender it will always be a compromise dictated by your circumstances

feel sick and wet just looking at that photo.....gulp!

Have spent a night aboard on a worse night than that

The wind in that photo as with the next 2 is from the north west which gives a fetch of 12 nm when it blows from the east the fetch is 25 nm and the sea gets considerably bigger.

This is a friends Pacific 27 on the same mooring which has 2 huge anchors with bridle set 1 to the north and 1 to the east no risk of dragging.







On the bad night Getting back to the mooring just after dark with a rapidly building easterly , a mishap caused an injury to my forearm just as we were about to board the tender which delayed us by 10 minutes by which time things had deteriorated such that i decided it would be safer to ride it out on the boat.

With a very seasick mate we spent the next 10 hours getting hammered , around low tide during the early morning hours it seemed every 15 th wave was breaking in front of the b20 and washing over the cabin top creating squirts from around the sliding hatch on most occasions.

Braced in the coffin berth wet but warm little sleep was had.

At no time was i at all frightened apart deep concern for my seasick mate who i was concerned may lapse into asthmatic episode if stressed anymore.

As it became light things had calmed down outside , the tender had capsized but no other damage even the oars were still stowed in the upturned sabot.

We dropped the mooring and headed for the next sheltered peir where i dropped off my mate and vowed single handing is a better option in the future.

Another night not as rough as the one above i managed to get my 2 daughters their partners and a dog ashore in the sabot , the first trip in we were capsized and washed in but then had the task to get back out to get the other 2 it took many attempts to row the sabot out getting swamped time after time finally made it out and we all got back to shore just on midnight , funny i dont seem to get many comeback for second sails

Back on topic

Getting ashore with onshore weather i dont find as nerve wracking as getting ashore in strong offshore conditions as the sabot is extremely light and keeping headway against a strong wind is near impossible , sometimes i have to take a "tack" in making the shore a considerable distance along the beach on one occasion almost missing the end of the peninsula altogether.
My concern is being blown offshore in such a small unstable boat as a precaution i always carry a spare rowlock tied to the boat , a suitable anchor and a mobile phone .

So now you are a little more enlightened about why i consider this the most dangerous part of my sailing , gladly my boat lives on its trailer under cover 99 % of the time then all i have to face is the dangerous road to launch

I finally settled on a (cheap) 2nd hand 10' tinnie with a new Kaptain Boat collar. They are made in Queensland. After the last year cruising from Brizvegas to Darwin I have never felt worried making the shore - boat trip. I may have even taken it around the outside of the reef into the chop a few times to show off to the other cruisers. I weigh just over 100kg and can stand on the gunwale.
Downsides are the cost($800) and that the collar is showing quite a lot of scrapes and marks. If your precious about appearances it's not for you.
I could confidently get to the boat moored above. Getting from the dinghy to the boat would be another problem...
Google them and have a look...
Feral

Look at the Polycraft Tendors. I am 120kg and I can stand on the side of mine without it tipping. I can also say at high speeds it handles like a dream. Definately one to look at.