Juliet Jay needed a tender so I bought a seago 2.7 metre inflatable dinghy from a chandlers with a 2.5 hp 4 stroke outboard motor brand new. Of course it was too big to go in the cockpit locker of a Moody 27 so it had to be lashed to the coach roof on my first trip from Brixham to Poole in February 2010. It was difficult to see the lobster pots from inside the cockpit. I really needed one to go in the locker, so I bought a smaller one a seago 2.3 in the hope I could manage it better, after all it was only me and the dog and perhaps one other crew, in those days.
Juliet Jay was my first boat and I did manage for a bit but it still didn’t fit well in the locker. I was towing it every where and that was ok but slowing me up especially on long trips. Lyme Bay in a blow was a struggle. So I bought a really tiny inflatable at the London Boat show a 2 metre one. This turned out to have a draw back, I couldn’t row it, my knees were in the way!
Now with three inflatable tenders and Juliet Jay, I discovered a new love in my life with two daughters and a dog. Juliet Jay was too small and the dinghies were never big enough to take us all ashore! So Abeona a Moody 35 was acquired with a very small tender, a rather smart Avon. This was at most a two seater only and filled the cockpit lazerett locker up to the brim so we now needed something bigger which was safe for two adults, two girls, two medium sized dogs and their ‘kit’. As luck would have it we spotted a Honwave 3 metre inflatable advertised in Dartmouth. It was as solid and heavy as they come and has taken to its roll as tender to Abeona and family extremely well. Davits were added to Abeona to house it when not at sea.
We took stock ; at one time we had two sailing boats and four tenders a total of six boats! Fortunately we managed to sell four! Thank god for eBay and gumtree.
We of course tow the Honwave everywhere and it acts like an extra shed with a variety of deck equipment and fenders as cargo. However it does not take kindly to rough surfaces like rocks or slipways. It slows us down and is unsatisfactory in rough conditions. Grand children fit too of course!
Now we have moved to a mooring for the summers, it has become clear that a hard hulled boat is needed instead. One that will fit the rules of the dinghy park, no more than 3 metres and if possible lighter and with wheels. Perfect, and almost on the spot, a Walker Bay 10 became available and is to be pressed into service. But like the way of things, especially tenders, we feel a little insecure in it. Inflatables are quite stable, hard hulls tend to wobble about a lot especially with dogs and families. Rowing it is a dream though, in comparison to the inflatables. Now we have to watch our speed, 6 knots is the limit in the River and although we do not have speed cameras installed here, the Harbour Master has a number of eagle eyed deputies about.
So how are we to solve the instability problem? Boatcollar, yes. A Canadian dinghy with an Australian stabilisation device! (Google Kapten boatcollar).
So we now have four boats again! When will it ever end? “Hello gumtree, this is Abeona over”?
Next chapter
Outboard motors galore
