Yacht Tenders

We used a 6'7" West Marine (Bombard) with slat floor for several years on the C Dory 22. For one person, it was fine. For two people it was satisfactory for short distances. For two and a dog--it became marginal. My son (6' 4", 220 lbs and myself 6' 2" 190 lbs) was too much--but we made it back and forth to the dock in calm water. The soft floors are difficult to get in and out of, the slat floors are easier--solid plywood, air or aluminum floors are much easier.

We went to an air floor 9 foot boat, because with the Tom Cat 255, we will be taking the dinghy much further than we would have with the CD 22. The air floor will plane--and we may go with an engine large enough to plane the inflatable. Also we have a davit to lift the dinghy aboard and even put it on top of the cabin (we have not yet rigged the mount for that yet--but do have it for the side and stern).

If you are going to row, I think that the rounded boats are fine. For an engine I prefer the transom type. (I had several Avon Red Crests, Red Seals etc in the 60's and the motoring was not all that satisfactory, but it will work for short distances.)

As long as you are only going short distances in protected water--anything (sturdy) will do--but remember if you get caught in heavy wind, that you can not row against it--or even a 2hp will not be enough.

Bob Austin
 
Swee Pea, thanks for finding the great price on the Mercury 240. I think because the Achilles is made of Hypalon I'm leaning towards it. Do you know of any great prices on it?

Bob, thanks for your great info as usual. Your experience of you and your son (410 lb's) in the Bombard matches up to the load capacity of the boat (385 lb's). Now I know that those factory load capacities are realistic in calm water. Both the Achilles lt2 and Mercury 240 are rated at 690 pounds. That is fine for 3 people or maybe 4 smaller people.

Thanks for the info guys,
Bill
 
Thanks John, Defender was the best price I was able to find on the internet also. I just booked my tickets for the SBS, so I'm going to wait and see if I can find a deal there. Otherwise it looks like Defender is the way to go, or I have a local dealer I can call tomorrow.

Thanks,
Bill
 
FYI... You might want to do business with any company OTHER than Buster's.

When I ordered my inflatable from Buster's I ordered the boat, cover, under-seat bag and a 12V pump. The 12V pump was sent in the manufacturer's box and the unit was received in an unacceptable condition. Additionally, the pump was, well, a piece of junk! They said that I could return the pump and they would refund the purchase price less a restocking fee... So, I paid for the return shipping and waited to receive the refund. And after waiting some more, I contacted them regarding the refund. Soon my emails and phone calls were met without reply. So, I feel as though they have stolen from me.

Sure, their prices may look great --- but their business practices should NOT be rewarded by your future purchases... There are many other companies to do an honest business --- reward them!

Sorry, but these people have it coming...

Corwin
 
I, at one time, had the small red achilles. It was a great boat, light, tough. Wish now I hadn't sold it. Now have an Avon 2.85. It is also a very good boat but is also very heavy for an inflatable. The Achilles should be just about perfect for trips to shore and short rows.
 
All,

Reading this thread I see that some folks are using the Achilles LT-2 for their C-22s. I have an 89 C-22 and have been looking for a decent inflatable. I came across a good deal on a used Achilles LT-4 available locally. It is a bit larger than what I was originally considering. Does anyone have any thoughts on the LT-4 for the C-22?

thanks,

Karl
 
Karl,

We have an LT-4 on our 22 and love it. It's my second Achilles, with the first one lasting almost 20 years. I mentioned it in a post earlier in this thread. It's can also be seen in our album.

In my experience, the LT-2 is a bit small, especially when using it with more than two people. With only two people aboard, add a canvas bag with food from the store, a few bags of ice, a gas can, bag with PFD's and emergency gear or other odds and ends needed for cruising and you're soon out of room.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Hi all, I bought an LT-2 last week and so far I'm very pleased with it. It appears to be made very well. It has plenty of room for two people and I'd say fine for 4 people to row short distances. Being made of Hypalone it should last a very long time. Best of all it fits perfectly on top of the boat!

Bill
 
Just ordered my 4th dinghy. I now have a fleet. This one may be the best. It is the Outcast Power Drifter (http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboat ... alty.shtml). Within 2 minutes after picking it up I had ordered it. It is light, and I mean light. Without the rowing frame, say 25 lbs or less. I wonder about abrasion resistance, but the one I looked at had been used in their raft rental program for a couple of years and still looked to be holding air well with no patches. The rowing frame would be nice on lakes and rivers, but I probably wouldn't take it on board. Two pieces of marine plywood would make good seats and it already has d-rings attached to the tubes to tie them down. You can row it like a canoe or kayak. When deflated it will fit easily in the cockpit of a sea kayak.

I'll post after sea trials which should be sometime in early April. The water is still a little hard around here.

Tom
 
Kind of looks like this..
Feb_06_008.sized.jpg


I have had my Power Drifter for about 4 months. This shows the rowing frame and oars in place. The seat swivels 360 degrees, and is backwards in this photo. I tried to paddle it with a single kayak paddle and it was not so hot. With two, (kayak or canoe paddlers)I think that it would work great. The air floors is stable enough for me to stand up and fish. It also has an outboard bracket. I have used it with an electric motor, but it rows so well, I don't use the motor much. Hope your ice goes away soon so you can try yours out. Robbi
 
Interesting - we thought Buster's was great - when we bought a Mercury RU-200 from them, we discovered it was too small (the famous "You look like 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag" uttered by a Bayliner Cierra owner to me at Sucia in February 2004 - did not have a snappy comeback, unfortunately), Patty wanted to send it back, I argued no way would they take it back. She says "Well, just call them." I respond "How about you call them." Long story short, she called, they took it back, we got the RU-240 (which unfortunately was stolen in September 2005, right after the Desolation Sound cruise), no argument from them at all - yes, there was a $50 re-stocking fee - but we were not stuck with the RU-200. We would buy another one from Buster's, if we had not just plunked down our deposit on the Gary King Alaska Series at the SBS...


Little Catelyn":av7y2zz6 said:
FYI... You might want to do business with any company OTHER than Buster's.


Corwin
Click to expand...
 
That's the one Robbi. I looked at the beach you were on in the photo and it looks a little rough, like there might be a few barnacles on the rocks. How's the material holding out in that type of condition? The boat is so small when it is deflated I almost think I could get it in the port lazzerette. It's easily 1/3 the size of any inflatable I have now.

Tom
 
Tom,
As long as you don't drag it across the barnacles, it is not a problem. The material seems to be tough stuff. After you try out the boat for the first time, shoot me a PM and we will compare notes. I have made some simple changes to the set up that make a big difference in the performance. You will probably have some ideas too. Robbi
 
This looks like an interesting boat. The site says it is 79 lbs. If the boat only weighs 25-30 the frame must be around 50. Where do you carry the frame on a CD22? Will it carry 2 people with the frame in? It looks like a wet bottom boat - is that true? The site does not say anything about what type/size motor you can use.

If you can carry the frame easily and use a small motor this could be a nice replacement for a dingy.

Steve
 
I have a couple of extended trips under my belt using the Power Drifter and it is definitely the best of the 4 dinghys I have. It is pretty decent for a couple to do some paddling around the anchorage after dinner. It can fit two and fair amount of gear comfortably (Rifles and packs). I made a couple of wood seats to sit on top of the tubes so I leave the rowing frame at home. It fits on top easily under the radar arch and is easier to load than the RU240.

When rowing it by myself, if you use a kayak paddle and keep the strokes short, it tracks reasonably well and is almost as fast as my RU240 with oars. It is very stable and gives the feel of the RU240 on the water. Standing in it is not a problem. When it is deflated, it takes us less space than the RU240. I think the weight is closer to 40 lbs deflated. The earlier model I picked up did not have the heavy duty air floor so was about 10 lbs lighter. And it is self bailing. No water to dump in the morning after a rainy night or while carrying upright on the roof.

The last item was the 10 year warranty from the dealer.

Tom
 
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