[MichFan]

Thinking about adding a small tender to our 3200 Open. We don’t need it for serious cruising but thinking more for fun and sometimes convenience. Looking for suggestions on size/model as well as mounting methods.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!


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[persue52]

I purchased a used Zodiac Cadet 250 (I believe that is the model number) and i can share my experiences with you. The LOA is 8'3" and the weight is 75 or 80 pounds. The weight makes it very difficult for me to launch and retrieve by myself.  Our Tiara 3100 is on the South Shore of Long Island and we dock at a siip without a finger pier.  We lash it to the swim platform and it pretty much takes up the entire swim platform which makes boarding and de-boarding a challenge (and not safe), particularly for our young grandchildren.It is heavy and we inflate and deflate it after each outing. We transport it back and forth from our home in my Range Rover Evoque in which it just about fits. There really isn't enough room on the boat to store it. We use it when we go to the beach, can't get a slip and have to anchor out and dinghy in. It is a Zodiac and it is of high quality - no complaints there. If I had a finger slip and didn't have to inflate and deflate it each time, I would just leave it inflated and install mounting brackets on the swim platform.

If I could do it again (and I probably will next summer), I would get an inflatable about 2 feet smaller and around 50 pounds. I've found a few high quality inflatables that fit those parameters.

Mike

[MichFan]

Thanks Mike. Appreciate your feedback. Your comments are what I was worried about in terms of the inconvenience outweighing the convenience. We do have a finger slip and could mount it permanently but it would make boarding difficult. Thanks again.


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[strevet]

I have a 2006 3200 Open. We have a Portland Pudgy plastic dinghy. We keep it on it's side on the swim platform. It is held down with swim platform davits and off the stern with stand off rods. This allows complete use of the swim platform door. 

This setup does make the safety boarding ladder unusable. 
I'm not a fan of the Portland Pudgy. Among other things, it barely has room for two adults. I'm looking for a small rib that will fit in the same configuration.

[Elixir20]

MichFan,
We have a 2007 32 Open, and I will echo what the others have said. We have an Achilles 8'6" inflatable from 1993 that just will not die. We want a hardbottom of the same size but until this one goes... As has been mentioned, the dingy will take up the entire platform when loaded. Last year the boat was slipped without a finger pier and it was a real pain dealing with the launching and loading. This year we have the finger pier and it is much easier. Look into the various davit options as they really can work / not work based on how you use the boat and dinghy. Our boat came with the Hurley Davit System and it is a love / hate option. Pulling the dinghy onto the davits is easy but renders the transom door useless. Very hard to strap the dinghy down as you are falling all over everything. Once secured though, the dinghy is much more secure in bad seas. Our previous boat had the Weaver snap davit system and at least for us was much more useful. The transom door can be accessed when the dinghy is in the water and while raising it when clipped in. We love having the Achilles when we are cruising instead of fishing. One of the davit systems will work, it is just a matter of figuring out which makes the most sense for the type of boating you do and also your physical ability. As always, a small wood slat roll up dinghy would be an option if you did not mind storing the bag on deck and playing the inflate / deflate game.

[MichFan]

Thanks for the response Elixr. All the responses align with my previous fears. It seems for the type of cruising we do, a tender will be more of an inconvenience vs a necessity. I guess we will need to get a bigger boat . Thanks everyone for the responses.


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[dbriceno]

On a previous 32' wellcraft with only an 11'3" beam in a slip without a finger. I had a small (240) mercury airdeck inflatable with weaver davits. Weaver also makes standoffs that I attached to the tube and to the transom that kept the dink standing vertical on the swim platform. This gave me room on the platform and access to the door. Have a look at their website. It's a bit of a PITA to remove the engine all the time but if you find a nice 2 stroke you're golden. When I eventually find my 32 Open I'll look for something like a 270 or 310 airdeck or lightweight rib with a 5-8hp yamaha 2 stroke outboard

[Elixir20]

Don't let the inconvenience keep you from getting one.  They can be a blast exploring areas only they can get into, hot rodding them with extra hp (don't ask lol) and in many other ways.  I do believe the Weaver is the way to go and they make an attachment called the Weaver Leaver that allows the motor to remain on the dinghy when it is vertical on the transom.