What's the best tender?

[freetasman]

I wonder if the Walker Bay 6-8 is to heavy

[steve]

It depends how you want to use your dinghy. For rowing back and forth to your mooring a Walker Bay would be great, but it would be a struggle to lift on board.

A hard dinghy on the foredeck would make it difficult or impossible to access the bow when mooring. I think an inflatable is a better solution if you want to take your dinghy aboard.

I have a 2.4m Avon inflatable and do not find it particularly difficult to row with only one person. When you have two on board, rowing becomes difficult. With three on board, there is a danger of waves coming over the sides and sinking the boat. For years I used to row to my mooring, 700m each way, without difficulty. I now have a small electric outboard.

I can carry my inflatable (2.4m, round-tail so no timber transom, fabric floor, Hypalon) on my shoulder with no need for wheels. I am not sure how heavy PVC boats are - they may well be lighter than Hypalon, but a timber transom and a solid floor will add weight.

I deflate my boat after each use and do not find inflating it particularly onerous, but I have recently bought a cheap battery powered inflator which I found to be very good.