Three of the best alternative tenders on the market

Williams may be the biggest name in the tender market, but if you’re not blessed with a big tender garage or have a limited budget, there are a plethora of small alternative tenders to choose from. In this feature, we take a closer look at a disparate threesome that caught our eye at the 2015 London Boat Show . F-RIB The F-RIBs collection comprises a six-strong range of solid bottomed RIBs . Five are outboard powered (above), one is a sailboat (pictured right), and they range in size from 2.75m to 4.60m. Their common design feature is that they fold into three parts to produce a compact, portable mass that can be bundled into a lazarette or the back of a car. For example, the 275 folds down to a boot-sized 900mm x 850mm x 400mm. Compared with a simple inflatable, their prize-winning feature is their hard bottom, because even the very best inflatables cannot compete with their rigid-hulled counterparts when it comes to handling, performance and practicality. Several things impressed me when I got my hands on one. F-RIB’s build quality is remarkably good when you consider their price – as little as £2,216 for the 275, and only rising to £3,274 for the 4.60m long 460RF. Simple bolts, hefty locating lugs, plus the pressure in the tubes lock the three sections firmly into place. Yet despite their obvious strength and rigidity they are remarkably light, ranging from 36kg for the 275 to 72kg for the 460RF, so even the biggest could be manhandled by a strong individual, or two punier types. Their rigidity gives them the speed that most floppy inflatables would struggle to match, e.g. 15 knots with a 5hp outboard on the 330, and 21 knots with a 15hp on the 460. They are also impressively deep, between 450mm (18in) and 550mm (22in) from the floor to the top of the tubes, which will make them feel safe under way. If your lazarette has a 1,400mm x 1,100mm x 450mm space to spare, the 460RS is a gem, and for an extra £2,200 over the outboard-only 460RF you get a highly versatile tender that can whizz along at 24 knots with a 20hp outboard and glide along serenely under sail too. BoatBox At the other end of the spectrum is the BoatBox International (BBi) 650 Leisure Tour, or BoatBox for short. This ingenious device blends a large car roof box (650 litres) with a small rigid tender that is light enough at 23kg to throw over a shoulder. Despite its compact size – 1,800mm long by 590mm wide – it is buoyant enough to carry a load of up to 125kg, roughly the weight of a typical 80kg man plus two dozen magnums of champagne (or if needs must, a small surly teenager instead). BoatBox’s website suggests a 30-pound thrust Minn Kota Edura 30 electric outboard at £130, but given that the tiniest 2.5hp petrol outboards weigh as little as 13kg (substantially less than the aforementioned teenager) I cannot see any reason why these could not be used instead with appropriate restraint. BoatBox is constructed of double-skinned ABS, and the air between the two skins provides enough buoyancy to keep it afloat if it capsizes. If you’re happy with black or green, you’ll get a penny change from £1,000, and there are very few extras to ponder other than a more vibrant colour such as ‘Adventure Red’ at £50 extra, and the outboard bracket – oars, rowlocks, and a seat are all included. To keep its contents safe on the car’s roofrack, it is fitted with four locks, one in each corner. It also sports a built-in jockey wheel, so you can save on repeated trips by filling it full of gear and dragging it along. I thought it might appeal to owners of very small and very large boats alike; as the only tender on a similarly tiny mother-ship, or as a second tender on something larger. DinghyGo Like the far larger F-RIB 460RS, the DinghyGo 275 comprises a small inflatable that can be powered either by a small outboard or by a simple sailboat rig, giving it tremendous versatility. You may recall that the Tinker Tramp had been doing just that for many years, but sadly this is no longer made. However, there is an owners' association website with a ‘for sale’ section. The DinghyGo 275 also has a smaller sibling, the DinghyGo 225, although both share the same generous 1.45m beam. Length notwithstanding, the principal difference between the DinghyGo duo and the F-RIB 460RS is that the former pair are simple inflatables, not rigid-bottomed boats. The 275 takes an 8hp outboard, weighs 30kg (plus 15kg for the rig) and costs £2,499 while the 225 is 5kg lighter and £200 cheaper. The UK distributor is Nestaway boats, and it has an amazing collection of interesting tenders, dinghies and kayaks, the common theme being that almost all of them fold, collapse or deflate. If you’re short of space on board, or just fancy something out of the ordinary, Nestaway’s website is a great place to start.

DinghyGo

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