[Ricochet]

Hard dinghies score particularly well in this respect, although an inflatable that’s lightly loaded – choose a size a little larger than the minimum needed – has the potential to be relatively good in this respect. It’s likely to need longer oars than standard – 6ft (1.8m) is a minimum to make the boat row well and 8ft (2.4m) ideal, if you have space to stow them. It’s also important to ensure an inflatable is fully inflated to its recommended pressure, to prevent sizable proportion of your effort going into distorting the tubes, rather than driving the boat forward.
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[knascit12]

Don’t forget the anchor!

[srf21c]

These may not be an immediately obvious alternative to a tender, but they are gaining in popularity, both among weekend boat owners and serious long-distance cruisers. Stand Up Paddleboards are cheaper than a conventional inflatable, yet faster under human power, are lightweight and easy to stow. In addition, they only take a couple of minutes to inflate or deflate, and can be stowed along the guardrails for short trips in sheltered waters.

[foxhunter]

RIBs are much harder to stow, but tend to be more fuel efficient, faster for a given engine size and models with an aluminium hull are very robust if they need to be regularly hauled up a beach. A recent entry to the market is the F-RIB range of folding RIBs. These were originally developed by the Russian military and offer the advantages of a solid RIB, while solving the stowage issue. [links]

[svs]

Often, a specific time for Open Tender is posted, but this time can be pushed back if tendering took longer than expected. If you decide to wait for Open Tender, just know that you might have to wait for the remaining passengers with tickets to board their boats.

[Bloof]

Usually when we think of the word tender, it’s in the context of something being gentle and caring (a tender kiss), or soft (a tender cut of meat). But tender ports have nothing to do with being gentle or soft! [links]

[morrisby25]

However, remember that cruise ports of call are always subject to change at any time. You might have a scheduled tender port changed to a docked port (or vice-versa). Unpredictable weather can alter a cruise’s itinerary, causing the Captain to change ports or skip the port altogether. more

[becker]

Disclaimer: I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase from a link on this site, at no added charge to you. For more info, please read my Disclosure Policy. more

[Inedible]

The word tender has been used nautically since at least the late seventeenth century, meaning a “small boat used to attend larger ones”. It actually comes from the Middle English verb tenden, meaning “to attend to”.

[nimnul]

Tenders on your cruise generally will be one of three types of boats: life boats from the cruise ship, privately-owned boats from the port, or tenders owned by the cruise line that are kept at the port.

[cbrendanjarvisi]

Sunsation's 32 SSR is one of the boats filling the high-performance gap.

[jhoki]

Sunsation is a semi-custom builder with an outstanding reputation for build quality and customer service.

[LobsterMan]

“Checkmate always was known for good quality,” Smith told me last spring. “We just wanted to make it a little better, and then gradually expand the line.”

[Hiro Protagonist]

Of course, in heady economic times a builder such as Sunsation could never pump out the 300 or 400 sport boats the way the production builders once did—but these are not heady economic times. The demand for such volume simply isn’t there. In its best year, Sunsation produced less than 100 boats, and right now that could be enough to handle much of the production go-fast boat demand.

Checkmate Power Boats, which enjoys a strong following, is another one of those regional performance-boat builders with well-priced, well-built offerings. The company makes V-bottom sport boats from 21 to 30 feet long. [links]

[Galuel]

Think affordable entry-level go-fast boats are gone with production builder shutdowns? Think again. and look to the regional builders.

[nigz]

But I see some light at the end of the tunnel and I’m reasonably sure—for nothing is ever guaranteed—that it’s not an oncoming train. The light, at least from this end of the tunnel, comes in the form of regional boat builders such as Sunsation Performance Powerboats in Algonac, Mich., and Checkmate Power Boats in Bucyrus, Ohio.

[jarlethaanthonyt]

To call it a RIB, though, would be misleading. A traditional RIB has a cylindrical collar inflated with air whereas Life Proof Boats uses a D-shaped collar filled with closed-cell foam. The result is a hull form that provides all the benefits of its inflatable cousins (buoyancy, stability and impact protection) but without the risk of rupture and air loss. “If you stabbed it with a knife or put a chainsaw through it, the collar stays fully intact,” explains Bowers.

[robmon]

One of the coolest features of the whole design is that the boat can be digitally controlled and opened via a wireless key fob that unlocks the boat just like you would a car. Everything else, from the electric sunroof to the lights can be controlled via an interior panel. "At the touch of a button, it can be set to daytime cruising, night cruising, dock attended, dock unattended, at anchor and other modes," says Bowers.

[Kenlow11]

Life Proof Boats had already perfected its Pleasure Craft line but wanted something that was a step up from its standard models. Named the Yachtline, the new series was designed for owners seeking something a little more exclusive but without departing from the heavy-duty, high-performance hulls of its American boatbuilder. The 33 Yachtline was the firstborn and took two years to perfect with the client. "The product was so great that we decided we wanted to evolve it to a larger platform,” says CEO Micah Bowers.

[chernikov]

And so the 39 Yachtline was born, designed as a full-cabin tender and excursion boat for a bigger motor yacht. It looks like a large RIB, but its aluminium hull is perfect for the oversized pad eyes and harness necessary to tow it behind the mothership.