Any reason not to buy a portland pudgy as a tender
- Thread starter Sealeggs
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Levitation
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Weight and cost.
Other than that it is stable, tough, and reliable.
Other than that it is stable, tough, and reliable.
scross
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At 128 pounds they will be a bit harder to pull back up onto storage position on the swim platform. If buying one new the shipping can be expensive. I wish they were a bit longer than their 7'8" length. Also you need a pricey special Weaver davit for them.
knotflying
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Everything is a compromise. The Portland Pudgy is very stable and has several available attachments. It is fairly heavy. I know some people who needed a small pulley system to lift it out of the water. Explore your options.
We had a Pudgy for our R-25 (Classic).
Special davits aren't required.
I allowed my Pudgy to lean slightly forward and simply secured it to transom rail. This provided better rear view vs. leaving it upright.
I used a 4:1 pulley system that cost me around $50 (50 foot 1/4 dia line, block&tackle and a D-ring attached to Pudgy. At best it was no more than a 20 lb effort to lift the Pudgy from the water and of course it got easier as the Pudgy made its way to 90º and then tipping onto the transom rail. The tackle was attached to the hand rail on port side upper roof line to port of cabin door.
Yes, the Pudgy is spendy buying new and will cost around $400 to $600 to have it shipped in a double bag from Maine to west coast. I had mine delivered directly to my Marina.
I believe they will be shortly increasing the price of the Pudgy after June 15th, 2017 as I got an Email from Deb Paley about a week ago about this on May 8.
Yes, the Pudgy is heavy and locating it on the swim step will increase your fuel burn.
Good luck.
Special davits aren't required.
I allowed my Pudgy to lean slightly forward and simply secured it to transom rail. This provided better rear view vs. leaving it upright.
I used a 4:1 pulley system that cost me around $50 (50 foot 1/4 dia line, block&tackle and a D-ring attached to Pudgy. At best it was no more than a 20 lb effort to lift the Pudgy from the water and of course it got easier as the Pudgy made its way to 90º and then tipping onto the transom rail. The tackle was attached to the hand rail on port side upper roof line to port of cabin door.
Yes, the Pudgy is spendy buying new and will cost around $400 to $600 to have it shipped in a double bag from Maine to west coast. I had mine delivered directly to my Marina.
I believe they will be shortly increasing the price of the Pudgy after June 15th, 2017 as I got an Email from Deb Paley about a week ago about this on May 8.
Yes, the Pudgy is heavy and locating it on the swim step will increase your fuel burn.
Good luck.
scross
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From the PP website.
"Weaver Davits $415.
Designed by Weaver Industries, specifically for use with the Portland Pudgy. A removable, rugged stainless steel, davit system to secure dinghy to boats with swim platforms. Allows the Pudgy to hinge up out of the water. Stabilizes boat for boarding and disembarking."
Maybe other Weaver davit models will work too but that doesn't seem to be what they are implying.
"Weaver Davits $415.
Designed by Weaver Industries, specifically for use with the Portland Pudgy. A removable, rugged stainless steel, davit system to secure dinghy to boats with swim platforms. Allows the Pudgy to hinge up out of the water. Stabilizes boat for boarding and disembarking."
Maybe other Weaver davit models will work too but that doesn't seem to be what they are implying.
SilverSailor
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We have a R31-S and have a Pudgy on the stern. We're doing the Great Loop. Had it on a Beneteau 31 ft sailboat previously. It is a little heavy, but works great as a dinghy. We use a triple pulley block setup from the sailing days that make it pretty easy to pull it up. I use the support rail for the stern seat to pull it up but I plan on putting a bracket on the cockpit hardtop.
Spinner
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I recently switched from the Ranger Inflatable to a Portland Pudgy on my 2015 R 31
Yes, the pieces that attach to the dinghy are specifically made for the Pudgy. You will need to get those, but not the whole setup. . I re-used the Weaver snap davits and standoffs that I already had for the inflatable. This required:
Having the snap davits moved
Attaching the two L brackets to the Pudgy (for the standoffs.
Attaching a d-ring in a central location for raising the dinghy up on the swim platform.
Filling in the holes left from the old position. I used bolts, fender washers, lock nuts and sealant.
I already had a 4 to 1 block and tackle for the prior dinghy. I can raise the fully loaded dinghy (with oars, electric system and sail kit) unaided. The only issue I have is that, due to the smaller size of the Pudgy, the lifting angle is a little too shallow. Glen Wagner advised me to prop up the lifting line with a boat hook for the initial pull out of the water, which silves the problem. This could also be solved by moving the lifting eye on my Ranger to a more aft location.
Yes, the pieces that attach to the dinghy are specifically made for the Pudgy. You will need to get those, but not the whole setup. . I re-used the Weaver snap davits and standoffs that I already had for the inflatable. This required:
Having the snap davits moved
Attaching the two L brackets to the Pudgy (for the standoffs.
Attaching a d-ring in a central location for raising the dinghy up on the swim platform.
Filling in the holes left from the old position. I used bolts, fender washers, lock nuts and sealant.
I already had a 4 to 1 block and tackle for the prior dinghy. I can raise the fully loaded dinghy (with oars, electric system and sail kit) unaided. The only issue I have is that, due to the smaller size of the Pudgy, the lifting angle is a little too shallow. Glen Wagner advised me to prop up the lifting line with a boat hook for the initial pull out of the water, which silves the problem. This could also be solved by moving the lifting eye on my Ranger to a more aft location.
DreadKnot
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Our latest Portland Pudgy project was to finally have the '2" up by 4" out' weaver davits installed on our R27. What a difference an install makes! We are so happy with this decision. We've been towing the pudgy behind the boat, which is kind of a pain and causes a lot of stress on the first mate. We regularly haul a ton of stuff in the pudgy to shore, and this tender is great. It can haul the two of us and all of our gear (buckets, barrels, etc.) for clamming and geoducking. We also bought the easy on/off winch and it was a snap to get the pudgy back "on board". The pudgy is great. I cannot compare to others, so I'm sure there are other options out there.