BB marine
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2016
- Messages
- 2,916
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-26
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- Grady White 208
- Vessel Name
- PORT-A-GEE
In a quest for the perfect tender I decided to try building one. We had a Gala 270 RIB. Awesome tender but slightly large for a 26' long 8.6' wide boat. To heavy and sat to high when using weaver davits. Aft visibility was lost. I sold the RIB and purchased a F270 Gala( high pressure floor roll up) for a backup ,very nice tender and weighs half of what the RIB did. It is still wide and when set up on the Weavers aft visibility is reduced considerably. My conclusion was to try to build a tender that is the exact dimension of the transom so water spray off the hull doesn't hit the tender while cruising. The tender needs to light but interior space is enough to hold 4 person, easily rowed, a small outboard can be used on it. The width is 4' or less so aft visibility is not reduced when using the Weaver davit system. I found a tender plan designed by Arch Davis. He supplied me with all the drawings needed to build the tender. I wanted to build a tender that was close to the design of a Portuguese skiff to match the our boats name( PORT-A-GEE).The tender I built is similar but it is a V hull, Portuguese skiff flat bottom. I measured the transom of the C26 8'1", I also measured the location of my installed weaver davit on the swim platform so I could reinforce the sides of the tender in the right location for hardshell dingy weaver brackets. The tenders dimension is 8'1" long and 48" wide. I installed two sets of cleats to the Cutwaters transom for the weaver standoffs. One set will have the tender mounted vertically on the swim platform which will be 52" high using the other set of cleats will have the boat sitting at a 45 degree angle reducing the elevation to 36" high giving me aft visibility. The designed weight of the tender is 50 lbs, The as built weight is 75lbs, I added a few extra supports and a thicker transom to support an outboard. It is designed to be sailed. I did not install the dagger board. It is not a sailing tender. I posted a few pictures below and a few of the build in my album. I have a folder with the complete build. It is not a stitch and glue it uses the tradition build which required building a "mold". It is all screwed and west system epoxy was used. The Hull is made from marine plywood and all support components are pine keeping the weight down. All wood after being fit was sealed all for sides with epoxy sealant, primed, stained, vanished or painted using all marine grade products. I can't comment on how well it handles or if it fulfills my wants. I can say it was a fun project for a person with average to below average wood working skills. That would be Me!
The topsides are primed ready for finish
The hull is painted to match out Cutwater, white boot line
White topside, boot line, interior varnished 7 coats, Transom stained and varnished 7 coats
The topsides are primed ready for finish
The hull is painted to match out Cutwater, white boot line
White topside, boot line, interior varnished 7 coats, Transom stained and varnished 7 coats
