After spending 200,000 - 500,000 € £ $ + on a nice catamaran with all the bells and whistles one of the most important items just has to be your tender (dingy). Your main method for you to get your family and friends safely to and from your floating home in flat calm conditions or a heavy chop.
There are a lot of choices out there, from a V.Hulled Rigid Hull Inflatable RIB, soft inflatable deck dingy, integrated Jet boat, injection moulded tender, but what is the best and safest option? Then there is the propulsion; a petrol outboard, electric outboard or a jet boat as mentioned above.
There are of course disadvantages and advantages in all choices, but weight, longevity, safety and last but not least, price has to be taken into consideration.
Materials and Durability
Different materials such as PVC and the better Hypalon option is of course is a price option also. That nice white PVC Rib with the bright blue rubbing strake may look good in the chandlery, might look smart but one season in the Caribbean or Mediterranean hot sun the UV will soon take its toll.
A Hypalon Inflatable combined with a nice deep V hull with some UV stabilising properties are the common choice for most catamaran owners, but is that the best decision?
The Weight Problem
Most catamaran Davits up to about 50ft catamaran are designed to take about 150 - 180 kg per davit. Your rib combined with your outboard is pushing those limits to the extreme in heavy weather swinging on those davits or all the weight on one davit in heavy seas.
Sure put a bracket to hang your heavy outboard on the stanchion rail, but lifting that thing on and off when you get to your destination is not so easy with you discs in your spine popping out like clay pigeons!
Not only that, but most peoples experience with outboards is the unreliability, trying to start the dammed thing, when you need it the most, pulling on that cord until you run out of breath, flooding the engine and forgotten the oars! Sure some people will argue that any outboard is reliable if its well serviced, which is true.
Alternative Options
How many boat owners do you see repairing their inflatable with patches on the dock after rubbing against a metal spike or on some sharp rocks on the beach? Then there is the ultra light inflatable dingy combined with the inflatable deck. Great! It's lightweight, you can even deflate it when your not using it and stick it in a locker, your limited on outboard, but you can even put an electric outboard on it like a Torquedo. Not so stable in high winds or a heavy chop but much easier to handle because of its light weight.
Then of course there is the chance of getting your prop snagged on discarded rope or fishing net and another big safety thing with that big rotating “Blender” propeller on you outboard that could turn a whole cow into mince meat in about 30 seconds!
Oh! then there is petrol for the outboard normally stored separately in the locker and trying to find the fuel in some remote location when you need it, not to mention the flammable properties of gas (for my American friends). That container always seams to leak after that rubber washer on the tank degrades!
Then there is something like a Williams Tender priced at about 25k, great boat weighs about 220kg, no propeller to chop you or your guests up, petrol again though!
The Solution: The SPARK Tender
https://worldwidecatamarans.com/tenders/spark-boats
We started to be official Dealers for the SPARK Tender powered by the reliable electric ZERO JET engine. It’s unashamedly expensive, but what isn’t these days? If its any good that is!
Now guess, what is a lightweight strong material that many of the top of the range catamarans are built from? Your right Charlie Brown, Carbon Fibre!
The SPARK only weighs in at 190 kg with a deep V hull to reduce slamming, built of carbon fibre, neat recessed pop up cleats, nice wide rubbing strake also retractable beach wheels, floats in 10cm of water.
Whats nice is that the SPARK plug into your boats electrical system for charging and can colour match your catamaran with any decals or any RAL colour looking and an optional cover and extras to keep it looking smart as the day you unwrapped it!
Summary of Benefits:
This is the new Electric carbon fibre Yacht Tender by SPARK powered by the ZERO JET electric drive. For more info and prices message me or e.mail: graham@worldwidecatamarans.com
- No prop in the water to get snagged
- Safety with no prop in the water to cause injury or death
- Lightweight for ease of launch & Recovery only 190 kg
- No excessive strain on the davits like the jet ribs
- Shallow draft in 10cm of water
- V hull for added stability and reduced slamming
- Very stable for up to 6 people
- Does not puncture, or constant pumping up
- Unsinkable with built in 600kg of lift for Buoyancy
- Highly resistant UV Stabilised Coating minimum degradation
- Reliable starts every time (no struggling and tugging pull cords)
- Fast 23 knots maximum speed
- Choice of Colours and options
- Quiet operation, no waking up your neighbours
- Charge from you boats electrical system
Order through Worldwide Catamarans Official Dealers of SPARK TENDERS. https://worldwidecatamarans.com/tenders/spark-boats