43DS tender/dinghy on deck 260 vs 290

[ales]

Hi

our Zodiac 260RIB is slowly "dying" after 12 years... and we are thinking to buy new tender and we looking towards 290 cm.
The fact is that 260 sits perfectly on deck.




I measured what would 290 be but is there anyone that has a 290 an stores it on deck?

At the moment Highfield 290 UL looks like an option but what bothers me is that there are so many Highfield tenders around.
What is an alternative?

Why 290? Because I want to mount 15HP 2 stroke.
Now with Zodiac 260 HP I use 9,8HP 2 stroke and it is a rocket (in a way).


Thanks

[rxc]

I have a new Highfield 290on the foredeck of my 43DS, and it fits pretty well. This is the first time I have mounted it there, for the trip from Annapolis to Florida, and it did well. The extra towing points were useful to tie it down. I do have a concern about the metal plate on the bow of the 290 bearing on the hatch. I moved the dinghy to the side, but will have to do something different next time.

Photos tomorrow am.

[ales]

Oct 28, 2023 23:31:12 GMT rxc said:

I have a new Highfield 290on the foredeck of my 43DS, and it fits pretty well. This is the first time I have mounted it there, for the trip from Annapolis to Florida, and it did well. The extra towing points were useful to tie it down. I do have a concern about the metal plate on the bow of the 290 bearing on the hatch. I moved the dinghy to the side, but will have to do something different next time.

Photos tomorrow am.

Do you place the dinghy with bottom down? I do turn it around so it rests on tubes.

Pic would be great

[rxc]

It is upside down on deck. This was the first time I had done it with the new dinghy (March 2023). The boat was in a yard up in Md, on the hard, and on deck was the best place to store it for a month, and when we came to fetch the boat my wife said that we would not need it for the trip south, so it is still there. I need to get it down to see if the new dinghy cover fits, and to measure for holes in the cover to allow me to hoist it onto the arch.

We used to carry the old Caribe on deck for open ocean legs, and it worked pretty well. I use a few cockpit throw cushions on the helmsman seat to let me see better over the top. I will have to find something similar to protect the fwd hatch from that metal plate on top of the bow of the dinghy.

[ales]

Thanks for the photos!
Fits perfectly. I see that it could be positioned more closer to the mast so there is plenty of room.
I think I’ll go for the 290.

What metal plate is on the bow?

And one q: is this the Ultra Light version?

[rxc]

My dinghy is a Highfield CL290 AR/HY. It is the Classic version, and weighs 130 pounds. If you go to the highfield website and look at the brochure you will see a small square pad on the top of the bow. This is a step, but it has a popup cleat embedded in it, and when the boat is upside down, this cleat bears on the deck/dock/whatever. It would not be a good idea to have that cleat bearing on the forward hatch in heavy weather without some padding.

I crossed the atlantic with a Caribe C9x on deck, and it did well, except for the handles. I made the mistake of using them as tie-down points, which resulted in one ripping apart. It could still be used as a handle, but with difficulty, and I never got around to replacing the handle. I won't make that mistake with the Highfield. The various towing points are located very well to tie the dinghy down on deck.

Now, I just have to convince my wife to help me put the dinghy in the water so that I can try out the new cover and figure out how to fit the lifting points for the arch thru the cover. I am also going to buy her a small trolling motor because she hates ICEs - I am not sure whether my current starting battery (AGM) will work well with the trolling motor, or I have to install a bigger battery. <sigh> And, of course, she wants a floating dinghy dock so that she won't have to drop the dinghy into the water from the arch - she would prefer to drive it off a dock. <big sigh>

I will post photos of the cover once it is in the water.

[rxc]

One last thought. I used to own a Catalina 34, and stowed the Caribe up on the foredeck, upside down, all the time, which was a real PITA compared to having the arch. But one other C34 owner made a cradle for his dinghy (dont remember which one) so that it was not upside down and he could use a lifting frame to just hoist the dinghy up and drop it into the water. I don't think I would do this for a heavy weather crossing, but if you don't have davits and sail in relatively protected water, it can work well. Highfield has templates for a cradle, if you are so minded.

[ales]

Thanks for all the informations.
I see that there is an option for "FRP Bow Step". This is step with flush cleat.
Anyway I guess my choice will be the ultralite model.
There are two options for tube diameters and as a result, you can put 15HP engine on a boat with larger tubes.
Since I have 10HP on a 260 ZODIAC RIB, I'll go for Ultralite model with standard tubes which allows me 10HP but 15HP will do also, I am sure.
I will not register the boat, so no papers no fuss...

I have an arch for solar panels and there is space for a dinghy (with some modification to provide extra strenght).
This is convenient for longer passages as you mentioned and to store it overnight on an anchorage.
But since I am sailing in the Med, the med-mooring style does not allow me comfortable docking with dinghy on davits (arch).

[Valor323]

I came up from Florida 3 weeks ago with a Highfield CL290 on the deck of my 41ds. The transom butts up to the mast and there is still room to walk around the entire bow of the boat. You should have no issues with a 43.