8 ft sabot- ok for a tender?

[hansp77]

As I need to get a tender to get out to my bigger boat on its mooring,
I have been looking into building a cheap one. (see the $100 boat challenge)
However I have found a fiberglass sabot for sale for $100 Australian.
I haven't managed to talk to the owner yet, but it says their is a little damage to the hull. I am not worried about this damage, if it is indeed little, as I have more than enough fiberglass and epoxy to solve that, but,

How would this boat go as a tender?
I have found a site saying that it will hold two adults- but seeing as though these are usually sailed by one child, I find this a little dubious.

Generally I would like to winch the tender up under the jetty and use it as a row boat, but, if it would be possible to sail in it, say direct from the beach out to the mooring then that would be nice too.

I weigh 88kg, and my girlfriend must weigh less than 60kg.
Are we going to get wet if we try to sail this thing (very slowly and carefully), and if so, will it do for a paddle boat?

Thanks,
Hans.

Here are some sabot pics, (not actual boat).

[hansp77]

To partly answer myself,
I can see that there would be no real flotation problems with just the two of us paddling,
so it is about the sailability.

[SeaSpark]

Do you plan to only use the tender for beech / mooring (and some sailing fun) traffic? Or do you plan to take it with you when cruising?

In the last case the small size is a big plus. In the first case i would recommend not to take to many and expensive stores AND two people in one go but to row twice.

Have fun,

Jeroen

[hansp77]

Jeroen,
both options really- but mainly the first.
we have a sevylor inflatable to keep on the boat, but
there would be times when it would be good to take the tender as well or instead.
Its size would mean that it would fit in the back of my van, or on my girfriends car roof, and we can take it down to her family beach house to play around in the bay, or take it camping.
So long as it would hold us both when sailing.

what do you mean by -two people in one go but to row twice?

thanks,
Hans.

[SeaSpark]

what do you mean by -two people in one go but to row twice?

When you go for a sailing trip i'd first take your girlfriend to the boat. And after that the supplies you need for the trip. This to prevent the clothes you are wearing AND the spare clothes for the trip get wet in the same accident and not to overload the dinghy thus preventing accidents.

Sailing to the mooring (how far is it?) may seem a nice option at the moment but in reality rigging it for the trip to the mooring will be a hassle compared to just putting the ore's in the water and rowing there (this depending on distance).

Sailing it with two people may be possible but the performance will not be very rewarding so chances are you will get bored with it quite soon.

Sorry if my language is not clear all the time, had many beers this weekend.

Jeroen

[hansp77]

thanks Jeroen, now I get it,
it sounds like it will be ok for us,
Hans.

[hansp77]

Damn,
sold already.
Thanks anyway Jeroen.

[SeaSpark]

Don't be sad, this is a great opportunity to design and build a boat yourself!

[hansp77]

Though I am very drawn to doing this,
I sort of have to keep talking myself out of it for the moment.
I have spent the last three months or more full time working and spending on our boat. Now I need to do some real work and start paying off some of the debt I have accumulated. For $100 and maybe one or two half days of fiberglassing, I would have been happy with that one, as the time it would save over a build would have been well worth it.
Plus there is still a fair bit to do to the seahorse.

But maybe you are right though,
I am not too sure about the design part, as glimpsing into touchcad has sort of overwhelmed me with the learning curve,
but maybe I will be building one after all.

I have already collected some materials for what I was going to build in the $100 boat thread, I have a big bundle of western red cedar and some other stuff.

Gotta run.
Thanks,
Hans.