Tender advice , grp keel vs inflatable

[elias]

Hi to all,
Our zodiac 2.7 has no issues but i can feel the fabric is worn and I have to start thinking about a new one . It has plywood panel floor and a separate tube that creates a v shape keel .

Some sailors advised me that since I always tow it I should go for a grp hull that offers less drag for the same size .

Is that correct ?
I don’t care to plane it , I use a Honda 2.3 air cooled for years and I am super happy with it.

[SYJetzt]

I would not care about drag. Changed my tender to a rib, it offers much more course stability than the inflatable (mine without a keel tube!). Easier to steer with the outboard and much easier to row.
Is a little heavier than the inflatable types.
We use our stern arch as davits to lift the tender, and if we are doing a bigger passage, we stowe it  on chocks on deck.

 

[elias]

Thanks for the reply , davits at the moment is not an option , but can you recall if the force of drag while towing is less now even the rib is heavier?

[SYJetzt]

I think the drag will be slightly more, but this is not really an issue, except you are on a regate (but i've never seen someone towing a tender in a regate!)

[MagicalArmchair]

We have an inflatable keel on a HonWave 3.8. It's cracking. Best way to avoid drag is get it back on deck and not to tow it at all. It takes me about 15 minutes to put the dinghy away (including cleaning) and about 20 minutes to pump it up again.

[blue-max]

Been thinking about this myself. Got a 3m rib  but its a bit too long and heavy. No space on the foredeck but I can put on the aft deck using the boom and mainsheet as a hoist but its getting too much effort. Want to  go for a lighter (aluminium hull) and shorter 2.6/2.7 and and stowe lengthways across the transom. Also thinking hypalon rather than pvc. Towing was a problem when weather deteriorated - it flipped! Also be careful about towing in Italian waters - some one was heavily fined.