09/27/2024
“Anyone planning a long cruise in cold waters—especially alone—must have good ship- to-shore transportation. With the mothership being only 25-feet long and less than 8-feet wide, I faced a problem most small-boat cruisers have—where will the tender live out of the way and still be easily and quickly deployed. As a longtime trailersailer I’ve had a plethora of kayaks that I would tow or strap somewhere (inflated or delfated) out of the water but under the sails and away from the tiller. For this trip I wanted something that met these qualifications:
Allow me to board without getting wet
Can carry at least one other person
Have enough room to carry provisions and laundry
Possess the ability to cross the bay safely in pretty much any weather
Stow and maintain in “ready to go” condition
Stable enough I could—God forbid—grab my ditch kit to hop aboard in case our resident Orcas have learned some new tricks from their Portuguese brethren.
I love hard-sided dinghies, and one would look just right following Tuffy, but with her narrow beam (and just one of me on board) a right-sized inflatable with small outboard was the answer… and I found it in the Scout 245 Inflatable Raft paired with the EPropulsion EVO outboard.
The Scout comes in at just 8-feet long and a scant 3 1/2-feet wide, yet has big 14” tubes and a drop-stitch floor for stability. At about 40 pounds it can be manhandled by one guy, fit nicely atop Tuffy’s cabin top (even aside a cargo rack) when crossing the more exposed passages, and tow well behind her in protected waters. The transom is stout and there are oars and integrated locks for rowing… yet it’s narrow enough you can sit on the padded bench seat and paddle along with a kayak paddle (I plan to bring both but find the kayak paddle the ticket). The seat has a removable zippered bag hanging underneath to carry a patch kit, foot pump, water, lunch, phone and whatever else, and the bottom is reinforced with an extra layer of tough PVC for dragging up a rocky beach. The bow has a small air chamber to support a hitchhiker, and the max load spec is 500 pounds.“
