PocketShip.net

I saw a video of a sailor dragging a small sit-on-top, plastic kayak behind his 17' boat down the Florida Keys. Ignoring the obvious travesty of having a plastic kayak vs. a wooden one, is that something PS can manage without too much of an impact on her performance? The thinking is to have an available mode of transport for fun and/or emergency.

Any other considerations? (outboard issues, sea conditions?)

Tattoo's present tender, Pluto, is a CLC Eastport Nesting Pram. When towed, she probably slows Tattoo down a little, but not a whole lot. When tacking (or other sailing maneuvers), she just tags along without requiring any special attention. For an overnight cruise I like to have her along so I can explore the shore or just row or sail around the harbor. The pram (when nested) can fit into Tattoo's cockpit when trailering. The smaller "half" is easily loaded/unloaded into (or out of) the cockpit, but the heavier (about 50+ lbs) is much more difficult (for me). Usually, at the ramp, I can recruit a helper. With two, it's fairly easy. Tattoo's first dinghy, Copycat, is shown below.


I'm now considering a small light-weight kayak as a replacement for Pluto. I'd like a tender that I wouldn't need help loading/unloading for road transport. Before Pluto, I had Copycat, a Nutshell Pram (WoodenBoat Magazine kit manufactured by CLC). It wouldn't "nest" and had to be cartopped. Copycat is FOR SALE ($1,999 oars, sail, beach dolly, etc) and, if I replace Pluto with a kayak, Pluto will be for sale too.

I'm planning on towing my wooden kayak and having the best of both worlds--Pocketship for crossings and comfortable camping, and my kayak for exploring shorelines. I was thinking it might be tricky getting into the kayak from Pocketship, but perhaps a paddlefloat with the paddle secured under the bungies on the stern deck would stabilize it enough. Or maybe a little boarding ladder designed just for that purpose would be worth it. I'll find out!

They're not pretty, but an inflatable kayak makes a good, stable tender. If you have a battery onboard you can inflate it when you get to your destination rather than towing it (although they tow fairly well too). We chartered a sailboat up in Alaska and they used inflatable kayaks for tenders. Entry and exit wasn't that hard, even with full winter clothing.