Love My Tender

Published: Tuesday, July 31, 2018
By: Dan Armitage, Buckeye Sportsman Radio

If it seems odd to own a tender for a 22 foot cuddy cabin boat, you’ve never moored off Put-in-Bay on a busy summer weekend. But, for three seasons, that’s how we justified the inflatable Sevylor kayak my wife and I used to get from our designated mooring ball to the dockside party and back. The alternative was waiting for the water taxi that cost time and money that we didn’t have to spare at the time.

The one Friday we did arrive early enough at the ’Bay to score a space mid-raft at the busy public docks where they allow multiple boats to raft off a single slip, we regretted it for the final time when, at two in the morning, someone stumbling across our deck to get to their own boat stepped through our open hatch and almost landed in our laps as we “slept.” So, mooring was the way to go, and getting to and from shore was a minor obstacle.

When deflated, the portable Sevylor was out of the way while we were fishing and cruising, and served well when matched to a turbo-charged 12 volt inflator/deflator. It was also great for exploring beaches and getting wet exercise on hot summer days from our anchored Mothership.

As that base boat grew in size over the years, so have the simple tenders we stow to allow us to mess about in the waters around it. I’ve used everything from windsurfers and stand up paddleboards (SUPs) to kayaks to get around and venture to shore and back, and each has its appeal. Inflatable model kayaks and SUPs have come a long way in recent years, and properly inflated, the blow-up boards are as rigid and stable as the standard poly or fiberglass models.

Our tender-of-choice this season is a Malibu PDL pedal-powered kayak from Ocean Kayak. The sit-on-top (SOT) recreational model is designed to carry one person plus a dog, picnic cooler, small child, or camping gear. Despite being an open, SOT model, which we prefer for tender use for ease of entry and exit boat-side, there is lots of stowage space aboard and the mesh seat is removable for use on the beach. The pedal power frees up our hands for photography, fishing, securing items during transport, and steadying ourselves when boarding, de-boarding, and beaching. Whether pedal- or paddle-powered, we definitely recommend SOT model kayaks for tender use; try slipping into and out of a sit-in model from a boat and you’ll quickly understand why.

Carrying a full size kayak aboard our present 20 foot center console fishing boat wasn’t an option until we came across a rack offered by Magma Products. Most kayak racks, including other popular models from Magma, require the boat to have sturdy rails for attaching the arms. That’s fine for sailboats and larger powercraft with railings flanking the decks, but until Magma came up with the racks that fit in a pair of standard flush mount rod holders, there simply wasn’t a way to carry a kayak or SUP aboard boats lacking proper railings. The Magma racks are super-adjustable, adapt to angled and horizontal rod holders, and can be rigged for any configuration.

Sometimes we carry an SUP instead of the kayak as a tender. A SUP is actually easier to “board” from a boat than the lower-profile SOT kayak; you simply step aboard and remain standing before paddling off. If that sounds like a balance challenge, you can rig the SUP with sponsons. We use an inflatable Airhead SUP model from Kwik Tek. The portable, strap-on floats serve as “training wheels” for paddlecraft borrowed by balance-challenged friends or until you get your own sea-legs and the stability that comes quickly with use.

A tender for your primary boat offers more than mere transportation to and from shore, especially paddlecraft that combine a little exercise with the exercise of going to and fro. Kayaks and SUPs allow you to explore, wildlife watch, and even can be rigged for fishing — details of which can be found in this issue’s fishing column here.