Hi everyone,

Thinking about getting a new tender but eventually would be heading north through the Kimberly's Arnhem Land etc just curious what others are using for tenders ? I like the look of MAC 270 but a touch on the small side, polycraft ? Not sure ,I'm on a 40 ft monohull

I used a Walker Bay Rib. Pulled well up the beach when ashore and lifted each evening.. DON'T throw scraps overboard or blood from any packed meat down the sink and you'll not have too many interactions with the Crocs.

Hi Jaydee
When in crocodile country, you need to act as if there is a croc waiting to eat you sitting behind your boat at all times. Mostly there won't be, but there could be. Crocs can hide from you really well. I have had a passing boat spot the croc behind my boat before I saw it.
Tender needs to be as stable as possible, with your boarding procedures as simple and quick as possible, so duckboard/ladder/sugarscoop. The type of tender doesn't really matter, as long as you have the stability. Being able to easily lift the dinghy each night and for passages is important.
And if you are up here in the Wet, it really does rain! This means you need to lift the dinghy each night, get up to bail in the middle of the night, or install a bilge pump/float switch/battery.
Enjoy your time in croc country- it's magic

Reminds me of the question we were asked by a London cabbie in the early 80s when we got talking about sailing on Sydney Harbour - his question "I assume everyone takes a shotgun with them for the sharks"

I wouldn't take a tender up there.

I would take a tougher and Walker Bays are as tough as they get.

Mine is an 8 (rated for 2 persons) and happy with it but croc country a 10 is a better idea.

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cisco said..
I wouldn't take a tender up there.

I would take a tougher and Walker Bays are as tough as they get.

Mine is an 8 (rated for 2 persons) and happy with it but croc country a 10 is a better idea.

I really like the walker bays , always a compromise between something that rows well and something that gets up on the plane , I guess you can't have it both ways

With a 40 foot mono a 10 to 12 foot tinnie should be easy enough to have on davits and will probably be a more stable option than a Walker Bay.

I grew up in Cairns and we used to go chasing Barra up the cape in Rivers and waterholes where saltys lived in my 10 foot Achilles inflatable

Probably not the best choice of boat but if a croc got serious it probably wouldn't matter what type of small boat you were sitting in

Regards Don

you need to talk to Knot Bored a few floors below.

His ally dingy is one of the nicest I have seen.
Croc proof.

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crustysailor said..
you need to talk to Knot Bored a few floors below.

His ally dingy is one of the nicest I have seen.
Croc proof.

Hi Crusty

To say any dinghy is croc proof is a pretty big call

We used to joke that you just need to carry a green garden rake with you to smack them on the snout with because that is all the croc handlers in the wildlife parks use

Regards Don

This would be pretty croc proof

When i did a boys trip to the cape a few years ago we used a Quintrex 350 Explorer as a tender. Proved to be a pretty good boat for up there it was stable, roomy, and fairly dry for what it is. Our one had a false floor in the front ( pictured below). IMO its still nice to have a tender that you can go for day trips away from the big boat in. Storage could be a problem on a 40 footer though.

Thats true Don.
Many years ago I went on a Wednesday night social sail out of Port Douglass Yacht Club.

When we put the boat back on the mooring afterwards, the locals said they often have crocs around their dingys, and on the ramp, as it borders the Daintree, and was especially important at night to have a good look before you step down into the dink.

The sailing was great, but i'll stay down south with the sharks thanks.

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Wander66 said..
This would be pretty croc proof

What!! You going to hang that on your davits are you??

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Oceannomad said..

Tender needs to be as stable as possible, with your boarding procedures as simple and quick as possible, so duckboard/ladder/sugarscoop. The type of tender doesn't really matter, as long as you have the stability. Being able to easily lift the dinghy each night and for passages is important.

To add to Oceannomad's comments on boarding, you'll also hear advice to never depart/arrive the same route twice in a row as apparently crocs can determine a pattern. I don't know if they can or they cannot. But I didn't see the sense it trying to figure it out.

But as far as the original question, tinnie or Rib will be up to what you and your boat can handle. Just make sure it has a hard bottom one way or the other. Not only are crocs the issue, but sharp rocks and gritty sand will make short work of a soft bottom boat (I swapped out my soft bottom Quicksilver for my current Walker Bay in Darwin before going through the Kimberlys).

And get those wheels that go on the transom. It is a long lift back when you stuff your tide timings up