![]() |
The Intex Seahawk II |
Tender To – The Second Hole in the Water
If we trust the axiom that a boat is, by definition, a hole
in the water into which one throws endless amounts of money, we must then
define a tender as the second hole.
Let’s all be clear on this: I take offense to my beautiful summer
getaway being described as a bottomless money pit; however, shopping for a
tender this month has admittedly become a disappointingly expensive task!
I have to give credit where credit is due. There have been some pretty sweet
advancements in tenders over the past few years (this thing is pretty cool
looking, and has an opening door in the bow: http://www.hollandyachtdesign.com/XTENDER.html). And lots of people like to talk about how
many options there are (http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/dinghy.php)
and which ones are best (http://www.cruisingworld.com/tenders-making-the-hard-choice).
“But,” one avid boater-on-a-budget may ask, “what if I don’t
have super-yacht storage or the money to purchase a small boat that costs
almost as much as my big one?” In fact,
it turns out that yours truly fits into that category. With a 26’ Maxum cabin cruiser, I can travel,
sleep four, cook, and otherwise have a grand old time; however, I have neither
the budget nor the space to entertain any of the serious dinghy options. Even if I could purchase a modestly-priced
(read: $800, or 800 bargain-priced beers) Zodiac or comparable RIB, I can’t fit
it anywhere on my boat without it looking like I were pulling off a Mafia-style
water disposal of sorts.
Enter three days of research, and the winner of the
poor-man’s-tender prize: The Seahawk II by Intex. Here were my criteria: the boat had to be
compact when deflated, easy to inflate/deflate, able to put up with
ship-to-shore and exploratory services on relatively calm waters, and CHEAP! The Seahawk II fit all of these criteria and
more: at $107.00 on Amazon (you didn’t read that incorrectly), it’s a perfect
fit. The reassurance of a plethora of
positive reviews, accompanied by a smorgasbord of very impressive YouTube
videos, sealed the deal for this little beast of a boat.
This entire package can be had for under $330.00. Now that’s what I call boating on a budget! So when you see me puttering around the Long
Island Sound this summer, wallet fat from the savings, ask me for a ride in my
new Seahawk II.
0 comments:
Post a Comment