Dinghy & Tender Care: Keep Your Yacht's Most Used Boat Working

The dinghy is the most-used boat aboard most cruising yachts. Every trip ashore, every grocery run, every time you go visit another boat — it's the dinghy doing the work. And it's the boat most owners neglect. UV-rotted tubes, 8-year-old transom motors that won't start, oars that snapped years ago and were never replaced.

This guide covers the realistic care and gear that keeps your tender working when you need it.

Dinghy types: trade-offs

Roll-up inflatables (floor inflates separately): cheapest, lightest, easiest to stow. Slow under power. Limited capacity. Good for occasional shore runs from a sailboat.

Inflatables with rigid floor (slatted or aluminum): better load capacity and on-plane performance than roll-ups, but heavier and bulkier when stowed. Common on mid-size cruisers.

Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs): fiberglass V-hull with inflatable tubes. Best handling and seakeeping, plane on smaller motors. Heavy (typically need davits), expensive ($3-15K+). Standard for larger cruising yachts and most charter operations.

Hard tenders (rowing prams, small fiberglass boats): no inflation needed, more durable, lower cost. Heavier per square foot of floor space. Common on traditional sailboats.

For most cruising yachts in the 35-55 ft range, a 9-11 ft RIB on davits with a 15-25 hp outboard is the sweet spot. Plane two adults plus groceries; durable enough to survive a season of beach landings.

The most-neglected maintenance: tube care

Inflatable tubes — whether on a roll-up or a $10K RIB — are made of either Hypalon (CSM) or PVC. Both UV-degrade if you don't protect them. Both can be patched, but the cost-of-care is far less than the cost-of-replacement.

Wash the tubes after every saltwater use. Salt residue accelerates UV breakdown. A bucket of fresh water and a sponge takes 2 minutes.

Cover the dinghy in storage. UV is the killer of inflatable tubes. A simple Sunbrella cover can extend tube life from 4 years to 10+ years.

Use a UV-protectant on tubes. 303 Aerospace Protectant (most popular) or Marlon — applied every 4-6 weeks during the season. Restores oils that UV has stripped.

Don't power-wash tubes. Pressure washing degrades the surface. Use a hose, sponge, mild soap.

Don't park the dinghy upside-down on hot pavement. Heat softens the adhesives at seams. Same goes for storing on top of a dark-colored deck.

Patch leaks immediately. A pinhole leak that sits unrepaired turns into a tube replacement. Most inflatable repair kits work fine for small punctures; major seam failures are a yard job.

Outboard care for dinghy motors

Dinghy outboards (typically 5-25 hp) take more abuse than main engines but get less attention. The basics:

• Flush after every use in salt. Even small outboards have flush ports. Run them on muffs or in a bucket of fresh water for 5 minutes.
• Stabilize fuel. Most dinghy outboards sit unused for 1-2 weeks at a time. Ethanol fuel separates and gums carburetors fast. Add fuel stabilizer to every tank.
• Drain or run dry. If the outboard will sit more than a month, run the carb dry by closing the fuel petcock and running until the engine dies. Prevents 90% of "won't start" problems.
• Annual service. Spark plugs, lower-unit gear oil, water pump impeller. About a 2-hour DIY job or $200-300 at a shop.
• Check the lower unit oil for milkiness. Milky oil = water in the lower unit = failed seal. Replace immediately or you'll be replacing gears.

For 4-stroke outboards: also change engine oil annually. For 2-stroke: ensure correct oil mix ratio (50:1 for most) and use TC-W3 marine 2-stroke oil, not auto 2-stroke oil.

Davits and lifting

Davits — the cantilevered arms that hold the dinghy at the stern of a yacht — are convenient but not foolproof. Common failures:

• Stainless tubing fatigue cracks at welded joints. Inspect annually with a magnifying glass.
• Cable wear on davits with cable lifts. Replace at any sign of broken strands.
• Backing plates that have loosened. Re-tighten and re-bed annually.

For passages or rough conditions, don't run the engine in the davits at sea. The shock loads are not what davits are designed for. Either deck-stow the dinghy, tow it, or for serious offshore — deflate and stow in a locker. Many a dinghy has been lost overboard from a davit failure in 8-foot seas.

For sailboats with deck-stowed dinghies: a clean, secure tie-down with through-bolted padeyes is non-negotiable.

Towing the dinghy

Short-trip towing in calm water is fine; towing offshore or in any seaway is asking for trouble. Best practices when you do tow:

• Use a bridle, not a single line off the painter. Distributes load between two strong points on the dinghy bow.
• Painter (towline) length: match wave length. In small chop, shorter is better. In larger swells, lengthen to ride one full wave back from the boat.
• Speed: under 6 knots usually, well under hull speed of the dinghy.
• Outboard tilted up. A lower-unit dragging in saltwater for hours kills bearings.
• Bail the dinghy regularly. A swamped dinghy in tow becomes a sea anchor that can pull the stern of a small yacht around in a wave.
• Cut-loose plan. Carry a sharp knife at the helm. If the dinghy starts taking the boat broadside in a wave, cut it free.

The minimum dinghy gear list

Don't be the boat hailing a Mayday because the dinghy outboard quit a half-mile from shore. Carry:

• Two oars (or a paddle and an oar). Oar locks in working order.
• Anchor with at least 25 ft of line. Small folding anchors work fine.
• Bailer or bilge pump.
• Spare drain plug. (Lost drain plugs sink dinghies on a regular basis.)
• VHF handheld in a dry bag.
• Life jackets (legally required, often forgotten).
• Whistle and waterproof flashlight.
• Fuel — always with margin. A 3-gallon fuel tank on a 20-mile day = bad math.
• Tool kit: pliers, screwdriver, spare spark plugs, pull cord (if not electric start).
• Patch kit and pump (for inflatables).

Buying advice

For a new RIB tender on a cruising yacht in 2026:

• Highfield, Walker Bay, or AB Inflatables — proven brands with parts and dealer networks worldwide.
• Hypalon over PVC if budget allows — 12+ year life vs. 5-7 year life. Worth the upcharge for a primary tender.
• Aluminum hull or aluminum-bottom hybrid is increasingly popular — lighter than fiberglass, more durable than soft-bottom.
• Pair to a 4-stroke outboard. Quieter, cleaner, and 2-strokes are slowly being phased out in many regions.

A good RIB + outboard combo runs $5,000-$12,000 fully rigged with cover, fuel tank, and basic gear. Considering it's used 200+ days a year on most cruising yachts, the math works.

When the tender becomes a project

If your existing dinghy is fading — soft tubes, sticky outboard, water seeping in fittings — get it serviced before the tubes are too far gone to save. A tube re-glue or seam re-bond at a marine canvas/inflatable shop is far cheaper than a new RIB.

For dinghy and tender work, browse our hull repair directory and marine engine directory — most yards that work on yacht hulls and outboards handle tenders too.

For winter storage and protection, see our winterization guide — most of which applies to dinghy outboards and RIBs the same as to main engines.

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Photos by Unsplash contributors.