3d Tender and Mercury 3 5hp outboard review

[@17starcraft]

Dingy.... Sea waddle

[@tonyrussell2734]

Hi Neil, How have you found the tender now you have had it for a while? How's the wear and tear? Thanks Tony

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

Hi Years on we have found this great. Very slight fading on the black sun cover. It is very light and thin so it must NOT be dragged across a surface always carried. great boat and very happy with it.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

There is a good guide to navigating the dart here. webzoom.freewebs.com/saboa/RYA%20Dart%20River%20crusing%20guide.pdf

[@Zippy0George0Bungle]

Looks great. Could you tell me which electric pump you bought please? Thank you

[@sailingaphrodite4189]

I rather enjoy using the foot pump, you can look round and take in the view. Brilliant to see a lovely French Boreal in Dartmouth. Did you manage to get aboard and take a look round? They are just amazingly well engineered expedition boats. We have friends who have sailed from South Georgia to Norway via the Pacific and loved their boat to bits.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

No we did not get to look around. The owners are from Washington and are currently traveling the world in her.

[@nickj1978]

Thanks for posting this review. I have been looking at the same tender although will go for a slightly longer version to fit the family in. Great shots of the Dart, we keep our boat just below Dittisham opposite Noss Marina.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

Great boat it just has to be carried not dragged.

[@teresabierd9001]

Looks lovely and so much fun 🤗. Pegasus might be a name complement to Sea Pigeon 😊

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

Pegasus it is.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

We have now had the tender for over one month now. We are very pleased how easy it is to get on deck due to the weight. It is also very quick to deflate and fold flat. I have had previous heavier tenders where this has been very difficult.

[@eoingrenham]

Hi. Thanks for posting the video. It's hard find reviews on these tenders. I'm buying a new tender this year and I'm torn between this and a Honwave. I really like the light weight and compact storage size of the 3D but I'm slightly concerned about strength and longevity of the 3D. How are you finding it so far? Any regrets?

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

@@eoingrenham The light weight comes with a draw back. You do need to carry it and NOT drag it. Great boat but not for man handling as it will be easy to puncture.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

@@eoingrenham I had one puncture due to dragging up the beach. But an easy repair. Also the bag for stowing is not great as the pull rings are not stainless and rust easy. But I am pleased with it.

[@andypidsley2688]

You are right about the small tank, I got caught out several times. I bought the engine new but sold it a year later as it was too fiddly on the choke to start no one else in the family could do it. The wreck is the sister ship to the Dartmouth Castle (Kingsweir Castle)still in steam at Dartmouth . Thanks for your great videos. Andy, Dawn Treader of Topsham.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

Hi Andy. many thanks for the comments. I have to say the engine was very tight initially when running in but so far so good. I can allow for the small tank and carry two 1 litre aluminium fuel tanks in the tender with me. Lots of comments about how easy it is for the main jet to block up. But my previous engine was a 2.3hp two stroke so this is a great improvement. Hence I will soon fit a paper filter on the fuel line. the tender also comes in at 150cm wide and with the deeper V bottom quite deep. This is giving me a problem getting it in the Tender rack at the club house. Good to hear about it ben the sister ship of the Dartmouth Castle. I spoke to one of the crew about this and it is still the original engine. I have some film as I pass it in one of our previous videos. It will be good to see you on the water at some time. If you see us come aboard there is always a cold beer for a visitor on board.

[@andypidsley2688]

@@AdventuresofSeaPigeon thanks for your reply hope to see you both too. I like your style of narration you are both naturals. Andy

[@pete9501]

Be interesting to see what happens to the boatyard at Totnes. We spent several days up there on the small visitors pontoon, but is bilge keel country really. Totnes is a great stop when a gale rolls in.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

We have a Fin keel that draws 1.6m i have never been as far up as Totness in the yacht. A local mariner told me only 2 hours either side of high tide? The tender ride was also to check out the river for a possible trip up in our moody 33S. Do you need to book for a pontoon up at Totness ?

[@paulweeks2801]

Baltic Wharf at Totnes is a very busy boatyard ex timber yard in a former life, we had our Rival 31 lifted out there for this winter and stored, great yard, all on site services including marine engineers, riggers and all wooden and fibreglass yacht repairs. Two hours either side of high tide is about right for fin keel craft, we draw 1.48m and had no problems. Not sure of the pontoon and what it offers. Great town too......

[@bushpig8109]

Does this outboard also starts in when shifted into forward? (no gear save)

[@NeilEwins]

Yes you can start it in gear with just a little more revs on the throttle. There is no cut out switch.

[@bushpig8109]

@@NeilEwins Many thanks mate.

[@martinauguy6598]

Number trim.?

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

It is rated for three people.

[@davidtilley2168]

Hi Neil, we bought the 2.3 metre version (which is understandably lighter still) 2 years ago and it has the identical "V" hull but not the interesting fabric tube covering which was not mentioned by Chris at Bridger Marine. I suspect that is a recent innovation as Chris did mention that the PVC was thinner than other boats and therefore care should be taken to avoid puncture. We only bought ours months before moving Blue Waters to a marina which means we haven't had the chance to use it much but the from the few times we used to to go to the mooring in the Exe I concur that it is infinitely better that a slat/flat bottom inflatable.

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

Hi David. Yes i forgot to mention the neoprene cover. it came with a fitted black cover and also a spare white cover. The thin design was of some concern. At some point we are going to find an appropriate thin high density foam on top of the floor. I think the constant stepping in and out will eventually lead to a puncture. As of yet i have not tried deflating and folding it. I usually tow it on short trips as i am a lazy sod!

[@davidtilley2168]

@@AdventuresofSeaPigeon Donna bought me a high powered 12v air pump to keep on board (pumps up in seconds but I still have to use the 3D pump to top up the high pressure floor).

[@AdventuresofSeaPigeon]

We have found it so much dryer than the pervious flat bottom.