BENEATH THE SURFACE B Y H E AT H E R S T E I N B E R G E R
Let’s Talk Tenders
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oating season is upon us in the Great Lakes, and that means we are busy making plans — to cruise, to harbor-hop, or perhaps simply to visit favorite eateries, riverwalks and outdoor performances by boat. It also means that many of us might be considering the addition of a tender to our boating lifestyles. Hang on, you might be thinking, I don’t have a luxury motoryacht or a big cruising sailboat, so the tender question is off the table. The thing is, it’s not. Carrying a tender is a viable option for boats down to 27 feet. It all depends on the boat, the engine and how you plan to use the whole package.
The FreedomLift is a remote-controlled, hydraulic tender lift that does not take up valuable space on the swim platform.
The dinghy davit solution If you have a 30- to 75-foot boat with either inboard or sterndrive power and an unobstructed swim platform, dinghy davits are a straightforward, user-friendly, affordable solution. Escanaba, Michigan-based Hurley Marine, one of the country’s top manufacturers of marine accessories, started producing davits in 2003. Today, its sales are almost evenly split between its U.S. dealer network and distributors in the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia. Captain Todd Hurley is Hurley Marine’s founder and owner. A lifelong boater, he has experience as a U.S. Merchant Marine captain, business owner and entrepreneur. The Hurley Marine Davit was his concept, and when it debuted, it reinvented on-deck dinghy storage.
“By making it easy, we take all the pain out of it,” Hurley says. “It used to be a lot of work to deploy and retrieve a tender.” Not anymore. Hurley Marine produces both classic davit systems and winch-based turnable mounts. An online worksheet will help you determine which is the right choice for your boat. “When you’re making your decisions, start with the davit first and then choose a tender,” Hurley advises. “Our davit worksheet will paint that picture. It’s phone- and tablet-friendly, so you can take it to your boat and gather measurements and photos. Then we will respond with the best option for you, and we can provide guidance on the tender as well.” Hurley Marine davit systems are simple to install. You can work with your boatyard to complete the project, and then the summer season awaits. According to Hurley, some customers are eager to add a tender for long-distance cruises to places like Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Others are eager to do some gunkholing in hotspots like Wisconsin’s Door County. “You have to think about where you plan to use your boat and how you want to use it,” he notes. “We love going to Fish Creek’s Shanty Bay [in Door County’s Peninsula State Park] on a gorgeous day. Who doesn’t want to be on the water?” Many boaters also seek to make their stays in preferred ports of call more hassle-free. With a tender, you can leave your boat on the mooring or in the marina, and then zip away to do a little grocery shopping or see the sights. It’s all about flexibility and versatility. “Even experienced boaters tell us they’re amazed at how easy having a tender makes their boating lives,” Hurley says. A new level of freedom Until the early 2000s, boaters who wished to incorporate an automated system for dinghy launch and retrieval had limited options. They could add a crane davit to the bow or roof, which is an ordeal even for two people to manage, or they could incorporate a hydraulic platform lift, which takes up the entire swim platform. Then FreedomLift came along in 2001.
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J U N E 2021
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LAKELANDBOATING.COM
PHOTO COURTESY OF FREEDOMLIFT
Carrying a tender is now a viable option for smaller cruising boats, and there’s more than one way to get there.
