I am looking to replace my williams 280, I simply don't care about the extra power and it's very heavy to use -  importantly I can't carry it on a beach ...I've lost so many opportunities!

I am looking for an electric motor tender that I could keep always inflated inside the garage...don't care much about few extra centimeters in length or width. aluminum bottom would be ideal.

does anybody have a proven solution ?given the garage shape, it is very difficult to guess without a complete 3d model of both garage and tender ...

I know there is another thread mentioning few models (by deflating): AB 9.6 ( it seems they now manufacture only the AB 9.5) and the zodiac 310 (I guess well deflated). other models to be added to the list ?

Btw, any buyer for a 70 hours williams 280? it's in mallorca...🤣 

We originally had a Zodiac 310 and definitely hade to deflate the bow and tubes to get it in the garage.

I said this in another post.   The issue is not so much length but the height of the bow portion of the hull.    I can't speak to the 588,  but the 575 dinghy garage requires deflating the tubes if you have an aluminum hull (which I do).    I have the AB Lamina 9.6.  It weighs 105lbs and it has a bow locker.   We run a Yamaha 15hp and regularly get 2 dogs and 4 people in it.    I can't say enough about how good the AB inflatables are.  We are very happy with ours. 

this is very interesting. the ab9ul seems to have a bow height, with respect to the base of the hull, of 69 cm. the ab9 has 75cm. the ab9.5 has 86cm. do you feel that the smaller models  may fit in the garage inflated  ?unfortunately , it also depends on the different garages  between the 575 and the 588...

I can't say what would fit in a 588.     I do know that when we were designing the dinghy recovery system for the garage that we took careful measurements of the height above the rollers and made several compromises in length of the dinghy,  what had to be deflated when stored, etc.     The Lamina 9.6 is very light, but stable in a choppy harbor, it has a flat floor with bilge (as opposed to just hull shape), and fuel storage in the bow locker.   We are very happy with it.

The only change I made was that I moved the towing ring on the aluminum hull so that it would run up the stern rollers and into the garage when winched a bit better. 

We replaced the AB RIB that came with Bonny Doon with a Takacat — an inflatable catamaran dinghy. We power it using a Torqueedo motor. We love it! It’s super light, fits in the garage of our 575, and, if necessary, can be fully deflated and packed in a duffle bag that comes with it. Deploying and retrieving the dinghy takes less than five minutes, including assembling the Torqueedo and mounting it on the transom. We routinely transport two adults and two large dogs without getting wet. My guess is that it can’t handle easily four adults in choppy waters but we haven’t tested it.

-Mainer

Thank you Maine! which model do you have that fits ? you really mean it fits inflated ? and do you get wet with waves ?

Completely agree re: Williams tender, speedy as they are, they’re heavy and awkward to load back on board, particularly in a swell and don’t fit much. We have been looking to change ours too. We were using a high field and an electric out board and although slower was lighter and so much more usable, as soon as I’ve sold my Williams, I’ll swap permanently . Let me know how you get on.

Hope all well with you both

The Takacat model is T300LX — its nominal length is 9 ft 8 in. Trying to attach a picture… Even though the bow is completely open, we don’t get wet in waves (unless our big husky decides to go stand right at the front and tip us slightly forwards). Because the transom is also open, any water that comes in immediately streams out.

-Mainer

(Follow up to Piero…)

…re. Your question about it fitting without deflation, it does. We inflate it once at the beginning of the season and that’s it. The ends of the tubes get slightly pushed when the transom door closes so it’s a snug fit but it doesn’t harm the dinghy.

It’s also worth noting that our Torqueedo has a pretty limited top speed so we’re not crashing into oncoming waves (which probably keeps us drier). With the catamaran design, though, we don’t have to worry about getting to high speed to efficiently plane.

Pzucchel --

I've had my first experience with the True Kit Navigator 3.0. While it doesn't meet your "always inflated" criteria, the 2.5m model would. However, I have a collection of gear taking up garage space, so I'd need to partially deflate the 2.5m as well. A marina neighbor owns the 2.5m version – it would handle two people plus shopping well, though not bikes or scooters. I'd compare the 2.5m to the Plastimo inflatable I've seen and used on a 575 (I'm sure you're familiar with those too). It's definitely a downgrade in the "sport" department compared to a Williams tender, but if your basic need is getting that last mile to the beach, dinner, or shopping, it would do the job.

Regarding the 3.0m: they rate it for up to 10hp, which must make for a wild ride. They also claim it seats four people, but I think that's only realistic in flat water or with passengers who don't mind the occasional splash. I was looking for something that could move 3-4 people while remaining very compact – when fully folded, it's both small and lightweight. The ability to stow it overnight with partial deflation, and fold it completely for longer-term storage when I need garage space, makes me happy with the choice.

As you noted, the complex geometry is problematic, specifically the bow rise dimension where the garage height becomes limiting. That's one factor that pushed me toward a catamaran-style inflatable with a high-pressure floor rather than relying on a rigid hull.

For propulsion, I chose the ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus. The performance felt like roughly 3hp – definitely more than 2hp but less than 5hp. With 100 lbs of boat plus 400 lbs of people and cargo, it performed well, hitting about 5.2 knots top speed in flat water. On the return trip, we faced 2 miles of 1-1.5 foot waves with a 10-knot headwind. It was a bit damp (similar to what you'd expect from the Plastimo), but we made it through. After a 4.5-mile round trip at high speed with choppy conditions on the return, we still had 30 minutes of battery life remaining.

The removable battery weighs 20 lbs, and the outboard is another 20 lbs. While I can easily lift a 5hp engine, I don't enjoy the awkwardness of mounting or removing one, even with a lifting crane available. This lightweight is nice to work with. I'm planning to store the motor in the bow locker when away, since the cockpit drains send everything into the garage. While the range is quite good, there are some interesting spots in our bay where I'd need to anchor far out, making 8-10 mile round trips impossible. Additional batteries are available but cost about $1400, so I'll wait to see how much of a limitation this becomes. I was equally interested in the Torqueedo option.

I noticed you and Rick made the same comment about the water draining from the cockpit into the garage and all over stuff stored there. When we first took delivery of out boat I fitted a piece of about 32mm ID hose ( the reinforced type) to the male spigot of the drain on the inside of the drain and ran that down the side of the garage so the water discharged low in the garage and the water drains into the drains in the lower part of the garage. The hoses don't get caught by the dinghy when is goes in and out of the garage but they seem to divert the water enough. When we get to our next port on Tuesday and take the dinghy out I will take a photo and post same. 

Thanks for the tip!

It also drains thru the life raft locker forward into the dinghy hanger.    Usually not an issue as it just runs out alongside the dinghy, but I found that my liferaft (a bag in the locker) gets dirty and stained from it.  

I don t know about the 588, but in my 575, i use since 10 years the Genius 290 with a 20 HP and can keep it almost completely inflated in the garage, check on Genius.it.

I met the inventor 10 years ago and i loved the idea.

Hi Mana, that's very interesting! do you keep both the tender and the motor in the garage? do you have the genius open 290?  btw, the website is  https://geniuss.it/tender/open-290/" rel="nofollow - https://geniuss.it/tender/open-290/