Hoisting the tender aboard with a tackle

Lifting the tender or the outboard aboard without straining your back is a job for a block-and-tackle: a set of blocks that multiplies the force you apply to the line so a load that would be impossible to shift by hand becomes a smooth, controlled hoist. In short, you hook the tackle to a high, strong lifting point such as a stern davit, the bridled boom or a dedicated crane; you connect the tender with a balanced sling that keeps it level; and you haul, letting the blocks trade line for effort. The principle is simple, but doing it safely and repeatedly, at anchor in a swell or alongside in a crosswind, depends on getting three things right: the mechanical advantage of the tackle, the strength and geometry of the lifting point, and the balance of the sling underneath. This guide walks through each of them, adds a practical purchase-versus-effort table, and finishes with the questions cruisers ask most often when they start recovering a dinghy the tidy way instead of dragging it up the transom.

Why a tackle is the right tool for lifting a tender

A tender is an awkward load. Even a modest rigid-hull inflatable of two and a half metres, once you add floorboards, an inflated hull and any residual water, sits somewhere between forty and eighty kilograms, and an outboard on the transom concentrates another twenty to forty kilograms in one corner. Trying to muscle that up freehand invites a wrenched back, a swinging load and a dinghy that scrapes topsides and stanchions on the way up. A block-and-tackle changes the arithmetic entirely: instead of resisting the full weight at once, you spread it across several falls of line and pull a longer, gentler stroke. The result is a hoist you can pace, pause and correct rather than a heave you either win or lose. Just as importantly, a tackle gives you a line you can make fast at any moment, so the load is never held only by your grip.

The load is heavier than it looks

Sailors routinely underestimate tender weight because they judge it dry and empty on a pontoon, not wet and loaded over the water. Rainwater and spray pool in the bilge, sand and grit collect under the floorboards, and a fuel tank left aboard adds several more kilograms. The lifting gear, the sling and the suspension point all have to be rated for the real, worst-case figure, not the brochure dry weight. When you size a tackle it is always safer to assume the load is heavier than you think and choose a purchase with margin to spare; a hoist that feels almost too easy is exactly what you want when the deck is moving and your footing is uncertain.

The tackle and mechanical advantage

A tackle reduces the force needed to lift a load in proportion to the number of parts, that is the falls of line supporting the moving block. With a four-part tackle, for example, you lift a tender using roughly a quarter of the force, at the cost of hauling four times the length of line. This is the fundamental bargain of every purchase: more parts mean less effort at your hands but more rope to pull and a slower lift, while fewer parts give you a fast hoist that demands real strength. The number of parts is simply the count of line segments actually bearing on the moving block, and learning to read that at a glance is the single most useful skill in rigging any lifting system. To size yours, the article on the mechanical advantage of a tackle explains how to count the parts and match them to the load.

Counting the parts and reeving the blocks

To read a tackle's advantage, ignore the fall you are pulling on and count the lines that run to the moving block, the one that travels up with the load. Two lines to the moving block give roughly two-to-one, three give three-to-one, and so on, with a small deduction for friction at every sheave the line passes over. That friction is real and grows with each turn, which is why a beautifully reeved six-part tackle on tired, dirty sheaves can feel little better than a clean four-part rig. Keeping bearings free-running, choosing blocks sized correctly for your rope diameter, and reeving the falls so they do not cross or chafe are what turn a theoretical advantage into a usable one. Where you want the last word in efficiency for a given part count, low-friction rings and quality ball-bearing blocks make a measurable difference, and the guide to low-friction ring uses shows where they earn their place in a purchase.

Purchase versus effort at a glance

The table below shows the relationship between the number of parts, the hand force needed to hold a representative sixty-kilogram tender, and the line you have to haul for every metre the load rises. The forces are theoretical, before friction, so treat them as the best case and add margin.

Parts (falls on moving block)	Approx. hand force for 60 kg load	Line hauled per metre lifted	Best suited to
2:1	~30 kg	2 m	Light dinghy, strong crew, short lift
3:1	~20 kg	3 m	Typical small tender by hand
4:1	~15 kg	4 m	Loaded tender, single-handed comfort
6:1	~10 kg	6 m	Heavy tender or outboard, slow lift

Lifting points and sling

A safe recovery depends on two things working together: a strong suspension point above and a balanced sling below. Get either wrong and the whole system is compromised, because a tackle only redistributes force, it does not create strength where there is none. The suspension point carries the entire load plus the dynamic snatch that comes when a swell drops the boat away beneath a hoisted tender, so it must be genuinely structural, not merely convenient. The sling, meanwhile, decides whether the tender rises level and controllable or tips, slides and swings into the topsides. Spend your setup time on these two elements and the hauling itself becomes almost incidental.

Choosing a structural high point

The high point must be structural, which means it is engineered to carry a vertical load or has been made to by proper support. Typical solutions are a properly supported and bridled boom, a stern davit or a dedicated strong point built into the deck or arch. A boom is a favourite because it already lives overhead and can be swung outboard, but it is designed for the roughly horizontal loads of a mainsail, so it needs the topping lift or a halyard taking its weight and a bridle spreading the lift before you hang a tender from it. Never hang the load from anything not rated for it: a stanchion, a guardrail, a small pad-eye meant for a block or a folding radar arch will bend, tear out or fail without warning. If in doubt, lead a halyard from the masthead to share or take the load, since that path runs into the boat's primary structure.

Rigging a balanced sling

Lift the tender from three or four points so it stays horizontal and will not capsize as it clears the water. Many tenders have dedicated lifting eyes moulded or bolted into the hull; use them, because they are placed to keep the boat level and are bonded to load-bearing structure. Bring the sling legs together at a single ring or shackle above the boat so the pull is symmetrical, and adjust the leg lengths so the hull hangs level rather than bow-up or stern-down. Keep the included angle between opposing legs sensible: the wider the angle, the higher the tension in each leg, so a sling that spreads too flat can load its attachment points far beyond the tender's actual weight. A little trial lift a few centimetres off the water tells you instantly whether the balance is right.

Minding the centre of gravity

If you lift the outboard separately, remember its weight is concentrated in one place and easily unbalances a load. The same applies to a fuel tank, an anchor or a bag of gear left in the dinghy: each shifts the centre of gravity away from the middle and makes the hull want to tip toward the heavy corner. Before you commit to a full hoist, picture where the mass actually sits and rig the sling so the suspension point ends up directly above it. When the centre of gravity hangs plumb beneath the block, the tender rises calmly; when it does not, it swings until it does, usually into something you would rather it missed.

Connecting sling and blocks the smart way

To connect sling and blocks quickly and safely, a Dyneema soft shackle is lighter and easier to handle than a metal shackle, will not damage gelcoat or anodising if it swings against the topsides, and cannot drop a loose pin into the bilge or the sea. A soft shackle also lets you join and separate the sling legs one-handed, which matters when your other hand is steadying a swinging load. If you build the tackle itself from modular blocks, the same soft shackles let you reconfigure the purchase for different loads without tools. For an all-round low-friction block that suits exactly this kind of general-purpose hoisting and reeving, the compact Olli block is a natural companion to the soft shackle in a small onboard lifting kit.

Outboard: better separate

On small tenders it pays to remove the outboard and hoist it separately with the same tackle: the dinghy is lighter, floats higher and is far more predictable once its heaviest, most off-centre mass is gone. A small tackle dedicated to the motor, rigged to the davit or a boom bridle, makes the job manageable even single-handed, and it keeps the engine under positive control through the vulnerable moment when it leaves the transom clamp. Lifting the two loads in sequence also means each hoist is well within the tackle's comfortable range, so you are never at the ragged edge of what you can hold. It is a little more choreography, but it turns one heavy, unbalanced lift into two light, tidy ones.

A dedicated motor purchase

Keep a short, self-contained tackle aboard just for the outboard, sized so a fully rigged motor is an easy pull. Hook it to the same high point you use for the tender, lower it to the transom, take the engine's weight before you release the clamps, then lift clear and swing it to its stowage bracket or a padded rail mount. Because the motor is compact and rigid, you can rig a simple two-legged strop around the powerhead or through the lifting handle many engines provide, keeping the propeller down and the weight balanced. Handled this way, even a substantial four-stroke comes aboard without drama.

The manoeuvre step by step

With the tackle sized, the high point chosen and the sling understood, the hoist itself follows a simple, repeatable sequence. Work through it deliberately every time, because the discipline of a fixed routine is what stops a rushed lift in a rolling anchorage from turning into a damaged boat or a crushed finger. The steps below assume one high point, one tackle and a tender you have already brought alongside and emptied of loose gear and water.

1. Rig the tackle and confirm the suspension point is structural and well supported, with any boom carried by its topping lift or a halyard.
2. Connect the sling to the tender's lifting points, bringing the legs to a single shackle above the boat and checking the load stays balanced.
3. Take up light tension and check trim and angles, lifting the hull just clear of the water to confirm it hangs level before committing.
4. Hoist smoothly and continuously, keeping hands and fingers well clear of the blocks and never letting a bight of the hauling part loop around a hand.
5. Make the line fast on a clutch or cleat, then secure the tender in its stowage and rig a separate lashing so the tackle is not the only thing holding it.

Reading the conditions before you start

Choose your moment. A hoist that is trivial in flat calm becomes hazardous when a beam swell rolls the boat and snatches the load, so pick the lee side, wait for a lull, and if you are at anchor consider swinging the bow to the sea for a few minutes. Watch the wind too, because a light tender is a sail that will weathercock and swing the instant it leaves the water. Having a second person tend a steadying line to the dinghy, or simply a hand on the hull, removes most of the swing and lets the hauler concentrate on the tackle. There is no prize for lifting in the worst five minutes of the day.

Rope, clutches and where the load ends up

The hauling part of your tackle is running rigging like any other, and it deserves the same attention: a rope with a grippy cover for hand-hauling, the right diameter for your blocks and clutches, and enough length to reach a winch if the load is at the heavy end. Leading the fall to a clutch or self-tailing winch means you can lock the lift off at any height, rest, and fine-tune the tender into its chocks without ever holding the full weight by hand. If you are unsure what line best suits a hoisting purchase, the guide to choosing running rigging covers cover construction, stretch and diameter in the terms that matter here. Once the tender is home, back up the tackle with a dedicated lashing so a released clutch or chafed line can never let it go.

Frequently asked questions

How many parts do I need to hoist a tender?

It depends on the tender's weight and the suspension point, but the practical answer for most cruising dinghies is a three- or four-part tackle, which makes the job manageable by hand for one reasonably fit person. A three-part rig suits a light, empty tender, while four parts give a comfortable margin once you factor in water, gear and the friction that always eats into the theoretical advantage. Heavier loads, a fully loaded rigid-hull inflatable or an outboard still attached, call for more parts or the help of a winch to take the fall. When in doubt, choose the greater advantage: the slower lift is a small price for keeping the effort well within what you can control if the deck moves under you.

Can I use the boom as a lifting point?

Yes, it is a classic and convenient solution because the boom already sits overhead and can be swung outboard, but it must be prepared properly before it carries any real weight. Support the boom with the topping lift or a spare halyard so its own weight and the lift are not hanging off the gooseneck alone, and rig a bridle so the load is spread rather than concentrated at one point along the spar. The boom is engineered for the largely horizontal pull of a mainsail, not for significant vertical loads unsupported, so treating it as a crane without that support risks bending the spar or damaging the gooseneck. Set up correctly, though, a bridled and supported boom is a perfectly sound high point for a tender.

Better to hoist the tender with or without the outboard?

On small tenders it is almost always better to remove the outboard and lift it separately, because doing so reduces the total weight and gives you a far more balanced load. With the motor still clamped to the transom, the tender's centre of gravity sits well aft and to one side, so the hull wants to hang stern-down and swing, and every part of the system carries more strain than it needs to. Lifting the two in sequence keeps each hoist light and predictable, and it means a modest tackle handles jobs that would otherwise demand a heavier purchase. On larger tenders with davits designed to take the whole package, lifting together can be fine, but the small-boat default is to separate them.

How do I stop the tender capsizing as it rises?

Use a three- or four-point sling that keeps the hull horizontal, and check the balance under light tension before lifting fully. The most common cause of a tipping tender is a sling rigged to too few points or with mismatched leg lengths, so the hull leaves the water bow-up or listing and then rolls to find its balance. Bring the legs to a single point directly above the tender's centre of gravity, do a trial lift a few centimetres clear of the surface, and adjust before you commit to the full hoist. A steadying hand or line on the hull during the lift takes care of any residual swing from wind or the boat's own motion.

What is the safest high point if my boat has no davits?

Without davits, a halyard led from the masthead is often the strongest and simplest option, because it runs directly into the boat's primary structure and can be tensioned and controlled from the deck. Swinging the main or spinnaker halyard outboard, or using it in combination with a bridled boom, gives you a rated overhead point without adding any permanent hardware. The key is to avoid the tempting but unsuitable candidates, stanchions, guardrails, small pad-eyes and lightweight arches, none of which are meant for a swinging vertical load. If you lift the tender often, it is worth fitting a dedicated strong point where a rigger can bond it into real structure.

Do I really need a soft shackle instead of a metal one?

You do not strictly need one, but a Dyneema soft shackle brings real advantages exactly where a tender hoist is fiddly and exposed. It is light, so it will not damage gelcoat or anodising if it swings against the topsides, and it has no pin to drop into the bilge or over the side at the worst possible moment. It joins and releases one-handed, which matters when your other hand is steadying a swinging load, and it is strong for its size and weight. A metal shackle will do the job, but for connecting sling legs and reconfiguring a modular tackle the soft shackle is simply easier and kinder to the boat.