Grand G340N BOAT TOUR & full review - LIVE on our channel! #powerboat #grandboats #boat #boating

Selecting an auxiliary tender requires balancing practical harbor transit against offshore recreational goals. For Ross and Laura Colledge aboard the Bavaria 42 cruiser Sailing Holly Blue, standard low-speed tenders failed to match the demands of active family cruising. While traditional dinghies typically serve as simple utility craft between the anchorage and town docks, the Colledge family configured their cruising setup around high-speed capability, adopting the Grand G340N rigid inflatable boat to serve as a versatile sport tender.

Anchored in Mediterranean bays, the crew relies on Holly Blue as a stable mothership while deploying the Grand G340N for independent coastal missions. Cruising philosophies differ sharply across the cruising community, as the crew notes: “Everybody’s experience as a cruiser is very different. Some people liked kind of just being on anchor and maybe having a smaller tender to get to shore and back, but we’re all about having our mother ship of Holly Blue somewhere beautiful and then being able to go on like wild adventures on a really fast little boat.”

The choice of tender hinged directly on the family’s enthusiasm for tow sports and rapid transit. Outfitting a cruising yacht with a planing tender expands the reachable radius around any anchorage, allowing the crew to explore shallow rocky coves and inlets where a 42-foot displacement hull cannot venture safely.

Evaluating the role of a performance tender, the crew emphasizes tailored functionality over generic dock runabouts: “If you’re into speed and water sports and going to places that you just can’t reach with a bigger vessel, then this is the kind of boat that’s perfect for you.” For active mariners navigating coastal waters, pairing a dedicated living vessel with a high-speed craft provides both deep-water security and nearshore mobility.

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