If you cruise your boat like I do, a tender is an absolute necessity. From transporting us back and forth, to watersports, to the kids taking off alone to explore, our tender gets used—and abused. This past summer we tested a Walker Bay Genesis 270 FLT. While this new for 2006 product won the NMMA Innovation Award at the Miami Boat Show last year, I wanted to know if a product looked great on paper, would it actually hold up in real-life conditions. The one-piece high-impact marine composite hull (polypropylene) solves the worry of chipping the gelcoat off a traditional fiberglass-bottomed RIB when it touches bottom. The removable floor pieces create a flat interior bottom that makes it easier for kids (and aging adults) to stand up, compared with theV-bottom of other RIBs. The integrated trim tabs, wheels in the hull and folding transom were nice touches but would they work effectively? After a season of use, I have to report that the NMMA innovation award is deserved. The poly hull appeared soft to me, however it stayed rigid in the water and thanks in part to the two full-length strakes, it didn’t flex the way I thought it might. While our girls weren’t gentle or particularly careful, the few rock scuffs the bottom did suffer proved it was much more abrasion resistant than I’d guessed. The integrated trim tabs appeared to help get us on plane quickly even when fully loaded (we drag-raced other fiberglass RIBs of similar size with the same power, and won). The flat-nose bow provides more useable interior room and was welcomed by our two youngest, who had to sit up in the bow. At 8 feet, 10 inches, with a beam of 65 inches and weighing only 98 pounds, this folding transom lightweight tender tips up single-handedly onto my swim platform. It’s fast, responsive in the corners, and offers a relatively dry ride—all of which spells fun. Price: TKTK Contact www.walkerbaygenesis.com