The pair were unharmed after their boat had suffered engine difficulties.
Rescue crews discovered a large number of empty life jackets, but no sign of any migrants.
The large number of life belts sparked fears they could have been to smuggle people across to Britain.
The two men, both understood to be EU nationals aged in their 30s, have now been transferred to a Border Force cutter and taken to Dover port for questioning by immigration enforcement officers.
The boat has been seized.