What would you buy?

[aa1bflyboy]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Post is useless without a working link

Link worked fine for me. I believe in the old saying if you don’t have anything positive to offer say nothing.

As for the A/P or dinghy I’d opt for the dink. You must be at a marina at this point or you would already have a dink, or at least be using one. Getting on and off the boat from a dinghy is far more difficult than getting on the boat from a dock.
As for which dinghy that is another post entirely.

[DrDelmas]

We did the loop and I would not do it with out the AP. You could get a kayak for not too much $ to have access to land.

If Bahamas first I would go with a dingy 1st

[rbk]

See if you can get both used with dingy sans outboard (for now).

[CaptsWife]

We were in a similar situation. We moved aboard last November, travelled to southern FL and then crossed to the Bahamas where we spent 3 or 4 months. If you're going to anchor out, you MUST have a dinghy. Even if you're in a marina, you can still go places in the dinghy that you can't go in the boat. We also have autopilot. We almost NEVER use it. Almost never. We bought both before we took off. If I HAD TO PICK ONE OVER ANOTHER, go with the dinghy. And get a good one.

[Scaramanga F25]

You need both.

[mowerandy]

Second hand dink and motor, and you can still afford a new autopilot!

I you are not into second hand (perhaps limited repair skills, puts you off the risk of second hand buying), then I would go for a cheap vinyl blow-up and new autopilot.

My current dink and motor cost me two hundred bucks near 20 years ago - twin hull glass dink, not very pretty but a seriously good dinghy. There are plenty out there I am sure. Before that I had a $100 poly dinghy, which was also brilliant, but self destructed after 10 years ( 10 years service - and it looked near dead at purchase). Them it was a strawberry patch, then a sandpit for my kids, and now it is a sandpit for someone elses kids - still in use (of sorts) 30 years after the original owner unloaded it to me.

I also carry a couple of vinyl kayaks on board, which are dead brilliant for around $100 ea new, but involve getting a wet bum....

PS: autopilot repairs are not for the feint hearted....go new on this one

[alansmith]

There are two deaths possible. Either you will kill yourself after steering for 10 hours while out... or your wife will when one of you is sick. Get a cheap blow up and a decent AP.

[GrowleyMonster]

I hate inflatable dinghies. They don't row well, they don't motor well, they don't sail at all. Better off building one out of plywood. Save your nickels. When the ply dink is toast, maybe you will be able to afford a nice one. But look around for a used one first. Or build two ply or fiberglass kayaks, and a removable deck to span them both. With an eye toward quick and easy assembly of the whole thing, you can have a very stable catamaran that you can easily board without getting dunked. Cheap kayaks are fun and cool and they paddle easily if you add on a keel strip for better pointing, but they can be tricky to get in or out of from the boat. In warm weather and water, maybe that isn't such a big deal. In winter or in cold snow melt coming down the river, you probably don't want to go swimming when a cranky yak suddenly decides to scoot out from under you.


For dink propulsion you can usually find a used outboard for cheap and take your chances on having to row. Which brings up the question of oars. Good solid wood oars beat the tar out of the usual crappy dink oars. And you might give some thought to a couple of golf cart batteries from Sams (cheapest deal I have found for true deep cycle batts) and a trolling motor. A brand new outboard is nice but if the budget simply doesn't allow, then it simply doesn't allow. For now.


I would say the dinghy is slightly more important than the autopilot. There will be times when you NEED to get ashore and no dock is available or affordable. On the inland waterways you won't be using the autopilot all that much, anyway. But if you are adept at DIY you might think about open source for the mike, rather than a fancy package deal. Google "open source autopilot". If the idea seems a bit much for you, then go with an off the shelf package deal with a proven track record. I don't have specific advice there because I have never installed an autopilot.



One thing about the autopilot... if it quits on you, you can still hand steer as before. So if you can find a used system that would maybe be the way to save a few bucks. If your dinghy falls apart or splits a seam or whatever, you are semi screwed. So don't buy someone else's mistake.

[markpierce]

Auto-pilot makes you a better lookout.

[Pelagic]

If you are committed to going cruising then get both Now!

With dingy, you will anchor more, learn how to manage carying it on a passage, safe driving, maintenance and its weather limits.

With AP you become a better watch keeper, learning to do the safety checks, keeping a proper lookout and confirming your position by more than just one Nav aid.

[a64pilot]

This is a which to get first right? You’ll have both when you leave?
Seeing as how your only likely doing weekends since your still working and likely the boat stays in a Marina the week, I’d say get an AP.
I’d look real hard at a CPT autopilot, real, real easy to install and remove to be repaired, now it’s not a sophisticated one, but you don’t need that for the loop. In truth I’m wondering if you even need an autopilot for the loop, they are useful for the ICW, but not as useful as offshore.

Then for a dinghy, you need to decide do you need to go far in one, or just to get to shore, cause that is too very different dinghies