What would you buy?

[vciavarelli]

I am considering "upgrading / adding" equipment over the winter months and would like to get insight into which options you would purchase if you were making the choice.

Here's the situation. The wife and I purchased our boat a year ago and have been taking day cruises and the occasional overnight trip. We have done so getting accustomed to our boat, gaining experience on the water, and seeing what works / fits our lifestyle and needs while on board. We are planning to cruise the loop when my wife retires from teaching after the 2019 school year which starts our adventures sometime during the summer of 2020.

Last year we purchased a chart plotter / radar bundle and this year we are looking to either add an autopilot or a dinghy and motor. My question is of the two options, which one would you purchase now and learn and get the most use from? We have allocated $4K for the purchase. We might take a trip to the Bahamas in the summer of 2019 and definitely will travel there after my wife retires in 2020.

The choice is not an either / or, but which one to get, learn and use now over the other. We intent to purchase either the auto pilot or dinghy/motor in the year following this purchase.

I would appreciate your thoughts and also any suggestions on which make / model to purchase. Thank you in advance.

[jlcnuke]

If you don't have either currently, and plan on using the boat but not for long passages just yet, then I'd imagine the dinghy would be much more useful in the short term. Neither seems like they have much of a learning curve, but you may learn some outboard motor maintenance with it.

[Lepke]

I hate being tied to the wheel so vote for the autopilot. I use mine even in a channel. I'd row before doing without an autopilot. It's like having an extra person on board.

[rsn48]

I also vote for the dingy, it encourages you to remain in an anchorage instead of relying on paid electricity, water, etc at moorages. I will give you one piece of advise most won't here. If you are getting a small outboard for your tender (all you really need) like a 3, 5 or 9.9 HP, get a propane fueled outboard. Why? If you go to the threads about small engines, you know they gum up, a very common problem, even with stabilizer added. With propane, that problem goes away.

With the Lehr motor, you can use either bottled one pounders that will run your small motor for 2 - 3 hours (easy to keep a spare on board in the front pouch if you are the Zodiac type - or heck even two spares), or a 20 pounder. And by the way, I'm a big believer in used stuff, usually in amazing shape as most folks don't use their gear that much. Also aside from the dinky being a tender, you can zip around bays, harbours, etc. and it becomes its own entertainment.

I'll give you a link: https://www.boatingmag.com/boats/leh...tboards#page-2

[Red Sky]

First question: Are you currently marina folks or anchor out folks when you use the boat? If the current use of your boat involves staying at marinas while onboard, get the pilot. Having that third hand great. If your prefer to anchor out, get the dinghy. Myself, I’d want to have both onboard for a trip to the Bahamas. Consider buying a used dink and small, 5 hp or less, outboard, that may allow you to get both before next summer.

I just retired myself and am waiting on the wife, 6 months to go. Then...Hola Mexico. I’d love to do the loop someday myself. I’m envious. Good Luck.

[ranger58sb]

That's a tough one. AP for the trip, dinghy after arriving.

Given the Loop plan... think I'd land on the AP side first, and assume either marina hopping, anchoring but remaining stuck on board, or in some few places, using a water taxi.

But I think I'd also feel deprived, every time I anchored.

And we haven't actually used our dinghy all that often, since we lost our last big dog... <sigh>...

When it comes to make/model suggestions... that's maybe a whole other thread... after reading all the several existing threads on the advantages/disadvantages of inflatable (with various floor styles), RIBs, rigid... fiberglass versus plastic versus aluminum versus wood... size and weight versus expected passenger count and davit system... horsepower versus weight and storage system... etc.

IOW, a dingy is not just a little boat; instead it's a single component in a system consisting requirements/criteria, storage plan, launch/recovery plan, fueling capability, etc. Requirements, for example, can vary depending on distances you expect to conquer, speeds you'll need to do that, space you'll need for pax and supplies... and so forth.

-Chris

[vciavarelli]

Originally Posted by Red Sky

First question: Are you currently marina folks or anchor out folks when you use the boat?

Great question, we both enjoy anchoring out and make sure we have enough provisions to stay the night. Some of the best memories are the starlit nights talking to each other like we were teenagers again. I swear this is bringing us closer together.

[vciavarelli]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

That's a tough one. AP for the trip, dinghy after arriving.

Given the Loop plan... think I'd land on the AP side first, and assume either marina hopping, anchoring but remaining stuck on board, or in some few places, using a water taxi.

I think I am leaning towards the AP based on some of the comments. I would bet I could rent a dinghy in the Bahamas and perhaps I'll have to find ways around the dinghy on the ICW, at least for this year.

Thanks everyone for the comments!

[Red Sky]

If you forgo the motor, you could probably get a <$500 dinghy with a couple of years of life left. Or, do what I did when I was young with my first boat. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Intex-Exc...&wl13=&veh=sem Don’t expect to much and don’t abuse it, but for a year, this’ll get you from boat to the dock.

[john61ct]

Post is useless without a working link

[Red Sky]

Sorry, IDK what happened.

Get the AP, you probably can buy a used dink for <$500, forget the motor for now. Or, $100 will get you a small vinyl dink from Walmart or the like. I used one for the first year I had a boat years ago. Don’t expect a lot, try not to abuse it much, get a patch kit and it’ll get you through a trip to the Bahamas until you can upgrade.

[JPA Cate]

I'll confess I'm having a hard time with this. MUST have a dinghy because it is your shore access in an emergency, or for pleasure, or provisioning. Sometimes the Admiral wants to make something, but is out of and demands specific ingredients! It's happened to us. What kind of dinghy then becomes the question. If it were me, I'd look for an old Avon Redcrest with oars still in good condition. Shouldn't cost much on craigslist or similar.

The autopilot, as Lepke suggested, is a tireless, uncomplaining, never gets achy shoullders robot crew person, who you only have to feed amps to. On a motor yacht, you should have plenty of them!

I actually think you need both, now. But, if you're handy with tools, and plans, you can make yourself a plywood dinghy and paint it *informallly*, shall I say, in two days. We've seen it done. One of those dinghies lasted 5 yrs.....and a hardware company donated the plywood for the builders to do it with. So, for purchase whole, maybe the autopilot, as long as you have some kind of dinghy coverage. Imo, one NEEDS the dink more than the a/p, but both add heaps of comfort. It is a learning experience the first time you have to steer watch on watch for 3 days, but it is doable when there is no viable alternative; we did it, a long time back.

Ann

[masonc]

I bought a serviceable fiberglass dinghy for $200, added oars for $50, so I don't think its an either/or decision. Look around for something cheap, doesn't have to be fancy. It's generally 200ft to shore.

[DMCantor]

I have quite a lot of experience with the Lehr LPG outboards, and would avoid them like the plague. Way more hassles and general fuss and bother than a reasonably maintained gasoline outboard. If you buy outside the US, you can still get a 2-stroke, and these are by far the best fit into a cruising lifestyle.

[bradfordharley]

I agree with the several posters that it does not have to be either/or. I think the AP would be a priority and get a second hand dinghy or open Kayak. You need something to get to shore, but it doesn’t have to be a Cadillac.