Best place to find used small dinghy and outboard

[jbinbi]

I am looking for a USED small, say 2-3 person air floor inflatible dinghy with either 2/3hp engine or electric engine.

Not finding good luck on Craigslist or FB marketplace, but maybe not putting in good terms? Just searching for dinghy to start, my local FB has 15 hits, of which there are really 3 boats.

Any other places I should be looking? Also, it seems for the price they are asking, I might as well go new with a Costco/Walmart $600 unit. I think I will only use the dinghy 5-10x a year.

[OldManMirage]

I think Craigslist is probably as good as it gets. Try searching for both "dinghy" and "dingy" because people spell it wrong. Or just "inflatable". I also search using just the "boat Length" parameters setting it to minimum 7' and max 10'.

All that being said West Marine's cheapest little roll-up inflatable is on sale for $749 right now. And it's brand new.

[sailingharry]

We found a good deal on Facebook marketplace. Drove 200 miles to get it, but it was a good deal. Used it three times a day for 8 months over the last 2 years, so we like it.

Depending on your location and price point, we now have an 8.5 ft Avon inflatable floor with a five horse outboard for sale in maryland.

[jbinbi]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I think Craigslist is probably as good as it gets. Try searching for both "dinghy" and "dingy" because people spell it wrong. Or just "inflatable". I also search using just the "boat Length" parameters setting it to minimum 7' and max 10'.

All that being said West Marine's cheapest little roll-up inflatable is on sale for $749 right now. And it's brand new.

Appreciate the heads up on WM. Looked at it, but it is slat floor. I have always found these to be a PITA, but haven't used one for about 25 years. But maybe they are as easy as inflatable floor these days?

[Smooth Move]

Be careful of a used dinghy. We did just what you are thinking about and seams ruptured in heat. The Honda 2 horse is a good simple engine with aircooling and fuel injection; I’ve seen those sell for around $400 around Seattle. We endedup with a 9 foot inflatable Zodiac and no issues for around $1500.

[JimsCAL]

CL is the logical place, but listings of dinghys and outboard seem to go way down at this time of year in the Northeast. That said the ones there may be more willing to negotiate.

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

Appreciate the heads up on WM. Looked at it, but it is slat floor. I have always found these to be a PITA, but haven't used one for about 25 years. But maybe they are as easy as inflatable floor these days?

I had one. The slats stay in, you never remove them. I'm not even sure you can. But I do know it rolled up fairly easy and was light enough that I could pick it up by myself - although not easily as it was bulky for one person. It motored ok with the 2.5hp outboard I had.

[maury]

Originally Posted by sailingharry

We found a good deal on Facebook marketplace. Drove 200 miles to get it, but it was a good deal. Used it three times a day for 8 months over the last 2 years, so we like it.

Depending on your location and price point, we now have an 8.5 ft Avon inflatable floor with a five horse outboard for sale in maryland.

It’s to far away for me but want to ask you about it. As a traveling liveaboard. How is it with two or three adults and supplies?

[GreenWave]

If near a marina or two go down and walk to docks. Look for dinghy's hanging off the back of boats, especially ones that may look tired or unused. Then leave a note/find the owner and make an offer.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by maury

It’s to far away for me but want to ask you about it. As a traveling liveaboard. How is it with two or three adults and supplies?

Sorry about the slow response. We used it for local cruising with two adults and a mid-sized dog. It used a five horse outboard and wouldn't plane, but it was stable and comfortable and would do easily six knots. I speed checked it with a cell phone, and came to the conclusion that I didn't really have to worry about speed limit buoys.