Happy with your Achilles Hypalon dink?

[V1x3n8]

I bought a new Achilles HB310AX in May 2017 and, while it is an alright dinghy, the glue job is underwhelming and the after-sales service was wanting.

In comparison to other dinks we've come across ours has fluffy hypalon threads and glue smears everywhere, and the glue is already failing in places. It is also surprisingly easy to damage the hypalon - there are chafe marks and punctures on the pontoons already and we baby that thing.

We talked to Achilles at FLIBS last year (dink was only 5 months old) and the guy just didn't want to know. He said the best he could do was have someone look at it under warranty if we could pay for it to be delivered to a shop, or take it ourselves (impossible as cruisers without a car or trailer). We called Achilles about it a few times but they refused to send anyone out.

A warranty is no good if you can't use it. In the end, we glued it all back down ourselves and will not be buying an Achilles again.

[SVLastTango]

I live in Florida and have a 25 year old Achilles. I don't know the model # but it is about 9 ft. with 3 air chambers plus an inflatable keel with a plywood floor. It belonged to my father. it is in the water with anti fouling paint on the bottom. It has held up great. We use it pretty much every week to go back and forth to the boat on the mooring. I would buy an Achilles again.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by SVLastTango

I live in Florida and have a 25 year old Achilles. I don't know the model # but it is about 9 ft. with 3 air chambers plus an inflatable keel with a plywood floor. It belonged to my father. it is in the water with anti fouling paint on the bottom. It has held up great. We use it pretty much every week to go back and forth to the boat on the mooring. I would buy an Achilles again.

I had an Achilles in 1990 when I first started cruising. It was a great dink. That was nearly 30 years ago. But I would not buy one today. Manufacturing changes so quickly nowadays that a company that made great dink a few years ago might make a lousy dink today. You have to depend on recent reviews when shopping. I now have a great Highfield ( bought a few years ago) but recent reports say their quality is not the same as a few years ago. It seems to happen with many of the manufacturers. Unfortunately brand name loyalty can lead to a bad decision when shopping for marine equipment.

[neophytecruiser]

We have an Achilles with an inflatable floor. It still serves us well after 8-years cruising in Mexico. While I can't comment on the current state of the Achilles production quality, I would offer that if you are considering a dink with an inflatable floor, you might want to consider fabricating a cloth (Sunbrella) floor covering to protect it from abrasions and minor punctures. Beaching any dink and then re-entering, you're bound to bring sand, small gravel pieces and other flotsam that have the potential to wreak havoc with your inflatable floor.

[Bermuda Forte]

I bought that same package about 10 years ago. The Achilles with air floor has held up very well and my only problems are related to the care I give it. The Mercury 3.5 was junk and I commented about it on other threads. Very difficult to start (even when new) and some talk about tiny fuel jets and that it’s finicky about fuel with ethanol. I had shift linkage issues as well. ‘Bought a used 8hp Johnson 2-stroke and I’m very happy with that. ‘Starts easy every time. Good luck.

[Rough Magic]

15 year old Achilles with 2 hp Honda 4 stroke. A little tired, but airtight and reliable. Will buy again when the time comes.

[rbrentp]

I have a n Achilles Slx 12.5 ft. Aluminimum snap in floor, five chambers. Bought in 2000. Still looks good no issues yet. Had a 10hp on it but with two people it would barely plane. Went to a 25hp 2 stroke. Had it at 40 mph with two people. Fishing . Wave bashing. And just drinking around. To get up and go you need to have close to rated HP. On any dink I have ever had.

[CSY Man]

Thanks for the comments:
Yes, the new build quality may not be like the good old days.
I ordered the boat from Defender, 5 years warranty and there is a dealer/repair shop 5
Minutes from my house AND I have a big pick-up truck, no problems with warranty
Service, it will be the easy part.
64 lbs total weight sealed the deal.
Also ordered the 3.5 Merc. Don’t expect to go fast. Don’t need to go fast.
The mother ship is a 28 foot power boat with en electric windlass. If I need to explore something 3 miles down the beach, I pull anchor and reocate while towing the dink.
Pictures of mother-ship: (ex sailor’s powerboat: inboard single diesel, lots of ventilation, big cockpit, big Bimini, secure railings, etc. Love it)
OdinCharters| WireFrame Home

[El Pinguino]

A timely thread...

I retired my first Achilles LT-2 ( 7'3" ) 2 years ago after over 20 years hard service.... gave it to a mate... he is still using it.

Only problem was that model had a fixed hardwood seat... it chafed against the hull in the corners and over the years accumulated multiple patches in that area.
Apart from that ? No problems... still has the original bottom boards..

Replaced it with the same model in 2015.... placed into service early last year...

Problems so far... plastic straps securing one of the valves simply fell to bits.... ditto with the small straps for the oar tie-downs.

Supplied painter was rubbish... replaced before first use.

But best of all.... after having been launched fewer than 200 times in the last 18 months the bottom boards need replacing.... thinner ply than before.... and definitely not marine ply.... simply broke in half when my not very heavy bosun stepped into the dinghy....
And the rivets on the hinge? Shed them on a daily basis....

Achilles are not what they used to be.....

[KeelMe]

We just replaced our Achilles air floor after 10 years with an Achilles RIB. Our air floor model looked and performed great up until we sold it. We used the Tohatsu 5HP on it. The new owners love that tender as much as we did. We kept it looking new with 303 Aerospace Protectant. We use the same on the new tender.

If your Achilles is looking rough after 4 years it's because you didn't take care of it. It's my opinion that Achilles is the best tender available. This is actually our third Achilles.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Originally Posted by Robert E

This summer we faced the same questions. What dingy and what motor for our Nonsuch 33 that would hang on davits. The combo must plane with the two of us (combined 325 lbs.) and a bit of equipment. Also be a light as possible. Our choice was an Achilles HB315LX, 88 lbs. and a Tohatsu 4-stroke 6 hp. motor with fins at 55lbs. This combination planes well and is a manageable weight. A good match. Best of luck.

Defender says the HB315LX weighs 118 lbs - am I reading that right? By the way, whoever mentioned buying a two-stroke in the Bahamas, thanks for that suggestion!

Here's a dumb question. I got a Zodiac, made in France, not China, with a roll-up floor for next to nothing. And I can hear you saying, "right, that's what it's worth". But I have it. Was it a waste of (not much) money, or should I just use what I have for now? I'm thinking get an RIB for my big trip in late 2019, and use the Zodiac for my small Abacos / Exumas trip in the Spring. Am I foolish?

[Mike Banks]

I can only tell you of my and my friends' experiences.

Generally--the best were Swift and Achilles. Swift you can probably forget about--they are expensive and made in Australia.

I owned a Zodiac. One of the worst things I ever owned--it was never satisfactory and the seams always coming apart. I would never recommend them to anyone.

AVOID anything made in China for the same reasons. One I bought as a temporary thing was put together with what appeared to be a kind of double-sided sticky tape. Naturally it came apart in storage--and was never able to be used.

Since then I have gone away from inflatables unless one absolutely HAS to be able to deflate them for storage on a long voyage.

I now use a Polycraft--store it on deck when not in use, or it could be swung in davits. It always rows like a dream--it motors efficiently, unlike most inflatables, and is unlikely to be punctured by mangrove roots. It is very stable--unlike most tinnies and other kinds of dinghys--and I have a Bimini on mine--so I can use it for reef fishing in the sun or as a dive platform. I can stand on the gunwale when getting into or out of it should I need to do so, and that stability makes it a great crab pot boat.

There are several colours--but I chose safety yellow. If I ever had to take to the boat to save myself--I want to be as visible as possible.


I have the heavy duty one which will take a 15 HP engine--although I never used it with more than 3.5.

Foam filled it is rated by SOLAS as a life raft.

These are Australian designed--but there should be some American equivalent. If there is not--there is an opening for someone to make them under license. I would never go back to an inflatable again if all I needed was a tender.


https://www.polycraft.com.au/model-r...00-tuff-tender

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Mike Banks

I can only tell you of my and my friends' experiences.

.......
AVOID anything made in China for the same reasons. .........
.......]

Yup, my first Achilles was made in Japan... the new one was made in China.....

[CSY Man]

There are several colours--but I chose safety yellow. If I ever had to take to the boat to save myself--I want to be as visible as possible.

I would have chosen yellow as well if available, or bright red.
Safety first of course, but also for theft reasons: 99% of rubber dinks look the same, grey, or grey/off white.
If some low life steals your red or yellow tender in the Islands it is easy to track down.
When I was a liveaboard in the Caribbean years ago, and had a pilot license, I would occasionally get hired to circle the island in a small plane to look for a stolen dink: $60 for the airplane and my time was free.
Based on that I painted my Dyer Dhow sailing dink bright yellow on the inside and bilges, easy to spot from above and it never got stolen. Preventive paint maybe.

[a64pilot]

I say once you have decided that planing just isn’t in the cards, go with the lightest, smallest motor available, cause the speed difference between a 2.5 and a 3.5 is likely way less than a knot.
I’ve been looking at the little Suzuki, but only because I have had such good luck with it’s big brother.
It’s my belief that Suzuki was for many years the motor you bought if you couldn’t afford a good one, in other words way down in quality.
However I believe they are no longer that, but as they aren’t yet the big name to have, they are still priced well.
Like Toyota’s were cheap in the 70’s.