Which Dink in the Caribbean ?

[swisscraft]

Hi there,

I'm currently in the DR heading East. Need a new Dinkand decided for a RIB. So far I can see Walkerbay, AB and Mercury are available. The limit are the davits - would like to stay below 120 - 150lbs. Normally just 2 persons, some occasions 4 or a lot of groceries.
I currently have a 5HP - may need bigger as well I guess.

I forgot: would you consider the lightweight series from any vendor? Some folks say they to weak for daily use....

Any thing I should think about? Any tips?

Thanks very much.

Marco

[Hud3]

AB or Caribe RIBs with 15 hp 2 cycle Yamahas are what you see most of in the eastern Caribbean.

I opted for a combo that would be easy to handle by myself, and bought a 9-1/2' Achilles with high pressure floor and a 5 hp 2 cycle Tohatsu. The dinghy weighed about 75 lbs, if I recall correctly. It would plane with just me aboard. Don't know if it'd plane with two, 'cause my wife didn't like going fast.

[CarinaPDX]

There is a lot of info in older threads that you may want to search.

Agreed that a RIB is the way to go in the Caribbean. Another must is Hypalon fabric - PVC won't last nearly as long. Personally I am pretty high on the AB products - I bought my AB 260 (8 1/2') in 1995 and it is still going strong. Back then I met the owners of AB (when they were still in Venezuela) and they were interested in learning more about cruisers' needs - always good to see management care about customers. My future replacement will probably be an AB Lamina 9'; it is aluminum for light weight, and has adequate bracing for the transom. The least expensive, lightest aluminum dinghies usually have no flat spot on the deck (no double hull) and no bracing for the transom (i.e. limited in the size of engine); the most expensive have large flat decks (double hulled) and good bracing of the transom but start to lose the weight advantage. The Lamina is a good compromise between these extremes.

[belizesailor]

If you go with Carib, try to avoid the double hull version -- it adds a lot of weight and almost all of them leak like a sieve between the hulls... which of course adds even more weight. I don't see any advantage to them -- the single hull version is plenty strong and durable.

I used to have a Livingston, which I really liked a lot, regret trading it off.

[CarinaPDX]

I think that applies to all double-hulls - they are just too heavy, and internal leaking is common. I am attracted to the Lamina because it has a deck about a foot wide along the keel, which provides a flat place to step on when entering the dinghy without adding much weight. There is a very small sealed area between it and the keel, but wisely AB has that draining into the interior of the dinghy. Putting the drain for the sealed area on the transom is inviting a problem.

[AiniA]

I have a Walker Bay Genesis air floor model and I am not impressed with the build quality. Next time I will try something else.

[speciald@ocens.]

By your dink down here. Island Water World sells Caribe at great prices and Budget sells AB dingies at very low prices compared to the US. They are both on multiple islands. Also they are tax free. Most islands do not require separate registration for "tenders".

[Bumper]

We had a small Avon with floor boards with a 5hp Merc. It planed easily with two people however if we had to do it over we'd go with a Caribe. It has larger tubes and you will have a better chance of arriving with dry clothing on land if there is any chop where you're anchored.