Recommend me dinghies please

[DeValency]

As one that likes RIBs, I’m also aware it is no longer a fully folded boat. So I’m ready to consider a semi rigid one with a good cushioned fender around... But we still buy inflatable dinghies also for being unsinkable, soft to reduce damage our GRP hulls and with a wide, blunt bow for easy and safe in/out access. I don’t see how a Port a bote can help with such needs


QUOTE=syorca;2764789]Bought a Port-a-bote 12 last tear and we are very satisfied with it. With a modified Mercury 2,2 hp outboard it planes with 2 adults and 2 11 years kids. We certainly don't miss our old inflatable, in any way.[/QUOTE]

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by syorca

Bought a Port-a-bote 12 last tear and we are very satisfied with it. With a modified Mercury 2,2 hp outboard it planes with 2 adults and 2 11 years kids. We certainly don't miss our old inflatable, in any way.

But I don't think they fit the OP's requirements.

They are heavier than an inflatable (the smaller ones are). As expensive as a good aluminium rib, and have very low payload capacity.

I'll admit though getting the 2.2 to plane with 2 adults in is good going.

[windswepttom]

I just got a Walker Bay G2 310 about 2 months ago after having most every brand over the last 40 years and cruising many 1,000s of miles . My last one was an AB.

I'm very happy with the Walker Bay so far. It is much dryer in chop (keeps the wife happy) then past dinghies and gets up on plane faster, It also has 2 cup holders which are great (would you buy a car with out cup holders?).

I plan on doing a video review when I get time.

[01kiwijohn]

I went to a hard, nesting, dinghy that I built from a $35 plan. No worries with dogs. 5 years of beaching and general use, still in good shape, and it rows like a witch.

[Fullmoon]

I lived on my boat in the bvi for almost two years. I had an inflatable and after beaching it several times a day to take my dog ashore the bottom started leaking. Just something to think about.

[gmakhs]

Two are the options for a dinghy ,
Inflatable with flexible bottom :
It's a very good option if you have storage issues , but it comes with problems like looking and easy to be damaged.

If you think of a rigid bottom forget about it , those dingys have no pros :
They are bulky , heavy , they do leak and you can't store them , plus they are expensive .
A good alternative that I have done if you want a rigid dinghy , go and find a fiberglass guy and ask him to make one custom to fit nicely on your deck ,
You will need a foam cored , with 2 layers of light cloth on each side , this construction is unsicable , can be beached with no issues is lighter that an inflatable rigid dighy, (mine is around 30 kilos ) and should cost you less than 1000 (I build mine with 200 euro ) .
PS: that dingy can be with lockers , you can add a sail if you want and in general do whatever you want with it .

[Don C L]

The fairly recent development of "drop-stitch" construction in inflatables means that you can get a pretty rigid floor and even sides now in inflatables. Having tried most iterations, for ease of use a good inflatable is the best choice for me. The floor in my kayak is so rigid I can stand easily on it. Additional material can be glued to the hull for more abrasion resistance too. I eschew dragging a dinghy around behind the boat, and I hate trying to bang around a rigid heavy hull, especially if its windy, unless there are davits... and then you have a huge article of windage...but that's just me... where I am as soon as I leave an anchorage it's not uncommon to be out in 20 knots of breeze and 4 or 5 foot seas right away so I prefer having everything easy to wrap up and lash down or stow well.

[Don C L]

May seem unusual, but you might compare the pros and cons of this kind of boat:
https://www.seaeagle.com/InflatableFishingSkiffs/FSK16
I have this company's kayak (420X) and no problems in 5 years. A friend has one of their kayaks too and he bangs it around a lot more than I do, with a dog, and it's fine too.

[Velella99]

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

Thanks Simi. I might be being dense... What is a tinny?

Its an Aussie term for an aluminium dinghy

[svbravo]

Has anyone tried one of these folding ribs? Fiberglass bottom, folds into 3 parts. When assembled, apparently acts as a normal rib.

F-RIB 330 | F-RIB

I currently have (and like a lot!) an AB alum 9.5 rib. It's been great for 12 years, but am thinking about the folding rib for new boat, to be able to cruise with clear foredeck.

[Glassdog]

FYI mercury inflatable‘s have a terrible reputation. If you go with an inflatable I would recommend a rib with either fiberglass or aluminum floor and you will definitely need some heavy duty chaps to protect the tubes from the dogs claws/sun/Wear and tear. In my humble opinion Achilles is the best out there, I have had to and they are bulletproof, cheers

[Heldenberg]

DON'T BUY A WALKER BAY

I have had Caribe and AB in the past and they have been good dinghies and performed as expected, this time I tried buying a Walker Bay, I liked the double flooring and the light weight, but it comes as a cost.

Ours is 2013 and after being in contact Ivan Gamez "Warranty Administrator" they offered me $300 of a new hull or $500 off a new dinghy
We have had the dinghy since it was 2 weeks old, but because we bought it with our "demo model catamaran" as a dinghy, we are not considered the first owner and that is their way out of warranty.
I can only recommend never to buy any of their products.

I have never had to repair any dinghy hull made from fiberglass or aluminum from other manufactures.

This is clearly a design fault and a weak point from the manufacturer, they just don't want to admit it, we have always only had the recommended 15 HP outboard, and never abused it.

Then on top of it, these hulls are made from a type of plastic, that only few people even know how to repair, and good luck finding any in remote places.
When cruising you need it as simple as possible

[Seaagsuzanne]

Check out Kraken Sailing; they are offering Inmar Inflatables, made in San Diego, start at $999 (aluminum floor roll-up), and $1500 for a PVC aluminum rib; hypalon/aluminum starting at $2600. If you're looking for longevity, they also offer AB Inflatables which have a 10 year warranty.

[sailhand]

I have lived aboard for 14 years and seen many deflatables come and go. Aluminium is useless if left in the water it dissolves like aspirin and cannot be repaired successfully even if you do just happen to carry a tig welder with you and know how to use it, we aussie have a bizarre attachment to the mighty tinny, maybe its due to the amount of time we spend with aluminum cans in our hands. It is however the best at surviving crowded dinghy docks in choppy conditions, its sharp edges and pointy bits reek havoc on most other dinghy types. They can also be less than friendly to the mothership if not well fendered especially over the gunwhale tops. Fiberglass is usually tougher than aluminium but not as abrasion resistant for the same weight in smaller dinghys, it is the easiest to repair if you ever need to. It can also be made significantly lighter than aluminium for the same strength in smaller vessels. Plastic dinghys like walker bay and finn catamaran are good, the polycraft trihull is very heavy and wet, not a fan. If you want a dinghy to suit your specific application/boat/propulsion etc then custom built is the way to go. Ply epoxy is quick cheap and light. Foam polyester is tough, unsinkable and cant rot. You have a huge range of designs to choose from and you can get nesting versions if storage is an issue. Fendering is necessary and there are many solutions. Hard dinghys are generally light easily rowed and tough, most cruisers I know start in inflatables and end up in hard dinghys. I am a big fan of the Richard Woods duo, simple light cheap, whats not to like, but it is small. Prams are very popular also. Maybe a few more parameters might be helpful, such as method of propulsion, desired speed, outboard size and weight, any legislative restrictions, storage options etc. I have custom built dinghy that rows well, is self draining, semi amphibious, planes with a three hp with two people and big enough that i can put a queen matress on the deck and walk around it. Its not suited to most boats as storage is an issue for many, however it suits me perfectly and that is the point I am trying to make. Custom built dinghys offer the least amount of compromises and have many benefits. They may also be less likely stolen if original in design and appearance. A custom dinghy that suits your particular requirements, if designed well, will have the least amount of compromises for your situation. It is an interesting exercise to simply list all your desired parameters and then find a design that suits, you may surprise yourself at the result.

[RaymondR]

The worlds toughest dingy (tinny)