Mahe 36: Dinghy and Davits

[jean1146]

Looks like you guys are having fun chasing Dingys....I have done that a couple of times.It looks like the weather should be perfect untill Friday to go accross.I envy you,hopefully it will be later in the spring for us.
JC.

[Wayward Wind]

That's a lovely picture of Kokomo. I like the modification to the windows.

IrieCat, what is the length of your dinghy, and what size motor are you using?

Cheers!

JohnC

[IrieCat]

Our dinghy is a RIB 310 10.2 and we use a 15hp Merc. It is too big but we like the range we get in the Bahamas.

[LarryW]

KOKOMO's dinghy is a Walker Bay 10.2 Genesis. It does fit on the dinghy davits and rides great. We picked it because it carries four adults, has trim tabs, a solid bottom with a rasied floor and rollers to move it around on the dock.

Wish we could have sailed on with Irie Cat and Ocean View.
Safe travels and good winds (and a strong dinghy line)
Eileen & Larry

[Edmund]

And another question: I'm afraid I need to invest in a proper RIB to keep my kids satisfied, and preferrably as big and safe as possible.
How big RIB would fit in beween the Mahe sterns? Any suggestions on producer/type?

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Edmund,
We have a 6 HP single cylinder Suzuki 4-stroke. Supplied by Fountaine Pajot.
Rib is Valiant 270 cm. I would say 300 cm is the max.
The 6 HP will plane the rib with 2 adults with full power. (you can reduce power once you are planing). With 3 adults the RIB will not plane.
Check Cotemar's post about the factory davits. These will, if unmodified, damage the lifting ropes.

[lstyles]

I would like to get everyone's thoughts on increasing the size of the outboard on my RIB. I got the standard suzuki 6hp with the valiant 270 when I purchased the boat. It works fine for two adults but it wont really plane well with more than that. The 270 size is okay so was thinking that if I could increase outboard size to 8hp I might have a bit more power to take more than 2 people efficiently. The 8hp is about 25lbs heavier.
thanks,
Lori

[IrieCat]

Originally Posted by lstyles

I would like to get everyone's thoughts on increasing the size of the outboard on my RIB. I got the standard suzuki 6hp with the valiant 270 when I purchased the boat. It works fine for two adults but it wont really plane well with more than that. The 270 size is okay so was thinking that if I could increase outboard size to 8hp I might have a bit more power to take more than 2 people efficiently. The 8hp is about 25lbs heavier.
thanks,
Lori

Hi Lori, we spend most of our time in the southern Bahamas but I could not imagine having less than 10` and 15hp. This is a stretch when it comes to the davits but it is almost a must for us.
Good luck
Lonnie

[Scott730]

I've just upgraded from a 4 stroke 6 hp to a 2 stroke 8 hp, Same weight as the 6. Dink is a 270 w/ inflatible floor. Heading to the Keys this weekend to try it out, will let you know how we do when we get back. To Lonnie's point, if I were younger and my back could handle a bigger motor I'd have a 15 hp with a 10 foot dink.

Scott

[IrieCat]

Originally Posted by Scott730

I've just upgraded from a 4 stroke 6 hp to a 2 stroke 8 hp, Same weight as the 6. Dink is a 270 w/ inflatible floor. Heading to the Keys this weekend to try it out, will let you know how we do when we get back. To Lonnie's point, if I were younger and my back could handle a bigger motor I'd have a 15 hp with a 10 foot dink.

Scott

Very good point, we do remove the engine to store. We do this to get the lower unit out of reach of stray waves. It does keep us in shape though!

[lstyles]

Thanks for the replies! Lonnie do you have the larger size outboard on the 270 RIB? I am thinking a modest increase from 6 to 8HP won't be too big for the dinghy but want to make sure. Yes, the increase of about 20lbs is a consideration. Even though I am a girl I can haul that 6hp around fairly well but suspect with the the 8hp I will need some help. I had considered a 8HP 2 stroke but would have to get it in Mexico as they don't sell them here in California. I hope the boat will be spending most of her time in Mexico in the next couple of years so that may be an option. Scott I would love to hear your comments about your set up when you return.
Last consideration is overall weight increase with bigger motor. I try very hard to keep any increased weight on the boat to a bare minimum.
Lori

[IrieCat]

Lori, we got the 310 RIB with a Mercury 15 hp. The motor is about 115lbs and the 310 RIB is about the same.
Lonnie

[MKB53]

I have a 15HP Yamaha 2 stroke on a 310 RIB. The motor is about 39Kg (88Lbs). I have fitted an extra purchase on the davit to make lifting easier. The extra HP is great when cruising. Note that a 9.9 and a 15 are essentially the same motor and weigh the same!!!

You can take the davit rope to one of the winches if necessary. I fitted a block to each davit so that I could pull at an angle and the rope still feeds cleanly into the clutch.

Recently I bought the lightest motor I could find (a 3.3 mercury 2 stroke @ 11Kg). When at home I take the 15Hp off and use the 3.3Hp. We typically have a lot of short runs at home and this saves a lot of lifting!

Note that if you buy a larger RIB the width is critical. I had to get a 2nd one as the first was too wide to lift cleanly under the davits.

Cheers
Martin

[SailorTonyB]

Kitting out the new girl...thinking dinks today.

Considering this: AB Ultralight Aluminum Bottom RIB - (weight 87 pounds)

with a 9.9 Honda 4 stroke. (Weight 92 pounds)...might get a 2 stroke if I can find a good used one.

Total comes to about 180 pounds hanging off the davits. Does anyone have experience with these new ultralights from AB? I'm curious about durability, but the weight is attractive - seems to have decent load capabilities too. I'm surprised it's not rated for a 15hp.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by SailorTonyB

might get a 2 stroke if I can find a good used one.

Wait until you get to the Caribbean... You can buy a new 2 stroke then.

I have several friends who started out from the US with 4 strokes and changed to 9.9 or 15 Yamaha 2 strokes as soon as possible.