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12-06-2013, 08:54
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#31
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Mystic
Boat: St. Francis 44 mkII
Posts: 361
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
This is the current model of the boat I purchased...
WEST MARINE 2013 HP-310 High-Pressure Inflatable Floor Rollup Sportboat at West Marine
I have had this some 7-8 years now. It has only needed patching once, where some fool (ah-hem) was fishing and hooked the boat.
It has an inflatable V keel and the floor inflates to a significantly higher pressure than the tubes, making it really quite hard..you get a 3 setting pump that will provide the higher (I think 11-12pis or so?). The longer length gives back some of the stability you lose by not having a solid deep keel of the RIB.
Like i stated earlier, I deflate for passages and store in a berth or the head (weighs <=80lbs) and the outboard (55lbs) lives on a bracket on the stern pulpit.
Obviously you don't drive it up a beach , but 2 people can lift the boat+outboard for an almost refined drag/lift up
short of davits and engine hoist, this is the best setup I have seen and would purchase again in an instant
Quote:
Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3
Do you have a model that you'd recommend?
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12-06-2013, 09:34
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#32
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Urbanna, Virginia
Boat: Tartan 4100
Posts: 697
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
Here we go again!!! Which anchor should I use for my dinghy !!! HA
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12-06-2013, 09:50
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#33
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cowichan Bay, BC (Maple Bay Marina)
Posts: 9,703
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
Good advice on differences between hard and soft.
Here are some more ideas on the varieties of soft dinghies.
The West Advisor: Inflatable Boats
We have a 10 year old Zodiac air floor 10'-2" with a 9.9 hp 2 stroke. Works great for our use.
__________________
Stu Jackson
Catalina 34 #224 (1986) C34IA Secretary
Cowichan Bay, BC, SR/FK, M25, Rocna 10 (22#) (NZ model)
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12-06-2013, 10:08
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#34
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: seattle
Boat: Devlin 48 Moon River & Marshal Catboat
Posts: 639
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
I had the same problem hard or soft dinghy(not thingy) that is. To resolve I had to get a 50ft boat now I have a 15ft gig harbor row-sail power FG unit and a 10ft HP air floor inflatable. Now when I need a dinghy I can spend the morning deciding if I want to inflate one or take the cover off the other and fire up the lift to hall it down and up again. That will keep me occupied while cruising.
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15-06-2013, 11:18
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#35
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 5
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
Here is a presentation Russell and I put together with our opinion on the matter. Making your choice is really about what is important to you and what kind of cruising experience you seek. cheers
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15-06-2013, 13:07
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#36
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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Went with nesting dink. Hung into the 2 stroke 8hp for weight power and reliability. Found that I can row more often then not. 95 pounds splits in two. Can't ask for more. Held onto my air floor inflatable cause someday the kids will want their own dink.
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15-06-2013, 14:01
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#37
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Naples Fl
Boat: Kadey Krogen 38 cutter
Posts: 355
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
I'm doing both. I'm building a 9'+ nutshell for myself and buying a inflatable roll up for the wife. If anyone is with you on a regular basis you have to have separate ways to get off the boat. When we lived on our previous boat, Offshore 33 Cheoy Lee, I took off in the morning and got all involved in something, when I got back she wasn't talking so much. Between the two? As much as I love building and rowing, I'd do an inflatable. Also the size of your boat dictates. I'm on a Krogen 38 OD. below 30', is a roll up for sure.
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15-06-2013, 17:24
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#38
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Satellite Beach Florida
Boat: Bruce Roberts 434
Posts: 716
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I like a hard dingy
__________________
Capttman
"When the bow be in the trees we'll be running out of seas"
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15-06-2013, 18:10
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#39
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Montegut LA.
Boat: Now we need to get her to Louisiana !! she's ours
Posts: 3,421
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
We have always had a hard dink, for one real reason. We are cheap cruisers. Not haveing a powerd dink save us from haveing to register it and pay taxs and lic for haveing power. As you all know ya can row or sail your dink and use it anywhere in the USA without any fees. We tried a inflateable when most of the kids were teens, and found we were repairing it a lot ! Never had to do much of anything to our hard dink ! We have a VERY Heavy davit system on our current boat that holds and raises and lowers the 12 ft hard dink with ease ! ( and ya know a lot of places out of the US don't really care if ya use a motor or not !!) So we do have a 15 hp 2 stroke sorta hanging around if we need it LOL So we are gonna stay with our cheepy hard dink !
__________________
Bob and Connie
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15-06-2013, 18:20
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#40
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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I think it's important to consider what you are doing with your dink. I spent hours pissing away with a soft dink trying to get it started. A hard dink will get off the dock even if its by manual labor. With one hand and some skill you can get by with a single notch in the back end sculling.
I'm pretty happy dipping my wood oars in the water and pulling . My dink off any pier. Best you'll get with any inflatable is you will yank your arm off and have no joy. You might get off the pier you will probably feal screwed . You won't be nearly as satisfied as a guy with a good wood dink.
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15-06-2013, 18:25
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#41
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Blue Hill, Maine
Boat: 32' Bob Baker/Joel White Cutter (One-off wood)
Posts: 159
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I'm musing that folks that prefer walking/biking on land over driving the car, probably prefer rowing/sailing over motoring on the water. Of course, if you want to row/sail than a hard dink it is...
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15-06-2013, 18:53
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#42
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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If your inflatable is hard for more then 5 hours you should call your doctor. No surprise our wood dink is hard and stays that way for days.
Natural joy not prophylactic blown up temporary cheap trick. I don't need to worry about sunscreen in my woodie like those that have inflatable dinks.
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15-06-2013, 19:42
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#43
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Boat: 42' Colvin Gazelle
Posts: 323
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marujo.sortudo
I'm musing that folks that prefer walking/biking on land over driving the car, probably prefer rowing/sailing over motoring on the water. Of course, if you want to row/sail than a hard dink it is...
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You may be onto something. Car free, seriously into bicycling for transportation and touring here and have always had a rowing/sailing dinghy with no motor. Prefer sailing over motor on the big boat too.
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16-06-2013, 15:30
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#44
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Kawau Island, New zealand
Boat: Lyle C. Hess owner built 29'6" cutter
Posts: 113
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
One special delight we have from more than 40 years of voyaging with a solid sailing dinghy, keeping in touch with the now grown up folks we taught to sail in various anchorages around the world. I can't count the times we've sailed past a cruising boat with kids on it, started chatting and soon were sharing either Rinky Dink (the 6'8" Arthur dinghy we had on Seraffyn) or Cheeky, (the Hess designed Fatty Knees we still have on Taleisin) with these lovely youngsters. A special memory was the day one of their mothers rowed over and asked to take the dinghy sailing (she offered a plate of fresh baked cookies as a bribe) Her reason - a chance to get away sailing completely on her own for a few hours, just for the peace and quiet.
One extra reason we will like hard dinghies, much easier to make sure your bottom and feet stay dry. But if we'd had the desire and funds to cruise on a boat with sufficent room, might have been nice to carry one of each.
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16-06-2013, 15:45
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#45
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Good question
Boat: Rafiki 37
Posts: 14,131
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Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?
Haven't read through the 3+ pages of responses, but it appears no one has mentioned a portabote. I guess b/c it straddles both camps.
It rows and sails like a hard dingy, it can take a small outboard and motors quite well due to its weight and design. It can manage a large load, and while it may feel tippy at first, is really very stable. It stores on our side deck, is light and very tough.
We've had our 10-footer for the past four years of seasonal cruising. It will go with us next year when we head out full time. It's not perfect ... nothing is on a small boat. But for our uses, it has been a great dink.
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