Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 12-06-2013, 08:54   #31
Registered User

Join Date: May 2013
Location: Mystic
Boat: St. Francis 44 mkII
Posts: 361
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 View Post
Do you have a model that you'd recommend?
Mystic38 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2013, 09:34   #32
Registered User
 
Tortuga's Lie's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Urbanna, Virginia
Boat: Tartan 4100
Posts: 697
Talking Re: Dinghy - Hard or Soft?

Here we go again!!! Which anchor should I use for my dinghy !!! HA
Tortuga's Lie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2013, 09:50   #33
Registered User
 
Stu Jackson's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cowichan Bay, BC (Maple Bay Marina)
Posts: 9,703
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)
Stu Jackson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2013, 10:08   #34
Registered User
 
eyschulman's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: seattle
Boat: Devlin 48 Moon River & Marshal Catboat
Posts: 639
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.
eyschulman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 11:18   #35
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 5
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
__________________
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
ptwatercraft is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 13:07   #36
Registered User
 
sabray's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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.
sabray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 14:01   #37
Registered User
 
Krogensailor's Avatar

Join Date: May 2013
Location: Naples Fl
Boat: Kadey Krogen 38 cutter
Posts: 355
Images: 13
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.
Krogensailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 17:24   #38
Registered User
 
capttman's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Satellite Beach Florida
Boat: Bruce Roberts 434
Posts: 716
Send a message via Skype™ to capttman
I like a hard dingy

Click image for larger version

Name:	image-354591878.jpg
Views:	231
Size:	130.4 KB
ID:	62602
__________________
Capttman

"When the bow be in the trees we'll be running out of seas"
capttman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 18:10   #39
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Montegut LA.
Boat: Now we need to get her to Louisiana !! she's ours
Posts: 3,421
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
bobconnie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 18:20   #40
Registered User
 
sabray's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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.
sabray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 18:25   #41
Registered User

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Blue Hill, Maine
Boat: 32' Bob Baker/Joel White Cutter (One-off wood)
Posts: 159
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...
marujo.sortudo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 18:53   #42
Registered User
 
sabray's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Wash DC
Boat: PETERSON 44
Posts: 3,165
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.
sabray is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15-06-2013, 19:42   #43
Registered User
 
Sailormantx's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Texas
Boat: 42' Colvin Gazelle
Posts: 323
Images: 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by marujo.sortudo View Post
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...
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.
Sailormantx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-06-2013, 15:30   #44
Marine Service Provider
 
Lin Pardey's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Kawau Island, New zealand
Boat: Lyle C. Hess owner built 29'6" cutter
Posts: 113
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.
Lin Pardey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-06-2013, 15:45   #45
Registered User
 
Mike OReilly's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Good question
Boat: Rafiki 37
Posts: 14,131
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.
__________________
Why go fast, when you can go slow.
BLOG: www.helplink.com/CLAFC
Mike OReilly is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
dinghy

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Soft Dodger or Hard Dodger - Pros / Cons Duke 48 Construction, Maintenance & Refit 60 31-08-2012 11:45
For Sale: Fatty Knees Dinghy ocean31 Classifieds Archive 1 11-01-2012 07:53
Hard Freeze Warning in Florida Areas - What Are You Doing ? Dulcesuenos Construction, Maintenance & Refit 71 10-01-2012 07:33
Safe & Easy Dinghy Storage at Anchor blahman Auxiliary Equipment & Dinghy 16 28-12-2011 09:28

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 23:39.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.