The Perfect Dinghy

[Chasing Summer]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Wow.... edge glued ash? Now that was a heavy , rot prone boat! Try edge glued cedar, very light, rot resistant and very rigid. They use to build big boats that way up here. Each strip was glued and copper nailed to the previous one. a lost art I imagine...

Might not have been ash, it was a heavy double ender with a steam engine in the middle. You know, a client with way to much money. His building technics were interesting. He used no interenal ribs. Just bent the square lenghs over the form. You have to consider I'm remembering back 30 some odd years. This was when I was at Submarine School in Groton, CT. I also watched him fashion a round boom: small at the ends and large in the middle with nothing but a spoke shave.

[Cheechako]

Sounds like a real craftsman!

[boatsail]

I tried using the search feature and came up empty. Does anyone remember the recent thread where a sailor went to have his raft serviced and the bottom ripped out. Would be a good photo for this thread.

[boatsail]

Blah, sorry about that....I posted the above reply in the wrong thread.

Hard dinghy rules. Pram bow > pointy bow for load carry

[Pauls]

I suggest you look at the plans for the Nester tender by Dave Gerr. They're in his book "The Nature of Boats". Or you can buy a set of plans from his office. 11', will carry about 5 adults, about 125 lbs (so each half weighs 60 something). A nesting tender will let you have a bigger boat that stores in a small space. And when it comes to tenders bigger is better. Way better.

You have a specific set of design targets. In my opinion you'll be able to build something that will come closer to those targets than an off the shelf boat.

Plywood makes strong and light boats. Ply covered with with glass or polyester/epoxy is very durable and it is easy to fix. Good properties for something you're going to be using far from the beaten path.

[reelfunn]

Back in the late 80's when i crusied i went through 4 dighys before finding the one that worked for me and it was a 12 ft carolina fitted with a bow deck and rear bench 15 hp merc it was the perfect dinghy for my needs cheep and light as well as rugged

[SkiprJohn]

I think finding the perfect dinghy is like finding the perfect boat or perfect car or perfect truck or perfect home. The variables are infinite.
kind regards,

[lostsoul]

I lived in Annapolis in the 90s. I built a 6' 5" bolger dingy and rowed thru the anchorages checking out the sailboats. That dingy was a great conversation piece.

Anyway, when I went to the dingy dock (ego alley), i saw all types of tenders. At least half were inflatables. The others were everything. I noticed the foreign flagged cruisers tended to have the different tenders. I was trying to determine what tender I might want for cruising. I talked to many sailors too.

My conclusion is that there is no "perfect" tender. Every one has a different opinion. Maybe if money was no object, there might be more of a consensus. I saw many yachts that carried more then one tender also.

FWIW, i have seen at least one other "tender-life raft", other then the Pudgy. I dont have the experience of having to abandon ship, but from what i understand, any life raft is a big gamble. I guess it cant hurt though.

My perfect tender would be a nesting dingy that could sail, row and plane. Right now i have an avon 10' 6" inflatable with an 8 hp. I am always so worried that it may get stolen.

I wish there was a way to sea test the nesting dingy designs.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by lostsoul

My conclusion is that there is no "perfect" tender. Every one has a different opinion. Maybe if money was no object, there might be more of a consensus. I saw many yachts that carried more then one tender also.

Must agree with that. Different tender types serve different functions. We keep a "fleet" with as many as four tenders at once. A Walker Bay 8' with sail rig and 3 HP outboard which lives on the foredeck and belongs to the children, a 12' Zodiac roll-up which lives under the forepeak and is the backup/surf runner, a 12' AB aluminum RIB with 15 HP outboard which lives on the dinghy davits and is the main tender, and our 11.5 Boston Whaler Super Sport with 25 HP outboard which we often tow to the islands with us. They all get used a lot, as well as the kayaks. One of the great advantages of having a big boat.

[bruce smith]

I carry 2 hard dinks. An el toro and a modified Bequia 2 bow boat. both sail. I do not have deidicated tie down pads, but frap them down on pieces of old canvas. Sometimes I like to carry the 2 bow boat right side up , as shown, sometimes , up side down.
The El Toro is a sculling MACHINE!

[bruce smith]

Or, build a stitch n glue from your own model


ANY dingy can be made to nest. It is one of the worlds biggest PITA's!

[JJ77]

May I suggest a Banana boat?
Banana-boot - Firma SieBroTec GmbH

19kg and when you're out you can store it inside.enroute you can strap it to the railing.
This guy used it as his dink going around the world;
Homepage von Weltumsegler Bobby Schenk

I believe it starts at around 1250 euros,but I am not sure.

sorry for zzthe German.(google translate handles it well)

Tschüß!,
JJ

[cycletom0]

have a look at ptwatercraft.com

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by lostsoul

I lived in Annapolis in the 90s. I built a 6' 5" My perfect tender would be a nesting dingy that could sail, row and plane. Right now i have an avon 10' 6" inflatable with an 8 hp. I am always so worried that it may get stolen.
.

I read a post from a cruiser who said he installed an 8 inch port in the bottom of his RIB and takse it with him whenever the dinghy is alone. Hard to steal a boat full of water.

[xymotic]

If'n yer considering a livingston or a walker bay:

Both of those companies are a little hard to get parts from (walker esp)

I would suggest a look at the west marine branded dinks. they are about $600, there's a squared off one thats 'like' a livingston and a pointy one similar to a walker bay (but without sailing or flotation options)