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Old 28-05-2012, 15:19   #31
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

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Originally Posted by minaret View Post
Does your cheap ply pram sail? Didn't think so.
Actually, it did, not very succesfully but with an old windsurfer sail and mast I had success motoring uphill and sailing stealthily downhill dragging lures

Quote:
The pudgy does, and with the canopy up will continue to do so in the roughest of conditions, thus making it the best life boat you can get, because you can pull a Captain Bligh and sail to safety instead of waiting around to get rescued like a victim. It also rows well, which a pram doesn't. Most of the cost is in all of the gear that comes with it, including some very high end survival equipment, a sail rig, and the 12k figure also includes a nice electric outboard. All of the survival gear and the canopy stow on the boat in sealed compartments, meaning it is always ready to be deployed in any role with no prep.
None of which the OP specifically requested
Quote:
You do get what you pay for.
That you do.
Personally, I'd rather both.
For my boat now I have, a 4 metre tinny, with canopy, depth sounder, lights and a 20hp outboard
A boat that can actually be used for something.
I can use it for provisioning without the need to take a marina berth
I regularly do trips out to nearby reef and islands fishing, round trips of up to 30 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots.

The portland pudgy would be useless for what I and many cruisers require of them.
Quote:
Look at some of the North Sea test footage, it's impressive. Still a compromise and not ideal in every regard, as is true of all dinghys, but it beats the hell out of a ply pram for most purposes,
I dare say it is impressive BUT as I dont sail in the north sea (does the OP?) I doubt it beats the hell out of MY ply pram as an actual dinghy as intended for use on a boat.

Like I said, It was very stable and cheap
I would happily run it up on rocks and reef
I could motor many miles in it with its 2hp outboard (Hows that electric motor going?)
It was a fishing vehicle, a taxi, a rubbish bin and a carly float.

If it was damaged or stolen I didnt lament the loss of $12000

As for no compromise, well I didn't compromise at all.
I had the vehicle as described above very well that copped the day to day abuse that a boats dinghy does
and so as not to compromise with the coin I left over I can have a dedicated life-raft. Hell, I could have another 3 or 4.

Can your single portland pudgy beat that safety factor?

The compromise in my eyes is your pudgy as it really doesn't fill the dinghy ( taxi - Fishing platform - truck - rubbish barge ) role very well at all to my way of thinking.
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Old 28-05-2012, 16:02   #32
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

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Originally Posted by cat man do View Post
Actually, it did, not very succesfully but with an old windsurfer sail and mast I had success motoring uphill and sailing stealthily downhill dragging lures


None of which the OP specifically requested
That you do.
Personally, I'd rather both.
For my boat now I have, a 4 metre tinny, with canopy, depth sounder, lights and a 20hp outboard
A boat that can actually be used for something.
I can use it for provisioning without the need to take a marina berth
I regularly do trips out to nearby reef and islands fishing, round trips of up to 30 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots.

The portland pudgy would be useless for what I and many cruisers require of them.

I dare say it is impressive BUT as I dont sail in the north sea (does the OP?) I doubt it beats the hell out of MY ply pram as an actual dinghy as intended for use on a boat.

Like I said, It was very stable and cheap
I would happily run it up on rocks and reef
I could motor many miles in it with its 2hp outboard (Hows that electric motor going?)
It was a fishing vehicle, a taxi, a rubbish bin and a carly float.

If it was damaged or stolen I didnt lament the loss of $12000

As for no compromise, well I didn't compromise at all.
I had the vehicle as described above very well that copped the day to day abuse that a boats dinghy does
and so as not to compromise with the coin I left over I can have a dedicated life-raft. Hell, I could have another 3 or 4.

Can your single portland pudgy beat that safety factor?

The compromise in my eyes is your pudgy as it really doesn't fill the dinghy ( taxi - Fishing platform - truck - rubbish barge ) role very well at all to my way of thinking.

I don't own a pudgy, but I have had several neighbors and clients who do. I prefer a Bullfrog, an AB, or my Boston whaler 11.5 supersport for my boat, but I have huge davits with lots of capacity, and a boat that doesn't even notice the added weight. Most cruisers have boats under 40' though, and need a dinghy in the 8-10' range. Neither my whaler or your pram would be an option for most. And in any case I seriously doubt a ply pram with a totally cost bottom and only a single layer of 5 oz would take anything like the beating you suggest, the first time you " happily run it up on rocks and reefs" you are going to blow right through the paper thin glass. I call BS on that...
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Old 28-05-2012, 16:23   #33
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

the dink you choose will depnd on its ultimate use. if you will be sitting in a marina at a dock, then get a portabote.. in relity, they totally sukk. too flobbily. wlkr bay is better.
for use as a transportation device from your anchored boat to a beach, some kind of a motorized reflatable is a good thing to have. even small outbard on a walker bay is a good choice. the walker bay dinks donot get stolen. engines do, not th plastic boats. mine is 8 ft.
reflatable boats make great work platforms, as they are stable and g3entle on your hull, unlike anything metal.
but--s your choice. have fun deciding.
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Old 28-05-2012, 16:34   #34
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

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Originally Posted by minaret View Post
. And in any case I seriously doubt a ply pram with a totally cost bottom and only a single layer of 5 oz would take anything like the beating you suggest,
The point being is that with a $100 dinghy I will do things with it that you wont with the $12000 "liferaft".
Why?
Because ones your friggen liferaft FFS so you wont want to risk damage


Quote:
the first time you " happily run it up on rocks and reefs" you are going to blow right through the paper thin glass. I call BS on that..
You are right but so what?
How hard is it to slap a bit more on.

After a few "episodes" I could see where the majority of wear was and beefed up these areas accordingly. Corners got split pvc tube glassed on and half pvc tubes were glassed full length along the bottom.
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Old 28-05-2012, 16:42   #35
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

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Originally Posted by zeehag View Post
reflatable boats make great work platforms, as they are stable and g3entle on your hull, unlike anything metal.
Best of both worlds
Increased stability, reduced spray and no damage to topsides

- Home

It's pretty obvious that one persons perfect dinghy is another's POS dinghy.
It would be good if the OP would come back and tell us what he actually wanted one to do.

Does he want it to be a liferaft as well?
Does he want speed?
Does he want to spend $12000?
Does he want it to be cheap?
Does he want it to be light and lifted over the head by one person?
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Old 28-05-2012, 17:04   #36
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

Obviously the Portland Pudgy is not for everybody some people see them as overpriced and would never dream of spending that kind of money, others view them as a well engineered hybrid capable of many functions including the capability of sailing yourself to safety in a catastrophe. We get it cat man do, you're not a fan, good luck with your ply pram... I personally don't have a problem spending good money on good equipment. The Portland Pudgy's many rave reviews speak for themselves.. Reviews of Safety dinghy, Life raft
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Old 28-05-2012, 17:42   #37
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

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Originally Posted by Mike Vogdes View Post
Obviously the Portland Pudgy is not for everybody some people see them as overpriced and would never dream of spending that kind of money, others view them as a well engineered hybrid capable of many functions including the capability of sailing yourself to safety in a catastrophe. We get it cat man do, you're not a fan, good luck with your ply pram... I personally don't have a problem spending good money on good equipment. The Portland Pudgy's many rave reviews speak for themselves.. Reviews of Safety dinghy, Life raft


Having built many a roto-molded boat myself (sea kayaks) and also having built some roto-molds, I personally think the Pudgy is a wonder of engineering and probably worth every penny. The last roto mold I made for a sea kayak model (Northwest Kayaks Pursuit LP, late 90's prices) cost close to a million dollars to finish, and that was just for the mold. There was already several million into the rest of the setup. At $2500 for the bare hull, you have to sell a lot of Pudgies just to recoup your layout. I doubt it's that big a market and would not be surprised to see them fold. They sure are cool, and look much nicer in the flesh than in photo's. They have a very beefy feel about them. Still, I'm with CMD in the go-fast department, I find it practical to have a substantial planing dinghy that will do 20 knots for long distances in rough water. My Whaler with 18 HP Tohatsu does that for me in a fairly lightweight davitable package (though many wouldn't call it that at 450 lb.). I don't see how you could get that kind of speed and range in a 13'-14' pram with a 2 HP outboard on it though. But I've never tried so maybe I'm wrong about that.
Going rate for a roto molded sea kayak is close to $2000. They have much less plastic in them and are much simpler to build, as the Pudgy is double walled. Even a Walker Bay costs almost $1000 and they are vastly simpler to build comparing bare hull to bare hull. I would guess the Pudgy must have at least 4-5 times as much material in it.
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Old 28-05-2012, 18:21   #38
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Got to get into this one. We like our rigid inflatable for :
Light weight, smaller size when not inflated( our is 2 ' narrower in the beam and 2' shorter) this allows easy deck storage on the cradle. Also it planes with a 10 to 25 hp outboard. We have 3 separate tubes so one puncture doesn't sink us. It tows easy and won't sink if we ship water. It also goes on the favors for short hopping. Cost is
Reasonable new or used. We can hold 6 adults with gear. I could sail it but there's no board or rudder.
This is a good thread.
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Old 28-05-2012, 18:58   #39
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

I still think the pudgy is an ugly boat made of inferior material.
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Old 28-05-2012, 19:04   #40
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

I dont know, ply is pretty damn strong, I dont think you're going to "blow through" 1/4 ply very easy.....
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Old 28-05-2012, 19:18   #41
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

Look at Joel White's designs - either the 9' Nutshell, or the 11' shellback. I have used both, and both are excellent boats. Downside is you have to build them. Do not use 1/4" ply. Use 3/8". do not worry about the weight difference, since you will be using tackle to overside and lift the boat. both boats will sail very well. small outboards are great, but if you NEED one, you have to buy two, since the first will be stolen within a year. Just my 2 cents. Neither of these boats is terribly difficult to build, though I would use 2X tk cedar instead of plywood for the transoms. That chameleon also seems like a good bet, and I may wind up building one. Nesting boats are fantastic, but be sure the connector system is such that you can put it together in the watger in a blow. Okay, so maybe 3 cents .....
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Old 28-05-2012, 19:40   #42
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

Two dinghies I've owned that sailed well are El Toro and Naples Sabot. Both were prams. The El Toro had a daggerboard and therfore sailed better. They are cheap and easy to build. I believe you can build one with two sheets of plywood and some strips of douglas fir. Glass the chines and keel and you got a dinghy.

I used to carry the fiberglass Sabot overhead down to the dock and throw it in. I used to launch it from the boat by flipping it over the lifelines. My British Seagull powered it well towing another up the Hanalei River.

Now I have a 10' version of the same thing made from 1/4 ply. I'm way older so can't lift it over my head but it still is very light for a dinghy and does a great job. It must be ok because my friends are constantly borrowing it. I can row this boat easily and it can be motored with my little electric minn kota or my 4hp Johnson 2 cycle. Plenty of power.

Good luck in whichever dinghy you choose. I always prefer a hard one because they row so much easier.

kind regards,
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Old 28-05-2012, 19:47   #43
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

The reason I recommended the Livingston is because I borrowed a friends and motored it all over Moss Landing to look at boats and check out the Yacht Club across the harbor entrance. It was a 7 footer if I remember well and it was extremely stable. We carried a bunch of stuff in it and at times about 525 lbs of crew. For a 7 footer I thought that was pretty phenominal. I'd get a 9 footer.

Oh, the Portland Pudgy might be just the ticket for a wealthy person. I'm not.

kind regards,
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Old 29-05-2012, 07:59   #44
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

ever row a livingston??? sometimes, even with a nice new outboard, one must row.....is nice to not have to beat yourself up to get to your own boat.....just sayin. (btd)
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Old 29-05-2012, 09:40   #45
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Re: The Perfect Dinghy

The Port Towsend 11 weighs 85 lbs and assembles in 15 seconds in the water!
Kit only, not cheap.
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