Best Dingy for a 45' Cat?

[Nick & LA]

Just ordered our Leopard 44' for our liveaboard circumnavigation! We've receive a lot of advice, but one suggestion the seems to make a lot of sense it "don't skimp on the dingy." Once you get a good comfortable anchorage, you will want to travel quickly, comfortably and dryly to destinations that may be 5 miles away.
Any one out there got a dingy suggestion that they love?

Nick

[rebel heart]

Hell of a boat, have you guys done a lot of sailing?

Most people just like big PVC ribs with two strokes.

[Nick & LA]

Nope. Not really. Did the 10 day intensive offshore certification classes, chartered a few times.

[muskoka]

We purchased a Walker Bay hypalon RIB. PVC isn't intended to be stored in sunlight - so if you go PVC you must keep the boat well covered. I really like the AB dinghies which have aluminum bottoms and hyphalon tubes. They're light and long lasting.

Anyway, our WB is still in great shape after 6 years hanging off the back of our cat in the tropics. The real secret to longevity is to make Sunbrella chaps.

We fitted a 15hp but I'd go for an 8 or 10 next time around.

http://www.walkerbay.com/inflatables/genesis-ribs/
http://www.abinflatables.com

[smj]

I think Rebel Heart is pulling your leg. more like a hypalon dinghy with a 4stroke engine. Pvc has a very limited life in the tropics.

[FLLCatsailor]

I delivered a Leopard 44 back from the Bahamas once and the owners put a very large dinghy on the boat, and it significantly reduced the boats sailing ability... To much weight on the sterns. I would go with a 10ft dink with a yamaha ensure 25hp...

[Stu Jackson]

Dinghy discussions are like "anchor wars!" There simply is no "best."

The three most important characteristics/criteria are: 1) how do you intend to use it; 2) how do you transport it; 3) how easy is it to assemble?

WM Advisors has a good discussion: The West Advisor: Inflatable Boats

On our C25, we had a 8'-4" plywood floor WM (like Avon) hypalon with 1.2 hp "egg beater" Johnson outboard. I loved the boat 'cuz it held two people, was stable enough for our use, could go long distances if we brought along an extra 2 gallons of fuel, and stored well on the foredeck. I disliked, with a vengeance, the plywood floor assembly. I loved the oarlocks: they were the kind with a pin for the oars, so they never went anywhere they weren't supposed to go. Hard to find these days.

My experience is that if you can or are in a position to leave the dinghy inflated for long periods of time, the plywood or aluminum floors shouldn't be an issue. If you have to take it apart each weekend, you will come to loathe that "feature." Get either an air floor or the slats then. If you get an air floor, buy some outdoor carpeting and cut it to fit the bottom so it tucks under the tubes - keeps the floor in great shape.

Good luck, happy hunting.

[ShaktisBoy]

Is getting to some spot 5 miles away important to you? If so then a big RIB with a big motor will do the trick.

Our Leopard 40 came with a 10 foot CaribE RIB and a 6hp yamaha outboard. Love the little motor, hate RIBs. I will say I am biased when it comes to dinks. The thought of having to retube one every 5 - 7 years is a major turn off. The weight of them except of course the air floors models makes it difficult for my wife to get on the davits by herself if I'm not around the dink sits in the water most of the time. Add the fact that they often leak just tipped the scales in a differant direction for me. My choice is a 10 foot PortaBote altho My 12 footer would fit ok to on this boat and even better on yours My reasons for chosing the Porta Bote are simple
1. We spend alot of time offshore and sometimes the gulfstream gets lumpy. I dont want a dinghy on the davits especially in large following seas. I fold up the Porta and lash it to the front of the davits and no more following sea worries.
2. Weight. With the motor still on the Porta plus fuel it weighs less than 150 pounds. My wife can hoist it herself. The Caribe weighed over 220 pounds.
3 My 12 year old Porta Bote still functions fine. It looks a little rough but I could clean it up with some elbow grease. It has been run up on rocks. Baked in the tropical sun, completley swamped etc etc etc. It doesnt care.
4 there is a ton more room in a Porta than in your typical RIB. That means less trips to the dock to get the rest of the groceries.

Of course there are downsides.
As mentioned above it can be swamped and in that case the motor is going to get wet so,its not as forgiving of operator error as a RIB.
You have to assembel it after a crossing.
You have to have room to store the seats In the Leopard 40 or 44 it isnt a problem
The floor feels wierd and the boat feels more tippy. Its not more tippy really but because the floor is soft your standing up ballance wont be as good as it is in an RIB. You can however move all the way to the outside and the boat wont capsize without some extrordinary effort on your part or large waves or swells hitting the light side of the boat.
Dd I mention its ugly? It will grow on you though.

Hope this helps

[Palarran]

Yes, I do have a recommendation. I'd tear off the davits on your boat. install a hard deck below the dingy, install a full telescoping gangway like lagoon4us has, make it also a deck crane, and buy a 14' AB aluminum dingy with a jockey console. Maybe a 50 hp motor. Perfect.
Lammina 14 AL


I'd give up almost every extra accessory including my ice maker for a large (16') dingy with a deck crane that also worked as a gangway.

[aclmck]

Distance is a killer for small dinghy travel when the wind,tide sea state change and catch you out, then you find that you dont want to go out as often when this becomes the case.

My choice = long distance Zego Sports Boat Zego - The Ultimate 3 Meter Boat - Versatile, Safe, Fun!

= short distance a Takacat with a 2hp honda

if you only want one dinghy try a Bullfrog, whaly or a full poly boat no air leaks and rocks to worry about damaging your hull and get a consul so long distance is comfortable especially if you need to cross river bars etc

[Factor]

Light weight is important not just for hanging on the back of your 42 but also for those days when the tide goes out and you have to carry/drag it.

If its a RIB, then hypalon is best if you can get it, also aluminium floor is probably better but what ever it is, a dinghy with a false floor that is flat is a joy compared to the alternative. A hard dinghy has much going for it and I particularly like these.

EZY TOPPER

Next dinghy may be one of them.

[Dulcesuenos]

11' or 13' whaler. W a yamaha 15-25 2 stroke. Forget 4 strokes for serious cruising.
My favorite would be a 11' AB aluminum rib. Light and fast.

[dan360]

You can't buy two strokes other than the Evinrude ones (which are heavier than 4 strokes anyway) in the US, or in many other places.

The engine HP will depend on how many people you want to plane with. Our 20hp will just about plane with 3 adults and a 10 and 12 yo on board. With one aboard its absurdly fast. Its also plenty to tow either of the kids on a wake board w/ up to 3 in the dinghy. The fifth body in our case makes all the difference from easy planing to struggling. If you have 5 + shopping it simply will not get up on the plane.

We store our engine in the engine room after running it dry for long passages - using a lifting tackle rigged on the end of the boom.

[FLLCatsailor]

Originally Posted by dan360

You can't buy two strokes other than the Evinrude ones (which are heavier than 4 strokes anyway) in the US, or in many other places.

You can buy them in the Bahamas 50 miles easy of Ft Lauderdale.

[colemj]

That 25hp Enduro is quite the heavy beast. You can get 20hp 4-strokes that weigh considerably less, use less gas (less weight in the dinghy), and are smoother and quieter.

Even the 15hp 4-strokes are within splitting hair differences in weight now with the equivalent 2-strokes. 4-stroke weights have come down dramatically since the early days.

The OP is getting as many different opinions here as there are cruising styles and areas. The best choice is dependent on those.

We could never get by with a portabote because we like to take long offshore excursions to isolated reefs to dive and fish. Tidal ranges don't bother us because we cruise in an area with no appreciable tide. A slatted, wood or inflatable floor is a no-go for us because we do a lot of rough water dinghying and have large davits. PVC is out because we are in the tropics. A hard dinghy is out because we don't want THAT much weight and it is often used against the mother ship. Tiny dinghies and engines are out because of much of the above.

In our cruising grounds, our choice of dinghy and engine is commonplace. BUT - in other cruising grounds, our dinghy package would probably be a more rare sight.

So define what you want to do with a dinghy and where you plan to cruise.

Mark