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Old 30-07-2021, 11:54   #1
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Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Our boat is 60’ aluminum with large strong davits and a sugar scoop stern. We are looking for opinions on dinghys and dinghy designs. Stability is the primary requirement. Please, no inflatable or folding boats.
Here are the three we have now.
Dinghy #1 The tank. 14’ welded aluminum wide body Sea Ark with 25 hp fuel injected Yamaha. 4’ beam on bottom. Carries manatees easily. High freeboard. Pounds a bit in big chop. Motor works perfectly. Very fast boat...but boat is stern heavy a bit and does not self drain. Too big to carry offshore. Sticks out past scoop. So stable a drunk manatee couldn’t make it tip. Stay at Home Port work boat not designed to take offshore. When we are done building, we’ll sell it.

Dinghy #2 The Pearl. 10’ Trinka. We carry it easily over stern cabin upright. Great two person boat with 2.5 hp Yamaha. Rows nice. Will change sail plan to gaff rig.
It’s a bit tippy and four manatees will sink it. Will probably keep it. Great second dinghy when we need two.

Dinghy #3 Lettuce. 12’ Trinka ...As in “let us “try a bigger Trinka. Nice boat. Pros. Self bails, nice freeboard, sailing, moves ok with 2.5 Yamaha. Pretty like all Trinkas. Good fit under davits, just heavy.
Cons. Too big to row alone. Lot heavier than the 10’. Had to build a forward thwart 4” up as side seating is too close to bottom. Original rig too tall got to change. Good boat for learning to sail, kids. Skinny flexible people.
Can stand off center but still not flat bottom stable...still tippy. 12’ is longest for carrying under davits, motor off. Thinking of selling soon. Close to best, but not quite perfect. Tippy if you are old and trying to get in and out at a dock.

So...we could easily sell the tank to fishermen ...it’s just a home port work boat. We will never sell the 10’ Trinka. Looks so nice on our deck, rows and sails nice...just it’s difficult with guests and we are getting old and stiff ourselves and requires being very careful boarding. All around it’s great, just a bit too small.
If we found a replacement for the Trinka 12 what do we want to see in the design.:
12 foot max ...Aluminum preferred. Holds 4 manatees, takes 10 -15 hp. Good high freeboard. As close to four foot bottom beam as looks reasonable to not be tippy. No full flat bottom that simply pounds you to death. Strong design. Self drain no motor would be nice. Everything else we can TIG on like lifting points.
So what beautiful designs have you seen ?
Happy trails to you. Thank you in advance.
Mark.
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Old 30-07-2021, 12:14   #2
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Well the Lund A-12 Sunfish pretty much covers your design brief. Aluminum, A-12, 10 hp max. Capacity 3 persons but you'll not get more in a 12' boat without going to a flat bottom (terrible in chop as you note) or a transom bow (hard to find in production boats).

https://www.lundboats.com/families/a/a-12.html

Available in bare aluminum or a lovely shade of desert tan.

You could also get someone to build you a GV-11 Garvey. It's a plywood design with a transom front, and will carry four due to its somewhat higher displacement despite the shorter overall length. The designer has posted extensively about the boat on other forums. Stock builds are suitable for 6-10 HP but there are many builds with heavier scantlings that run larger motors.

https://www.boatbuildercentral.com/p...at-plans-gv11/

Those are planing hulls designed to go fast with an outboard, and are not suitable for sailing or extended rowing.


Like you I have a 14' aluminum boat for inland, river, homeport sorts of shenanigans. It is a much older (1960) build with some tumblehome in the hull and is more stable in a blow than newer ones as a result.
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Old 30-07-2021, 13:57   #3
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Mark, what does the USCG say about boat capacity in drunk manatees? Is there a conversion factor from capacity in (always drunk) Florida Men?
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Old 30-07-2021, 14:37   #4
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

I built a 15% enlarged James Brett designed unicat 2.4.

This is really an awesome dinghy and super seaworthy at 8’9” it would be too huge scaled all the way to 12’ but maybe scaled 1.25 or 1.33 and then stations spaced to make 12’

Could be aluminum possibly with internal seats, etc foam or ply. I’ve been running this dinghy in the BOI last 7 months with many favorable comments, including from the designer/builder of OC tenders!

Jeff
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Old 30-07-2021, 14:49   #5
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Manateeman View Post
Our boat is 60’ aluminum with large strong davits and a sugar scoop stern. We are looking for opinions on dinghys and dinghy designs. Stability is the primary requirement. Please, no inflatable or folding boats.
Here are the three we have now.
Dinghy #1 The tank. 14’ welded aluminum wide body Sea Ark with 25 hp fuel injected Yamaha. 4’ beam on bottom. Carries manatees easily. High freeboard. Pounds a bit in big chop. Motor works perfectly. Very fast boat...but boat is stern heavy a bit and does not self drain. Too big to carry offshore. Sticks out past scoop. So stable a drunk manatee couldn’t make it tip. Stay at Home Port work boat not designed to take offshore. When we are done building, we’ll sell it.

Dinghy #2 The Pearl. 10’ Trinka. We carry it easily over stern cabin upright. Great two person boat with 2.5 hp Yamaha. Rows nice. Will change sail plan to gaff rig.
It’s a bit tippy and four manatees will sink it. Will probably keep it. Great second dinghy when we need two.

Dinghy #3 Lettuce. 12’ Trinka ...As in “let us “try a bigger Trinka. Nice boat. Pros. Self bails, nice freeboard, sailing, moves ok with 2.5 Yamaha. Pretty like all Trinkas. Good fit under davits, just heavy.
Cons. Too big to row alone. Lot heavier than the 10’. Had to build a forward thwart 4” up as side seating is too close to bottom. Original rig too tall got to change. Good boat for learning to sail, kids. Skinny flexible people.
Can stand off center but still not flat bottom stable...still tippy. 12’ is longest for carrying under davits, motor off. Thinking of selling soon. Close to best, but not quite perfect. Tippy if you are old and trying to get in and out at a dock.

So...we could easily sell the tank to fishermen ...it’s just a home port work boat. We will never sell the 10’ Trinka. Looks so nice on our deck, rows and sails nice...just it’s difficult with guests and we are getting old and stiff ourselves and requires being very careful boarding. All around it’s great, just a bit too small.
If we found a replacement for the Trinka 12 what do we want to see in the design.:
12 foot max ...Aluminum preferred. Holds 4 manatees, takes 10 -15 hp. Good high freeboard. As close to four foot bottom beam as looks reasonable to not be tippy. No full flat bottom that simply pounds you to death. Strong design. Self drain no motor would be nice. Everything else we can TIG on like lifting points.
So what beautiful designs have you seen ?
Happy trails to you. Thank you in advance.
Mark.
It's not alloy but if I had a yacht big enough to carry a hard dingy it would be this one:

https://www.ghboats.com/our-boats/12-point-defiance

It is strong (kevlar), light, rows, sails, and tows well, and very beautiful. Hard to say, though, Kirby's Trinka is pretty as well. For stability it needs chines. Weighs 155lbs, not 225 like the Trinka.

But maybe tippy for other folks, but I'd put up with the tippy to get a classic shape like this (sometimes a beautiful creature which performs like a thoroughbred requires skillful handling.)
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Old 31-07-2021, 09:32   #6
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Search 'peapod boat' or 'peapod dinghy'. Maine lobstermen used them years ago. Several groups make them now in a variety of sizes. Wood or glass. Mine even has a motor well for small outboard. Might find one with a transom.
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Old 31-07-2021, 09:36   #7
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

I also like the Boss Boat, out of production now, or the Rigid, which is very similar. Fiberglas. Super stable, but that cuts down on how easy they row. All take a small outboard.
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Old 31-07-2021, 10:52   #8
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

We took an 11 ft Boston whaler tender on our last two cruises and were pretty happy with it. Pros, extremely stable, self baling, unsinkable, rows well. Cons, heavy and they're getting expensive.

We've had a two and a half horsepower, a 9.8, and a 25 on it. It won't plane at all with the two and a half, we'll plane on a good day with the 9.8, and it goes like a bat out of hell with the 25.
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Old 31-07-2021, 11:48   #9
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Duraboat
All Aluminum, various sizes. my 10 footer weighs less than 125 lbs and is rated for 10 hp
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Old 31-07-2021, 22:05   #10
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

I have a 14' Whitehall. It might be a pain putting it in the water though. But I will tell you what the most stable tender I ever had and that is a Livingston 8 footer. You can literally board from any corner without it taking on water. Extremely stable. And with a Tohatsu 6hp., it will plane to scare ya! You can buy them all day for $300 used. I just bought one for $200 and am going to make a nesting dinghy out of it.
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Old 01-08-2021, 06:14   #11
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Russ. Thanks very much! I saw one years ago and I just forgot the builders name. We’ve been looking at a Marlon SWV 12 but they are in west Canada.
The Duroboat I saw looked well built. What’s your opinion.
Mark
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Old 01-08-2021, 06:48   #12
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

I drool at Doug Hylan’s dinghies if you need another project.
Too heavy for me on davits, but maybe right for you.

https://www.dhylanboats.com/design/plans/oonagh_plans/

https://www.dhylanboats.com/design/p...tlecrab_plans/

https://www.dhylanboats.com/new_cons...on/crab_skiff/

I’ve got a PT-11,and an 11’ Achilles air floor but those won’t fit your needs.

Dinghies are tough to choose.
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Old 01-08-2021, 07:14   #13
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Thanks for all replies. I love pea pods but just too difficult getting in and out for my wife. We had a Carolina, like the Whaler. Too heavy. The Point Defiance is just too cluttered inside but nice looking like the Trinka 12. Nice boat.
I’d really like aluminum and the Marlon SWV 12 design. They are so far away.

I’m trying to find someone who can weld up one of the kit boats. I’ve got too much to do on the big beer can now...seacocks and the rig...so maybe it’s going to be the Duroboat and I’ll put in alu floors. Not sure what to do with the bottom.
Epoxy barrier coat might pop off . Maybe not needed at all. Thought about filling all the seams to keep out stuff that leads to corrosion. With a new boat 5200 would get a grip but maybe fresh water washing inside will be better than filler which might just trap stuff underneath. Louisiana boats are just welded like kit boats. Thicker aluminum...I don’t have a shop any more and no time anyway. If I could find a small shop, all I need is the hull.
I can TIG the rest on board on the fwd deck under a tarp.
Again, thanks to all contributors.
Mark
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Old 01-08-2021, 07:34   #14
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Ocean Craft aluminum boats.



You can see their 12' version on the youtube channel: SV Delos.

167lbs if I remember correctly. Rated to take a 25hp.



Rugged, planing, incredibly stable. A RIB on steroids.



Not cheap. Especially after the $1,000 dollars in shipping. But looks to be a great dink.

Currently trying to justify the expense. But definitely my dream dink.
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Old 01-08-2021, 07:57   #15
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Re: Best 12’ hard dinghy ?

Thank you. I’ve seen them before and I just don’t see the advantage over a lot of other more traditional designs. Cutting files are now so common for so many designs. I’d like a regular vertical hull side. We had an aluminum AB rib. Gave it away. Got tired of soggy buns and low freeboard. Fast but wet. Just not me. But... they could carry the entire manatee crew...LOL
A sincere Thank You. Mark
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