Best 7-8ft lightweight solid dinghy?

[mrogers23]

We're currently cruising up the East coast for the summer. Currently in Maine. Then will head South for the Winter. The dinghy that came with our sailboat is nearing the end of its life and I'd love to buy a used rigid dinghy that is lightweight as we use our Spinnaker halyard to hoist it up on our cabin top (no davits). I'd also prefer it to be more stable than say a walker bay.

Any model recommendations? I'm thinking around 7-8 feet and would need to be able to mount an outboard motor.

Matt

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by mrogers23

We're currently cruising up the East coast for the summer. Currently in Maine. Then will head South for the Winter. The dinghy that came with our sailboat is nearing the end of its life and I'd love to buy a used rigid dinghy that is lightweight as we use our Spinnaker halyard to hoist it up on our cabin top (no davits). I'd also prefer it to be more stable than say a walker bay.

Any model recommendations? I'm thinking around 7-8 feet and would need to be able to mount an outboard motor.

Matt

We've had good luck with the 8 ft Walker Bay, but we have the inflatable add on tube kit. The add-on tubes really added stability, and increased capacity. I put stainless eye bolts on it, made up a lifting bridle and I'm able to easily single-hand it up on deck with the spinnaker halyard. If it's windy it's better to have a 2nd hand assisting, but that goes for hoisting the motor up as well.


Looking online, it seems the add-on kits are sold out everywhere I looked.

[Martkimwat]

Originally Posted by mabowers

We've had good luck with the 8 ft Walker Bay, but we have the inflatable add on tube kit. The add-on tubes really added stability, and increased capacity. I put stainless eye bolts on it, made up a lifting bridle and I'm able to easily single-hand it up on deck with the spinnaker halyard. If it's windy it's better to have a 2nd hand assisting, but that goes for hoisting the motor up as well.


Looking online, it seems the add-on kits are sold out everywhere I looked.

I will second this recommendation. The tubes transform it from a tippy dinghy for two to a very stable dinghy for 3+, the elderly gentleman I bought it from reckoned he had no trouble with 4 up and gear and it rows and sails really well too.

[tkeithlu]

Mabowers expoerience with the Walker Bay matches ours. It's a good little boat with the collar, which has stood up well to UV. Just remember that it is not a planing hull, so speed is limited. Our does quite well with a six HP Tohatsu four stroke engine.

[deblen]

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-a-254261.html

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Mabowers expoerience with the Walker Bay matches ours. It's a good little boat with the collar, which has stood up well to UV. Just remember that it is not a planing hull, so speed is limited. Our does quite well with a six HP Tohatsu four stroke engine.

That's a big engine for an 8'. Guessing you have the 10' version? Even then it's twice the manufacturer's recommended horsepower!

Actually you can get them to plane. Our 8' planes with a 3.5hp and a long tiller extension. You have to raise the engine up a bit on the transom to bring the thrust line higher. Only with one person though.

Sorry, I can't really help the OP. I've been toying with the idea of building a fast, lighweight, stable 'V-hull' planing dinghy out of airex foam sheets and a single layer of biax on each side..... Just haven't gotten around to it yet. At the moment I'm working on an old whaler hull, replacing the existing (waterlogged) 4lb foam with 2lb foam and adding a couple of stringers for support. Should be considerably lighter than the original.

[tweitz]

I had an 8' Walker Bay with the tubes, and found it was just not stable enough with two aboard, even with a lightweight engine. Just trying to start the engine by myself, I had to lean over the transom and the bow went up and the stern went way too far down. When my wife and I (admittedly not lightweights) tried to ride it together it was not stable. YMMV.

[flee27]

I have a walker bay 8 and we like it. I do wish I could find a tube kit for it somewhere though. It is a little sensitive to moving around in it and definitely need to have the weight distributed correctly. We have a 2.5hp for ours.

Good luck.

Foster

[JBP]

From your humble Google servant
https://www.ghboats.com/our-boats/8-nisqually/
https://plasticboats.com/marina/
https://www.boats.com/reviews/deck-friendly-dinghies/
This one is unique
The Frog Boat - Boat Specs

This one is not a specific boat, but looked like an interesting site for shopping.
https://directboats.com/dinghys.html

[smj]

Not sure if it would be considered a solid dinghy but our Porta Bote is lightweight, remarkably stable and breaks down for easy stowage. Also planes with a smaller outboard. Not everyone’s cup of tea and not perfect but we have been very satisfied with it.

[Cheechako]

Up where you are you should be able to find a Dyer Dhow 8 ft. Stable for that small.

But I must warn you, an 8 ft dingy can be a wet ride if there is a chop with 2 people. It will bang the heck out of the side of your mothership. Having a dink on the foredeck is not a lot of fun either. Barnacles will scratch your gel coat and other goo will be allover your cabin top. I've done it on a 1.5 year cruise. We almost sank a couple of times getting back to the boat from town. Have a good bailing can. Watch out for broken ribs on the foredeck when you slip and fall on the dingy.
Get a rollup inflatable.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Up where you are you should be able to find a Dyer Dhow 8 ft. Stable for that small.

But I must warn you, an 8 ft dingy can be a wet ride if there is a chop with 2 people. It will bang the heck out of the side of your mothership. Having a dink on the foredeck is not a lot of fun either. Barnacles will scratch your gel coat and other goo will be allover your cabin top. I've done it on a 1.5 year cruise. We almost sank a couple of times getting back to the boat from town. Have a good bailing can. Watch out for broken ribs on the foredeck when you slip and fall on the dingy.
Get a rollup inflatable.

Yeah I agree with Cheechako here. A good roll up inflatable can carry more and more safely, it's more stable and is easier to deal with on deck. If you are looking for inflatable tubes for a Walker Bay I think there are many inflatables that are tough enough and rigid enough to beat that set-up.

[roverhi]

[QUOTE=Cheechako;3460307]Up where you are you should be able to find a Dyer Dhow 8 ft. Stable for that small.

But I must warn you, an 8 ft dingy can be a wet ride if there is a chop with 2 people. It will bang the heck out of the side of your mothership. Having a dink on the foredeck is not a lot of fun either. Barnacles will scratch your gel coat and other goo will be allover your cabin top. I've done it on a 1.5 year cruise. We almost sank a couple of times getting back to the boat from town. Have a good bailing can. Watch out for broken ribs on the foredeck when you slip and fall on the dingy.


Really like our Montgomery 8' dink on the foredeck. It's a place to lean on when the boat is bouncing and pitching while working on the foredeck. Use the spinnaker pole and a tackle to hoist it back on board. Easy to hang out of the water when not in use so the critters don't grow on the bottom and discourages theft. Canvas/rubber gunnel wrap minimizes/eliminates problem of boat rubbing up against the hull. A fender and fore and aft mooring lines also works.

[Bay Breeze]

We like our 1957 vintage Grumman 8 ft aluminum sailing dingy with Torqeedo or Evinrude 2hp. 4 stroke is too much weight on transom IMO.

[guyrj33]

If you don't mind rowing a Dyer midget at 7'11" is a wonderful dinghy that is light enough to move around and easy to row.
If you need an outboard then a 8'6" zodiac roll up inflataable would be my first recommendation. I would also look at a small RIB, but will probably be heavier than you're interested in.