Big enough boat to carry a hard dink or RIB?

[Jammer]

Sorry for another dinghy thread. I'm trying get a sense of perspective.


How large of a sailboat is necessary to reasonably carry a RIB?


How large of a sailboat is necessary to reasonably carry a hard dinghy?


I understand that dinghys are (like everything in boating) always a tradeoff. There's a clear tradeoff between dinghys that can be folded and stowed anywhere (including below decks), and the much more functional dinghys that have to be stored on the foredeck.


When I move to a larger sailboat, I would like to be able to carry a hard dink. I'd like some guidance as to the sort of size range I have to look at to do that.


A related question, the inner forestay on a cutter obviously has the potential to get in the way of dinghy storage on the foredeck. Is this usually a serious problem, or does the customary further-aft placement of the mast on cutters (as compared to sloops) make up for it? On the other hand, does the dinghy get in the way of, or shadow, the genoa on a sloop?

[Tayana42]

The staysail stay does get in the way of foredeck dinghy stowage on my boat. The staysail boom exacerbates that limitation because the staysail sheeting comes from boom end straight down to the deck about 18 inches in front of the mast. If the staysail was not on a boom I could arrange the sheet or sheets further back by the mast.

As a consequence I deflate the air floor dinghy and stow it next to the mast ( or below for longer passages). Or for short hops in settled conditions I tow it with a bridle.

[boatman61]

Want a hard dink.. fit davits and work out a good lashing technique for at sea.
That way 40ft upwards.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Want a hard dink.. fit davits and work out a good lashing technique for at sea.

That way 40ft upwards.

Come on Boatie! You know you are gonna DIE if you travel further than a mile from your pen with a dinghy on the davits. I know this is true because I read it here on CF a million times.

For the OP, I’m with the davits option, IF you have sufficient lifting height to make it safe. My dink sits around 1.8 meters above the water on the davits. Feels pretty safe to me, but, as Boatie notes, the lashing system is everything and to be honest, I’ll use the foredeck for my Tasmania trip because it’s easier than getting the darn thing to stop moving around.

[JPA Cate]

The sales personnel don't know how big their RIBs are, disinflated. This led to some frustration! We measured our space, and then told the salesman, if we could fit it aboard, we'd take it. It just barely fits. 3.4 m. overall length, just inside where our baby stay comes down. But, we're committed to big dinghies, especially for their stability and their ability to plane with 4 adults, so that life is easier with guests.

So much depends on the actual mother boat involved. People with club foot staysails have a problem from the "club". Friends of ours with a 40 ft. cutter have a smaller Caribe that stows just aft of the boom, athwartships on the cabin top, leaving the side decks clear. It substantially blocks the view forward, though.

I think Boatie's 40 ft. limit sounds reasonable for a RIB. You measure and trial and find what you can fit.

Our other big dinghies have had to be disinflated, the floor boards removed, and stowed below, and the elephant skin rolled up tight, and lashed in front of the dodger. (36 ft. flush deck sloop).

Many Europeans go to nesting dinghies, and some of them are VERY practical, easily driven, row well, use small motors occasionally, don't need big ones. Also, rowing is decent exercise, and it's contemplative. Imho, they represent a very interesting answer to the dinghy question. Friends with one, the two halves are usable little boats for just one of them, so that they can be used separately, as well as one longer, more competent boat.

Ann

[GWB]

Here is a Westsail 32 carrying a 7’6” hard dinghy. It is nicely out of the way

[JPA Cate]

I’ll use the foredeck for my Tasmania trip because it’s easier than getting the darn thing to stop moving around.

Glad to hear that. It is much safer for the dinghy, as well, and you're more likely to have it when you arrive, too, if it's securely lashed; and clearer air for the windvane, too.

Ann

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

The sales personnel don't know how big their RIBs are, disinflated.

I'm finding nothing. No specifications, no photos, no videos.

So much depends on the actual mother boat involved. People with club foot staysails have a problem from the "club".

I wondered about that. Seems like the geometry of the club could be modified (by making a new one or mounting it differently or both), and the staysail recut higher if necessary. I realize that neither of these is a one-afternoon project, but it's not nearly the big deal that relocating the baby stay would be.

I think Boatie's 40 ft. limit sounds reasonable for a RIB. You measure and trial and find what you can fit.

Our other big dinghies have had to be disinflated, the floor boards removed, and stowed below, and the elephant skin rolled up tight, and lashed in front of the dodger. (36 ft. flush deck sloop).

Thanks, that helps

Many Europeans go to nesting dinghies, and some of them are VERY practical, easily driven, row well, use small motors occasionally, don't need big ones. Also, rowing is decent exercise, and it's contemplative. Imho, they represent a very interesting answer to the dinghy question. Friends with one, the two halves are usable little boats for just one of them, so that they can be used separately, as well as one longer, more competent boat.

I like the idea of the nesting dinghys but there do not seem to be any commercial examples which makes me skeptical. I don't want to be a dinghy beta tester. I want a dinghy of exactly the same design and construction as a dinghy that 1000 other people subjected to dogs and scuba tanks and storms and drunk friends for five years.


I am willing to give up quite a lot in order to get a dinghy that will row well and sail acceptably. I'd rather have that than a dinghy that will plane with a big outboard.

[john61ct]

Choose the boat, then get a dinghy that fits.

Other way around is tail waving the dog.

Meantime try to get hands-on with as many dinghy types as possible. Once the options get narrowed down the decision gets easier.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Choose the boat, then get a dinghy that fits.

Other way around is tail waving the dog.

Well, you sail whatever you want however you want to sail it.


I have certain lifestyle goals that ask a lot of the dinghy. Diving, snorkeling, swimming, fishing, exploring rivers and creeks where the big boat can't go, rowing, portaging, covering distance. I have a kevlar canoe that is three years old that I need to patch before spring because rocks are sharp. It has a lot of miles on it and is pretty badly scratched up but I like it. I have two wood canoes and like them too. It is not practical to take a canoe on a cruising sailboat but I have to have something I can paddle or row and take up rivers and inlets. If I get an inflatable it's going to last me six months before it has more safety-critical patches than Windows for Workgroups.



We all make our tradeoffs and if I have to get another 2' of length or a sloop rather than cutter rig to make room for a hard dink I'll do it.

[Don C L]

A little food for thought to add to the mix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC4pgiKbuD4

Towing A Sailing Dinghy As a Tender - Cruising Anarchy - Sailing Anarchy Forums

I would love to have a good little dory to row around where I am, so much so I have looked into a couple. They're not cheap. I figured I'd tow it and have a full cover to keep the splashes out. The pros still haven't won out over the cons for me yet.

Have you checked out all the new inflatables out there? There are a lot of various permutations that also row well and sail too.

If the dinghy is figuring so much into your boat choice, maybe a flush deck is in your future?
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...de-175427.html

[Reefmagnet]

I can carry an inflated 9ft RIB on my 33 footer.


A flush deck has benefits if you want small mothership and big dinghy

[Sojourner]

Couple of morning shower thoughts:

1) We have a 3.3 meter all aluminum RIB style dinghy on our 53 foot Amel. Another inch in either direction and it wouldn't fit on the foredeck. Just FYI

2) Our good friend has an Amel 54, which is a newer, bigger boat, but has a cutter rig (ours does not). Not a chance he could fit this dinghy on it because of the stay. He puts his much smaller one crossways under the boom with not much to spare, and I can only imagine the back pain it'll give him later on even with halyards.

Once we had a few boats we loved, dinghy size was all important to us as well for the same reasons you cite: wanting to plane with 3 people and lots of gear, go far from the mothership to dive or swim, stability for our 3 cats and for guests (with 2 mothers-in-law, I gotta make sure they don't freak out on the ride)... Hence the Oceancraft, amazing dinghy by the way, google it, it's the 'delos' dinghy, and wow does it ever live up to its rep. I would absolutely not have a dinghy I could ONLY put up on davits, just bad policy if you're going anywhere at all. Don't sacrifice that. Make sure you got a nice piece of foredeck to work with for passages at least. Just here in the med getting from one place to another in winter, twice we would have had our dinghy (and probably the davit as well) ripped off or mangled. Lashed down tight up front, no worries at all.

[Matt Johnson]

We built a B&B N9 nesting dinghy for a winter project one year. While it was short when nested, its height made visibility forward a pain on our 34' Sabre (we had Garhauer 1.25" davits for when harbor hopping). A low cut genoa and dinghy on deck made it so we couldn't see anything within the front 50 or so degrees. It's square nested shape also created a pretty large sqft target for green water on the foredeck. Those issue, along with weight (my fault) and banging the mothership everytime we came aboard, prompted us to switch before we left full time cruising.

We then went to a 3.1m Mercury RIB that tucked better down on our foredeck/cabin top, but wasn't perfect for us. Then came a Walkerbay 3.1m RIB with folding transom. That was much better when deflated, but after two Atlantic crossings on a 34' boat, I decided I really didn't like stuff strapped on deck, so have gone to a WalkerBay 3.1m high pressure inflatable floor that I can roll it up and store below deck when offshore. We can just fit it inflated between the mast and the staysail on our 37' if just harbor hopping.

The RIBs were by far the best boats for cruising. I'd recommend finding the lightest model you can with folding transom (if they still offer that option) for a small mothership.

Matt

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by GWB

Here is a Westsail 32 carrying a 7’6” hard dinghy. It is nicely out of the way
Attachment 183330

Does the boom not have a kicker?

Pete