Creative solutions for packing a dinghy

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by mserafi1

They are called Weaver Snap Davits. weaverindustries.com They look like a solution to me. Sorry didn't have link, but follow up is better than never!

For a small boat that might be sailed offshore, they would be a poor choice, in my opinion... In any kind of real seaway, just a matter of time before the transom 'dips' sufficiently for the gunwale of a hard dink to begin to drag, and the possibility of being torn free... On a 30-footer, such a setup would be a flat water solution only...

At some point, the OP is simply gonna have to accept the fact he's sailing a small boat, and that there's no avoiding all the problematic issues surrounding the choice of a tender... Especially, a rigid dink...

On a 30-footer, in my view an inflatable is still the best all around solution... If you really want to stay with a rigid boat, and yet minimize the hassle, towing it as much as possible would seem the best solution... Before the advent of inflatable tenders, many tend to forget how commonplace it was for cruising sailors to do so, typically with the use of a small drogue. As other posters have mentioned, davits on a 30-footer seem to me an absurd degree of overkill, and even with the smallest of prams or nesting dinks stowed aboard on a 30 foot boat, you will still have a large box that will likely increase the risk of moving about safely on deck, and will likely impede visibility forward from the cockpit to a significant degree.

The refusal to accept the tradeoffs that come from the choice to cruise in a small boat often lead to consequences that are neither practical, or pretty, to say the least...

:-)

[jheldatksuedu]

You might consider making the hard dinghy into a 2 piece boat, I did that with my hard sailing dinghy. Basically you cut it almost in half, so that the bow will fit into the stern, fiberglass in a bulkhead in each piece, make some kind of connection to reattach bow to stern. I made a stainless pin and socket at the keel with the bulkheads nesting into each other to keep it from coming apart after catching the pin and hinging it together. Basically the water pressure holds it all together with a couple connections at the rails just to make sure. It reduces the length to about 60%. Each piece on mine floats by itself and can be put together in the water if needed. I had to modify the stern seat/floatation chamber to accept the point of the bow on mine.

Also mine stores on the davits vertically behind the wind vane">aries wind vane self steering when anchored or during calm sailing. Tied on deck when things get rough.

I have future plans to add the modified V or U shaped tube chamber from an inflatable to attach to the rail when extra floatation might be needed.

I'm also looking for somebody that wants to go into the folding bike business. I have one that I designed and tested that allows a full size bike with full size 26 inch wheels to fit a small carry on luggage. I would do the engineering and help with getting the business going, not take anything out for the first 5 years or so, but own a good portion of the business if it sells. I have plans to make the bike, be a single, a bike for 2, or a cargo bike, with interchangeable pieces. The last thing I want to do is run a business, I need to get going on my multi year circumnavigation.

I need to get away from all these interesting projects, like building a manual injection molding machine to test the bike wheels for the next step toward production.

[Paul Mazza]

As several people have mentioned you may want to consider a nesting dinghy. Over the holidays I built a Camelion 10 foot nesting dinghy. The slightly smaller front half fits in the aft half. It stores on 5 feet of deck space. It's about 20 inches high. It took about 200 man hours to build and probably cost me about $1000 dollars. But that included all high quality materials such as marine ply and good epoxy, a rub rail and sailing rig. You could probably build it cheaper and faster. You can get the plans, which include full size hull panels from the designer Danny Green in Bermuda. just Google it. Good luck. Paul

[deblen]

Anyone have experience with towing an inflatable backwards similar to this?

Davron Marine Products (Dinghy-Tow)

Tks/Len

[roygee]

Try religion, that would make the most sense. Inflatable high pressure canoe makes the most, for the least, for me.

[BigBonesBotta]

Just bought a glorious, unique aluminum rowing drink, round bottom. Fits on the fore deck just fine, naturally takes up as much as humanly possible. Nesting dinghy are great, but then I have to do work to build one...still haven't heard any creative solutions to string a ten foot row boat on a 30' boat. Any thoughts are good thoughts.

[four winds]

I'm two feet off in both directions. (32' carrying 8' dinghy) No problem accessing foredeck or anchor locker.

Don't want inflatable either.

Guess I just wanted to post a pic of by boat. Sorry.

[alctel]

Another porte-bote owner here, hard to beat for storage, and it's tough as old boots

[mf70]

Another vote for a nesting dinghy for a 30' er.

[levm]

Hey I like this idea, where would I get one of those


May the good winds always be with you

[hellosailor]

I'd go with an 8' roll-up chosen for light weight, and if possible plan for mooring fields and calling a launch instead. That still leaves a lot of choices in the US.

[Michael Conway-Brown]

My solution to a dingy on a small boat (26-foot flush-deck Haida) is the Innova "Sunny" inflatable canoe. It paddles well, and stows in the lazarette. I will get an electric air pump to facilitate inflation It is an open design so it moves luggage well, unlike an enclosed kayak design. I also use it as a kayak sometimes. Expensive but robust.

[kmcshane]

I have a 30' monohull too, and this nesting dinghy might give you an idea.
Collapses to 7', and 11.5' extended for rowing, sailing or small outboard.

[ejjawhite]

Look into the ' Portland Pudgy', which is unsinkable and if inverted in the water, flipping it back over results in a very nearly empty dinghy.

[usrowboy]

Check out Chesapeake Light Craft dingy that can be dissembled into two parts, one of which goes into the other. Great idea and I'm thinking of one for my Tayana 37. Should fit well on the forward deck. Forgot the name of that particular boat, but it's an easy to assemble kit.