Dinghy Chaps - a good or bad idea?

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Yeah, well, I'm odd.

I go to the gym to work-out but I hate struggling with the dingy.

And besides, we're obsessive about weight on the big boat too. (it's a mental problem I guess)

Then, if we did have chaps presumably we'd need to take them off when we deflated and bagged the dingy, and store the folded up chaps somewhere...

All in all, simpler is better, besides being lighter.

Chuckling as I read this sequence, as, 2 things:

If the dink gets deflated, it's not out in the sun, but instead in the bag.

Which is like full-enclosure chaps.

No wonder you get long life out of the dink

But I'm a CLOD, and no longer have to worry about that sort of thing...

I wish I were cruising.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by TPG

I'm surprised I don't see more chaps. Capt Fatty swears by them and reports that it's led to more longevity on his tubes over the years.

We have a new dingy on order and we ordered chaps with it, am interested to see how much it helps or hinders usage.

You ordered chaps from the dinghy manufacturer? or from a 3rd party? What type of dinghy?

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Re post #40, by Fred from Wings,

Funny, we've never worried about the weight of the Sunbrella at all (except when I was in my WeatherMax phase). However, since we started cruising, we have one of the dinosaur tampon style round fenders that has been used as a roller (and occasionally as a fender) for our approximately 13 ft. dinghies (turned out to be as big as we could handle conveniently, and made stable dive platforms). Pretty interesting how one's values get worked out as sailors.

Ann

I'm curious, how is a fender used as a dive platform on a dinghy?

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by derfy

It is time to consider replacing our old Caribe with something new, and I notice a lot of dinghies fitted with chaps. At first it seemed to be an intuitively good idea, but after considering it for a while I have wondered if these chaps might do as much damage as good.

I would like to hear from those who put chaps on a new dinghy, and if they would do it again after a few years of use?

Our dinghy is on davits year round (no shade from solar - my panels are mounted elsewhere), and we cruise the East Coast and Bahamas/Caribbean from North Carolina. It gets used. I have a sunbrella dinghy cover that I drape over the dinghy on its davits, but it is a pain to get on and off, bulky to store, and is usually left at home. I like to keep the dinghy ready to go as an extra safety factor when underway.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience with chaps. Cheers....

In the Caribbean, only Hypalon. Chaps keep the inflation air cooler in the daytime so the tubes pressure doesn’t vary in extreme. It’s cooler to sit on. Small cuts from shabby docks is avoided. (Tube material seems thinner on the new dinks)

Also, cool colors are available. Custom chaps made in Trinidad.

Go Blue!

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

You ordered chaps from the dinghy manufacturer? or from a 3rd party? What type of dinghy?

I'm curious, how is a fender used as a dive platform on a dinghy?

I apologize for not writing clearly. What I meant is we use the round kind of fender as either a roller or a fender. It is the 13 foot dinghy that is the stable platform for skin or scuba diving.

@nicholson58, that's a nice looking dinghy cover!

Ann

[mvweebles]

I recently purchased an AB 10AL. I asked about chaps and was told they have suspended production due to production delays. Last price on them from Defender was $1150. Only available in grey.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I apologize for not writing clearly. What I meant is we use the round kind of fender as either a roller or a fender. It is the 13 foot dinghy that is the stable platform for skin or scuba diving.

@nicholson58, that's a nice looking dinghy cover!

Ann

Ah, I see. That makes sense. I have a 10ft dinghy and would love to eventually upsize. Do you use the fender as a roller by itself? or in conjunction with dinghy wheels? How do you tend to transport that size dinghy on your boat. It's a bit on the large size for a 46 to carry, right?

[JPA Cate]

We take the engine (15 hp is what we have used for years) off the transom, using the main halyard, and walk it back to a mount on the pushpit, where it is secured. Then we hoist the dingy up, using the spinny halyard, and set it with the hull at the mast, and then lower it part way. At that point, Jim sucks the air out of the tubes, using a 12 v. inflator/deflator. Next, we tuck everything we can under the hull, except for the painter, and use it to tie the bow down to a pad eye on deck. Finally, there are two more pad eyes, on the cabin top, one port and one starboard, and we use a wide web strop to secure the dinghy laterally. Over a number of days, the dinghy expands and contracts, so we check the lashings each evening after sunset, and at dawn, to be sure they're still tight.

However, we bought the rib on the condition that it would fit between the inner forestay and the mast, because none of the vendors at the time could tell us its length disinflated. And, it just barely fits. However, we love our big dinghies.

As the times change, I think most cruisers will move away from big dinghies and big motors, which will be thought to be unsound environmentally speaking.

Ann

[nhschneider]

By the time we got to Thailand, our 15-year old aluminum-hulled Aqua-Pro dinghy was worn out (I had welded up too many holes to count) so we purchased a Cholamark fiberglass-hulled RIB that are made in Phuket. The guy who owns the company assumes everyone wants chaps and I think all the dinghies he makes come with them. We get lots of compliments on them and I'm sure they've added a lot of life to the dinghy.

https://www.cholamarkboat.com/

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We take the engine (15 hp is what we have used for years) off the transom, using the main halyard, and walk it back to a mount on the pushpit, where it is secured. Then we hoist the dingy up, using the spinny halyard, and set it with the hull at the mast, and then lower it part way. At that point, Jim sucks the air out of the tubes, using a 12 v. inflator/deflator. Next, we tuck everything we can under the hull, except for the painter, and use it to tie the bow down to a pad eye on deck. Finally, there are two more pad eyes, on the cabin top, one port and one starboard, and we use a wide web strop to secure the dinghy laterally. Over a number of days, the dinghy expands and contracts, so we check the lashings each evening after sunset, and at dawn, to be sure they're still tight.

However, we bought the rib on the condition that it would fit between the inner forestay and the mast, because none of the vendors at the time could tell us its length disinflated. And, it just barely fits. However, we love our big dinghies.

As the times change, I think most cruisers will move away from big dinghies and big motors, which will be thought to be unsound environmentally speaking.

Ann

It would be nice if they gave realistic specs for a deflated dinghy with the tubes tucked in.

[CarlF]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

You're applying 303 directly to your dinghy tubes? It says not to apply to Vinyl or Rubber.

Where did you see this? 303 is strongly recommended for inflatables - even with chaps in any exposed areas.

I apply 303 three to four times a year. Been doing that for many years. Makes a big difference. Here’s a list of uses:

https://www.sailrite.com/303-UV-Protectant-16oz

But I agree that chaps are worth the cost for dinghies in southern waters for liveaboards where they are in tropic sun 12 months a year. Not needed farther north (and you rarely see them)

[Muaddib1116]

Whoops, sorry. I was looking at the 303 Fabric Guard info.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Whoops, sorry. I was looking at the 303 Fabric Guard info.

Indeed.

I once applied 303 Protectant to my bimini. Took a lot of washing to correct that boo-boo.

And paid for a new window after I got some 303 Fabric Guard on the look-up-the-mast section.

If you have sunbrella or other fabric (vs the solid awning material I had on mine) chaps, use Fabric Guard to extend its life. I put a gallon per time (years between) on our 10x15 bimini after first washing gently, and drying. TOPSIDE only, so it can continue to breathe, but the UV and leak protection was significant; that top (in a nearly continuous SE FL or Bahamas life) is now 16+ years old and still going strong, and aside from at some of the stitching, still (with FG applications) doesn't leak.

But 303 Protectant on Hypalon and PVC...

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

clip...
can be seen on my website here: http://schooner-britannia.com/dinghy_elevator.htm

clip...

The link died, I think, or at least it said that when I clicked on your link...

[Jolly Roger]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

The link died, I think, or at least it said that when I clicked on your link...

I don't know how to transfer a link on this forum? Every other I'm on is a simple copy and paste, but this one works sometimes, and not others. They also change the actual name, to whatever you are referencing.
Just copy and link and paste it in the browser you are using. If that doesn't work, then browse to my site and find the story in the navigation images.
There' nothing wrong with the site.

[Muaddib1116]

I think it was missing the L of html. Let's try this.

Lifting the dinghy with an electric hoist