Dinghy, most popular size and type

[Ryban]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Something to be said for small, non-descript dinks as they are less attractive to thieves.

This is a great point. I was never worried about people stealing our dinghy with all the nice ones around with big 15-20hp motors.

I also am not going to be worried about a thief stealing our sailing dinghy.

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Lower budget cruisers are all over the map. Chatted with someone yesterday who was on a Walker Bay with small Suzuki OB. Something to be said for small, non-descript dinks as they are less attractive to thieves.

Had to laugh as this is exactly what I have also. But I also have the sailing kit for mine. So essentially I have the ability to row, sail or motor. One way or another I'll make it back and forth to shore !

[BenBowSirocco]

We had hard dinghies, a plywood pram and a fatty knees. We got a RIB with a mothership upgrade and honestly, after having a planing dinghy- I could never go back.



The ability to anchor a mile or two from town in the peace and quiet and zip over to town is a very real comfort. Less noise, less wakes, less people.



But the biggest advantage in my opinion is the exploring. Our exploration radius grew from 1-4 miles to about 7-9 miles depending on conditions- which was only about a 1/2 hour dinghy ride on plane. For us this meant a lot more free-diving and less crowded adventures.
Its amazing how many adventures we had because we could leave the mothership in a good anchorage- but dinghy over to some new area and spend the day. Its so much less hassle to ride over in the dinghy than to move the mothership for a day trip.



To each is own- everyone lives their own style and pace- but I would try to get the fastest and biggest dinghy that is reasonable to your situation.


We are currently drooling over an all aluminum RIB type boat by the company: GoDu.

Mantus is now making a relatively cheap plastic planing dink as well.

[Mickeyrouse]

For 27 years we have used an Achilles Sport boat 9’6” stowed on the foredeck powered by a 5 HP Mercury 2 stroke carried on the stern rail. It has proven ideal for our needs. Our boat is 41 ft.

[MicHughV]

I think price drives some people's decision. Size, fabric, engine size, etc, is all related to fatness (or thinness) of wallet.
I've had good luck perusing the used dink market, another option to consider.

[pcmm]

Where I am, Inflatable aluminum hulled RIBs seems to be the most popular. Often in the 290-310 range (most often a HighField or "GreatLakes"). One thing I have noticed is many people under power their dinghies. and then say they can get a 290 up on plan with a 6hp outboard. I call BS on this. Unless you are a very light person you are not planning with 6hp on a 9ft RIB.

To me your Dinghy is your "car" your rescue ship and potentially your tug when needed. Get a good quality one with the most HP it will take. When you go aground you can use your Dinghy to tow your mast head over and unstick you, without waiting for help. If you engine dies you want to be able to hiptow with good power. Here an ALU RIB is great because you can use tie points on the Aluminum hull instead of the tubes!!

[Mickeyrouse]

HP is directly related to weight. If your dinghy is carried on davits, a practice I will not indulge in, weight is not as critical. But if your kicker is carried on a stern rail, getting that motor off the dinghy transom and lifted to a height even or above your shoulders standing full up on a dinghy in a chop while your body is otherwise unsupported becomes more problematical, and weight becomes
important. Yet another trade-off encountered as a cruiser.

[Island Time O25]

One of the better ways to decide is to ride in as many different dingies as you can find around where you are. And then make a list of their pros and cons as YOU see them. Otherwise it is akin to a question "what type of a partner would you recommend?"

[abroadreachtrvl]

We have had quite a few over the years weekend sailing and full-time cruising.
Roll-up inflatable, hard dinghy, folding transom rib, and finally like lots of others... a 10ft aluminum bottom RIB with a 15/20hp outboard.

They are popular for a reason, planes easily with 2-3 people but not too big to be unmanageable.

With a 41ft boat, you will have no problems storing on deck or in davits.

Very happy with our current setup, 9' 8" North Atlantic Inflatables Hypalon (ALA300) with an electric start Yamaha 15Hp 4 stroke.

[Jimbo2010]

A rib on deck is not simple.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

HP is directly related to weight. If your dinghy is carried on davits, a practice I will not indulge in, weight is not as critical. But if your kicker is carried on a stern rail, getting that motor off the dinghy transom and lifted to a height even or above your shoulders standing full up on a dinghy in a chop while your body is otherwise unsupported becomes more problematical, and weight becomes
important. Yet another trade-off encountered as a cruiser.

Getting your outboard onto a bracket is an example of working smart not hard. There are motor lifts for this that make the task much safer. In my case I use the mizzen halyard to lift the outboard onto its bracket on the rail. Much safer and more controlled AND the bigf one...no droping the motor into the water accidentally!!!

[Mike OReilly]

I use a distinctly unpopular dinghy: a portabote. I do so because it has been the best compromise based on our needs, and on the limitations of the mothership.

In addition to fitting well on our boat (I carry it on the side deck, against the cabin), the PB has a number of similarities to a hard dink or a RIB. It's semi-rigid form means it rows well, and moves fast, even with a small outboard.

It can carry a large load, and is damn-near indestructible. It is light enough that I can launch and retrieve it from the water without the need of mechanical aids -- no need for halyards or lifting bridles or whatnot.

There are disadvantages as well. You can't treat it like a rubber duck dink. You can't stand or sit on the gunwales, for examples. And you are limited to the size of outboard. The main disadvantage for most people is the way it moves and flexes underfoot. It just feels weird, especially for those not used to smaller boats like canoes or kayaks.

[abroadreachtrvl]

Originally Posted by Jimbo2010

A rib on deck is not simple.

I guess it's all relative but, removing the motor and lifting on deck with a spare halyard is straightforward for us. Takes less than 15min.

Most of the time ours lives in the davits with either the motor on or off depending on the conditions.

Inland / ICW - Motor on dighy in davits.
Coastal - Motor on the rail, dinghy in davits.
Offshore - Motor on rail, dinghy on deck.

[Kettlewell]

I don't think there is a correct answer to the question. It depends on where you are in the world and what the cruising is like. In New England we see lots of small hard dinks that are rowed and sometimes sailed, or with a 2HP motor. In the Caribbean everyone seems to have a big RIB with a 15-20HP motor. I cruised all over the place with a 10-foot rollup inflatable with an 8HP motor and never felt like we were missing out. I also lived aboard for years using nothing but inflatable kayaks. Right now I'm carrying two hard kayaks on deck and towing a 10-foot plywood skiff with a 4HP motor, though we row it most of the time. Maine tends to be lots of hard dinks. Here's the dinghy dock at Cuttyhunk in Massachusetts:

[MicHughV]

My first ever dink was a plywood pram which I built while I was building my "big" boat.
It was around 8' long.
Two people could fit on it...kinda...sorta....if you held your breath and didn't make any sudden moves.
No engine. It was rowed everywhere. A 6" wave could rock it like crazy, but hey......it floated.