Dinghy vs Jetski on a Catamaran

[driven]

Background - Neither myself nor my girlfriend have ever sailed, but one day dream of sailing the world on a cat I live near Chicago, and have already looked into the local Sailing Club on Lake Michigan, and hope to take the first series of classes this summer to give me an intro., they use J/22s I believe... one summer camp long ago I spent an hour in a lazer... but that's the extent of my sailing experience

My girlfriend asked me why more cruisers don't use a jet-ski instead of one of those inflatable dinghy's w/ the small outboards you often see hanging at the back of a catamaran.

I think I can come up with several reasons, but just thought I'd ask the professionals

[skipmac]

Well to start

1. can carry more people and cargo
2. you will stay drier
3. weigh less for load carried
4. more portable
5. easier to store
6. most important, don't annoy every other boat in the area

[paradix]

A few more reasons discussed here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...age-36306.html

[driven]

About what I figured, I'm just smart enough to realize sometimes there's not quite so obvious answers when I don't have a clue about sailing... and just thought I'd ask

Thanks for the link too

[maxingout]

If the goal is to annoy all the sailors in an anchorage, a jet ski is definitely the way to go.

[Kashmir cat]

A jet ski would be fun but you should be able to satisfy your girlfriend with a bigger dinghy...

[tager]

Please. No. Jetski.

[driven]

Alright, I think the answer is clear...

[MarkJ]

Some areas have banned Jet skis. All Sydney Harbour for example.

One of the most extroadinary advances in technology to me appears to be noise reduction on jetskis. I have seen and not heard them race past just meters away, whereas a few years ago you could hear them over the horizon.

I'm sure if a sailor had one they would know how to use them properly and go slow throu the anchorage and not use yachts as the turning markers.

However they will never be used by sailing boats for one reason: no space for groceries!


A dinghy is like a station wagon


You load it up with junk everyday.