Hard or Soft, Whaler or RIB?

[alexleclainche]

Hey guys, I have another issue I am imbetween! I have a 37' Beneteau Oceanis and did a two month trip throughout the Bahamas this past summer. I know how important a dinghy is when you really want to explore. In our case, we are all avid free divers and spearfishermen. I am torn between going with an 11' Boston Whaler with a 2000 four stroke merc. with low hours; or going with say an avon rib with 15-25hp. My main reason for wanting to go with the Whaler is the fact that spears and shafts cannot put holes in it as well as it is probably a bit more comfortable to travel to and fro. On the other hand, I figure that we are going to have to constantly keep it alongside our boat with fenders. This is not really a concern to me unless others believe it will become one. What I am mainly concerned is during larger crossings in the summertime from Bahamas to Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico is that towing the Whaler will be a bit of a hassle. I do not know how much it will effect our speed, how much water it will be taking on while the bilge is constantly pumping, and how much it will effect our sailing. Should I just go with the rib??? Please let me know what you guys think!!!

Warm Winds,
Alex

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Alex,
I lost a dinghy while towing offshore once and will never do that again. It was a friend's boat made of fiberglass about the same shape as a Walker Bay 8 and I have felt bad about it ever since. That was in '83. Go with a dinghy you can carry safely on deck or in davits.
Regards,
JohnL

[Kanani]

Towing a dinghy off-shore is a recipe for disaster. It goes much farther than just loosing it and there is a big chance that you would.

What size boat do you have? Have you looked into the Livingston Dighy?
Livingston Boats - Home

I had a 9' and loved it (after many deflatables). My wife and I are divers. We took it all over the world. It stowed perfectly between our main mast and the front of our dodger (ketch rig, center cockpit)They are easy to get in and out of. Comfortable, hold a reasonable amount of weight and can be put on deck on most boats.

If your boat is big enough, go for the 10'. It will take a 25hp engine and lots of gear. VERY comfortable and safe.

[Celestialsailor]

I have a Livingston 7.5 with a Tohatsu 6hp. Scarry fast and planes at 1/2 throttle allowing you to throttle back to 1/3 to maintain. It is a little squirrly but loads of fun. you really need to pay attention though. It fits nicely on deck and is light enough that i can struggle it onboard myself.