My vote is neither. I opted for a heavy wall blow formed kayaks for about $300 each. They were so
cheap in
Thailand. This allowed crew to use a
kayak and I was not stuck on the
boat.
These wide bulky kayaks could carry three full size crew or 2 crew and two large jerry cans of
water.
I loaded them down with 6 jerry cans of
water with one person.
Never had to buy gasoline. Never had a leak. Never mixed
oil. Never did any
maintenance. Never had to put on/take off a
motor. Never had an
engine stolen. That is a big constant concern of most
dinghy owners, and I heard several stories of dinghy and
engine with legs. I did lose one paddle out of two on a
remote beach. Whoever stole the paddle was kind enough to leave me with one to get back to the
boat. It became a
rule to carry the paddle unless the
kayak was dragged up in front of a place where it was safe.
Yes an engine might
power you against high winds. However, if conditions looked rough, I simply stayed on the boat for the day. Rarely conditions blew in during a
shopping trip forcing me to wait. Big deal. I think I slept one night on shore the entire decade I used kayaks.
Yes you are much more likely to get a wet bottom. I sat upon a cushion and during calm seas was able to make it to the boat usually dry. Big deal, I needed a
shower anyway.
In the
photo you can see a big heavy sailing dinghy that came with the vessel. I rarely used it and it was just taking up space.
Singapore can be seen in the distance.
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