Inflatable Kayak instead of Dinghy and Outboard engine

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by vw1961

Isn't it difficult to go against 25 Knot Wind and 3ft chop in a small dinghy as well?

A little wet, but not 'difficult'. The twist-throttle resistance on the OB is the same whether you're running or beating.

An inflatable dinghy will be a wet, difficult endeavor. It will be difficult to transport people, goods and stores. Going against wind and tide will be a tiresome affair.

I would look at it this way. "Just because you have a bike doesn't mean you should sell your car". In my mind they are parallel in their limitations.

"Keeping it real" doesn't mean "Keeping it real difficult".

[DrivinSteve]

Beside the already mention utility as a taxi/pickup truck, don't ignore the safety value of, in no particular order, something to get to in case of, say, an out of control fire and as a MOB rescue tool. (much easier to climb in/pull in from the water)

[Calif.Ted]

I once lashed a 2 hp Honda to the swim ladder on a Catalina 270 to move it about 1/4 nm . Engine failed entering the harbor in the middle of the night, mid-winter, middle of a pouring rain. It was dead calm, no current, glassy smooth, gave it full throttle and after a minute or two it started to move. To my surprise it got to close to 3 kts., the engine did keep trying to twist itself off the shaky mount.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by vw1961

Isn't it difficult to go against 25 Knot Wind and 3ft chop in a small dinghy as well?

We all know these plastic rail mount outboard brackets we use to store the dinghy outboard. Has anyone ever thought of mounting one of these somewhere on the swimming ladder so that in case of an engine failure and no wind, the dinghy outboard could be used for maneuvring in port? This would be accessible a lot easier than to tie the dinghy itself somehow alongside to the boat?

Living aboard I routinely would go ashore in 40-50kts with 5-6' breaking seas with my hard dinghies. Rowing 1/2nm each way. It was an effort, & once in a while caused a bit of adrenaline to flow. But was never truly dangerous. And in an inflatible with a good sized OB you can do similar things once you've learned how to time waves, & where to position yourself on/for them when going to & from the beach.

I don't know if this is possible with an inflatible kayak, as you need a certain amount of available HP vs. the craft's resistance. Though it is possible in a regular kayak.

Another thing to consider when choosing a tender, is whether or not you like to dive or swim much. As they commonly get used as platforms for these activities. So both stability, & room in the dink for your gear become big considerations. Ditto on doing things like fishing, or just plain old exploring estuaries & thin water locales with the dink. Which are times when it's nice to have a lot of room for things like coolers, along with a few other toys or accessories.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Living aboard I routinely would go ashore in 40-50kts with 5-6' breaking seas with my hard dinghies. Rowing 1/2nm each way. It was an effort, & once in a while caused a bit of adrenaline to flow. But was never truly dangerous. .....................
...................

I won't question this, but it did cause me a jolt of laughter! During my 44 years of living aboard and much at anchor, I've never done this once! 'never even anchored once off 5-6' breaking seas.

We did ruin a chocolate birthday cake once when motoring our dinghy back in a 2-3' chop with 20kt winds, but if it's blowing 40-50kts, we're not in the dinghy and our anchorage is in a very protected place.

I'm always pleased to see the variety of cruisers on the forum. We're on the "cockpit potato" end of the scale and total "pansies" when it comes to risk!

.

[nautical62]

I think the choice of outboard driven dingy vs. inflatable kayak depends on many variables which have not yet been specified.

What kind of dinghy launching system do you have? Do you have davits? Can you leave the outboard on when raising the dinghy? Can the dinghy be left on this system for all conditions you will experience? How far do you envious having to go to shore for the cursing you will do? How many people need to be transported? Will you be going solo and have to launch you tender yourself?

I've used both dinghy with outboard and inflatable kayak as a tender. An outboard certainly makes it easier to go farther distances. An inflatable kayak is certainly much, much easier to paddle than dinghy is to row, and I an get it on deck on my own without davits much, much easier than a dinghy. I used an inflatable kayak for a 30-day cruise from the VIs to Florida and it worked just fine.

That said, given the boat comes with a dinghy and outboard, I certainly wouldn't get rid of it and buy a kayak without first using it for a while to see how it suits your needs.

[Don C L]

40 to 50 knots? Is that one of those "truth-challenged hyperboles?"
For 36 feet I'd keep both for reasons zeehag said. For my 29 footer a large inflatable kayak with a drop-stitch almost rigid floor is great. Easy to stow and I can paddle into a headwind and my "expedition" size holds the whole family (850 pounds. ) Paddling a kayak is more effective than rowing in keeping up headway in a headwind, and kayak offers a little less wind resistance. IMO a 2hp engine ain't worth it in any boat. If it isn't a 4hp or more, just save the trouble and stick with paddling a kayak IMO