New Dinghy — Choices

[Plumbean]

I am replacing an old hypalon air floor dinghy and looking to get a new RIB and motor. For the dinghy, I’ve narrowed this down to three very similar models and am looking for any insights folks might have on them. Usage will be coastal cruising for the most part, towing if conditions allow. The size I am looking at should allow me to store it on deck deflated and still access the foredeck, but it will be tight (mothership is only 34 feet). The three models are all hypalon models by Achilles (Highfield has a few similar models too). They are: 270 AX, 270 FS and 270 AL. Pros and cons I see are as follows:

270 AX:

Pros — Double floor (dry feet) with bow locker for fuel tank; can handle a 9.9 hp engine, which means I could splurge on a new EFI 9.9 (no carburetor!).

Cons — Heavy (118 lbs), although for any of these I think I am using a halyard to haul them so I am not sure this is a big issue. 9.9 engine is also heavy — this concerns me more than the dink, as I will need to put it on my stern rail, which is solid but nonetheless this is a lot of weight.

270 AL:

Pros — Lighter than the AX (98 lbs).

Cons — No double floor or bow locker. Max engine is 8 hp, so no EFI but a lighter engine.

270 FX:

Pros — Lightest of the three (86 lbs), which is surprising since it is fiberglass not aluminum; Transom folds down (do I really care about this? Not sure it matters, as I don’t think I will be able to fit any of these on the cabin top between my dodger and the boom vang).

Cons - Same as the AL – no bow locker and max engine is 8 hp.

Does anyone know if the AL and the FX will plane easily with the 8 hp engine? I assume the answer is yes. Most usage will be solo. Thanks in advance.

[chris mac]

We went thru this same process 2 years ago, except with Achilles 310.
We went with the Al for the combination of lightness but better wear resistance on the beach. (Aluminum vs fiberglass) so far we are very happy with it. The weight factor really comes into play when the falling tide leaves you on the beach, or going someplace with strong swell that you can't leave it in the water
We use a 15hp 2stroke and can plane with 3 ppl, so I would guess an 8 would plane with one. But that's only a guess. I found adding a fin on the outboard really helped.
The only complaint I have is the transom drain plug is quite high. So draining water is inconvenient. I added in a manual bilge pump to solve this.
Good luck with your decision

[hlev00]

Despite the large number of Highfields out there, I can't offer a positive recommendation. The powder coating on our 2018 UL260 started failing after about three years. It is some sort of blistering. Highfield said we must have had some sort of stray current causing galvanic corrosion? They must be joking. I can't see this is anything other than some sort of manufacturing defect. Maybe we just got unlucky. In any case they have no interest in fixing it.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Plumbean

I am replacing an old hypalon air floor dinghy and looking to get a new RIB and motor. For the dinghy, I’ve narrowed this down to three very similar models and am looking for any insights folks might have on them. Usage will be coastal cruising for the most part, towing if conditions allow. The size I am looking at should allow me to store it on deck deflated and still access the foredeck, but it will be tight (mothership is only 34 feet). The three models are all hypalon models by Achilles (Highfield has a few similar models too). They are: 270 AX, 270 FS and 270 AL. Pros and cons I see are as follows:

270 AX:

Pros — Double floor (dry feet) with bow locker for fuel tank; can handle a 9.9 hp engine, which means I could splurge on a new EFI 9.9 (no carburetor!).

Cons — Heavy (118 lbs), although for any of these I think I am using a halyard to haul them so I am not sure this is a big issue. 9.9 engine is also heavy — this concerns me more than the dink, as I will need to put it on my stern rail, which is solid but nonetheless this is a lot of weight.

270 AL:

Pros — Lighter than the AX (98 lbs).

Cons — No double floor or bow locker. Max engine is 8 hp, so no EFI but a lighter engine.

270 FX:

Pros — Lightest of the three (86 lbs), which is surprising since it is fiberglass not aluminum; Transom folds down (do I really care about this? Not sure it matters, as I don’t think I will be able to fit any of these on the cabin top between my dodger and the boom vang).

Cons - Same as the AL – no bow locker and max engine is 8 hp.

Does anyone know if the AL and the FX will plane easily with the 8 hp engine? I assume the answer is yes. Most usage will be solo. Thanks in advance.

I have the 300FX. I highly recommend it. It takes up less space than I expected, I was considering the 270 and very glad I went for the 300. The folding transom does make a difference. It only takes a couple minutes to fold and zip into a bag. I single hand and inflating and deploying it by myself is not difficult.

It planes more easily (5HP, one person) than my smaller inflatable floor did. An 8hp would likely plane 2 people. One notable difference between the fiberglass folding transom and and aluminum fixed transom is the depth of the vee. The fiberglass has a vee, but not as deep as an aluminum. I chop, I stay dry where I would have been soaked in my inflatable floor, but the ride is still rougher than a deep vee.

[Plumbean]

Originally Posted by wholybee

I have the 300FX. I highly recommend it. It takes up less space than I expected, I was considering the 270 and very glad I went for the 300. The folding transom does make a difference. It only takes a couple minutes to fold and zip into a bag. I single hand and inflating and deploying it by myself is not difficult.

It planes more easily (5HP, one person) than my smaller inflatable floor did. An 8hp would likely plane 2 people. One notable difference between the fiberglass folding transom and and aluminum fixed transom is the depth of the vee. The fiberglass has a vee, but not as deep as an aluminum. I chop, I stay dry where I would have been soaked in my inflatable floor, but the ride is still rougher than a deep vee.

Thanks! Very helpful.