Rowing Dink and Stability

[cwoflyboy]

I have a Avon which has been good but think I would like to try a hard dink.
I snorkel some and wonder how hard is it to get back in a hard dink.
I'm considering a Walker Bay or WaterTender. A cathedral hull WaterTender would be more stable but am not sure how well it would row.
Advice/thoughts would be appreciated.

[barnakiel]

About the only dinghies I found relatively stable are those Opti shaped and these row like (beeeeeeeeeeeeeep self-censored word).

Fat knees and other ugly things row better but have no stability.

Whitehall -like boats row very well and seem more stable than many short and fat rowing boats.

I would also consider a punt style dink to be a good choice - rows well in flattish water and is nearly as stable as a flat bottom dink.

My 2c. I wish I could have a proper rowing dinghy here. Whitehall style for me. People in Maine build very fine ones in plywood and glue, no frames.

b.

[hogHunter]

We had an Avon and snorkeled a lot as well. However, it was ideal for a small motor. Is there a reason you're not getting a motor? For us, the Avon was perfect for snorkeling and the motor gave us flexibility to go further to our snorkeling destinations.

[KJB]

We have a Walker Bay. Great rowing dink! I would not want to jump over the side and try to get back in though, much less with any gear on. However, they do make and sell float tubes which I understand work extremely well. They are listed on the Walker Bat website. Best with your decision!

[Cap Erict3]

I have a Walker Bay 10. It rows well.

Getting back in from the water is done from the stern or the bow and is all about upper body strength unless you rig a boarding ladder.

I used to climb into my 12 ft canoe regularly 30 years and 30lbs ago.

[Panope]

I snorkel from my Walker Bay 8. Boarding over the transom is no problem for me (165 lbs).

Steve

[lonesoldier0408]

Has anyone else considered a WindRider 16 for this or am I missing something.? 🤔


Still surrounded by anchors.

[Mike OReilly]

Portabote rows well. I don't snorkel but have read about those who do using botes. I can get back into my bote from the water, but it isn't easy.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

[Jim Cate]

I don't snorkel but have read about those who do using botes.

Ahh, Mike, just wait until you get to some warm, clear tropical water... you'll be in there in a flash!

Jim

[UNCIVILIZED]

For boarding, if your upper body's a bit under strength, as you grab the gunwale or transom & get ready to hoist yourself in, several strong kicks with your fins helps a lot.

Also, make sure that you have smooth, well eased edges, all around the gunwales & transom. On some dinks, oversized PVC hose works well for this. And it doubles as a good fender for the dink when coming alongside other vessels.
But even just taking a block plane, or wood rasp, followed by a good sanding, to your oak guwale strips does wonders.


I had a spectacular, 9' Dory'ish dink, with a tombstone stern that I loved. And at 100kg, I could stand on her gunwales & not ship in any water.
She rowed like a dream, even in 50kts, with 5' breakers. As well as doing solo & double-handed, beach landings & launches in such conditions.

I'd snag, or build another one in a minute. Especially as she weighed all of 70lbs, & could easily carry 3 full sized adults.

The other "trick" for stability, is to attach several strap eyes, say 4-6" below the gunwales, & then run a line or cable through them. With a round, fat, cylindrical fender in between each eye.
It adds a good bit to your stability when you need it most, regardless of the type of hard dink. Just make sure that the line or cable is snugged up Tight, in order to get the most benefits from the fenders buoyancy.


Also, when you find/get on that you like, Do Three Things:
- Paint her ugly, & make her look scruffy, so she's less attractive to "sticky fingers".

- Fit her with a cable so that you can lock her up, including to the mother ship. And drill holes through the blades of the oars, big enough to slip the end of the cable through, when locking her up ashore/to dinghy docks.

- Take a set of lines/measurements off of her, so that you can build another, whenever the need or desire arises. For yourself, or a friend.
*** As I surely wish I'd have done so with that little dory of mine! ***

[Sulaire]

Try googling. Dinghy dogs, we have them for our trinka 8, fantastic things, i can stand on the gunwale and she does not tip. They fit most hard dinks and are much cheaper than the walker bay versions.

Would recommend the trinka too, very easy to row, motor or sail!

C.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[TrentePieds]

Lash a "pool noodle" or two along the gunnel. Get yer torso up-n-over the gunnel as she heels with your weight till the buoyancy of the noodle(s) takes effect. Then slither over like a seal.

I imagine everybody here keeps an old-fashioned bailer made from a few bitsa wood and a pieca leather?

TrentePieds

[Dave22q]

It is cheap and easy to construct a 2 or 3 step ladder. Do not forget to weight the bottom to overcome buoyancy of the wood steps. I locate mine at the transom because the anchorage was convenient. Particularly if you are tired or injured, being able to reach in and extend your ladder could someday save your life.

[basssears]

Have a new to me Walker Bay 285ST which I have been pleasantly surprised with... it's a hard dink with tubes around the sides, seems somewhat the best of both worlds... rows well, your oarlocks are set in the hard boat not the squishy tubes, but when you bounce off the mother ship you're bouncing with soft tubes not a hard dink.

Plenty stable, especially with the tubes as backup, and I'm assuming as long as the tubes don't deflate it should stay afloat even if upside down / swamped.

It's in the Pacific Northwest so no snorkeling for me, don't know how it would be to get in and out of.

[homerobarros]

have a look at the NZ Katacat.com
I have one, it is very good to row, and to clib in from a dive. It is also very rigid and light. I am very happy with it. I can row small distances with me, my wife and some shopping on board. Since it is a catamaran time, there is very little resistance.
Takacat Lite - Open bow inflatable catamaran
Cheers