The bottom line on inflatable dinghies

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

And just what do you have against the Chinese? They make great products and they make crappy ones, just like the Americans, Germans, Brits and everyone else. It's up to you to do your homework.

That’s true, about the best aircraft metal work I’ve ever seen was done in China by Chinese, and that takes craftsmanship, you don’t get that with sweat shop labor.
However they will build to the lowest price point that the purchaser will allow. “It’s just business” so you do have to watch for that.

[ERON]

I have 2 inflatables, one is an hypalon Achilles with a fiberglass hard bottom, the other is the cheapest Chinese PVC with an inflatable floor that I could find.
The Achilles is awesome, rigid, plains on the water, just fantastic
BUT I cant fold it up in a bag and store it in the Lazaret,
Thus I got the inflatable floor one, which I also love, for its storability, and its cushion...But it tracks awfully...(I don't worry about the sun damage because when Im done going to the Island, I fold it back up.)
Like everything in boats its all a compromise.
Since you have Davits (my boat does not, and I dont like to tow stuff), Id get the hard bottom. Ive had my Achilles for over 10 years, no problems, stored under a tarp, when not in use.

[alansmith]

Have you heard of Porta-bote? Folding boat made out of a plastic. Folds to the size of a large surfboard. Tie to the lifelines. Can assemble it in 10-15 minutes. Land on rocky beaches. No holes in inflatable tubes. Planes well. Nothing to come unglued. Excellent price. Tough. Sit on seats. Drier rides. Don’t weight a ton like many RIBs.

Honestly... do your research on this company before committing to an inflatable. These folding boats just make sense to me. The other choice would be a nesting dingy or hard dingy. I’m older guy so weight on my trimaran is important and getting it up on the nets is important. My boat can get up in the teens if there is a decent wind up. Who would tow anything at that speed?

[Zai]

I'll take a look at Porta bote, but I am a little skeptical I'll just keep an open mind.
Up to this point though I am leaning towards either the Highfield or Achilles also I have started to draw up an all aluminum boat with the looks of a standard inflatable.( I have made a few larger ones before) With some sort of permanent fender material on the sides.

[Cheechako]

My choice would be a RIB, not double floor, and Hypalon. The double floor add a lot of weight and almost always get water in between. KISS
But a removable hard floor is ok too. Especially if you don't dingy long distances. We used ours as an exploring tool traveling 10 miles etc, and the RIB is nice for that.

[JPA Cate]

Our Gemini (formerly hypalon, now a few years into a PVC experiment) RIB has a double floor. It has not been a problem for us. It is easy to drain, and always drains before being placed on the foredeck for passages.

Ann

[ebsail]

My boat club has a 2018 West Marine RIB 350 (Cost on sale in 2018 of $2700) which was used a very few times and is now excess due to a generous donation of a much larger RIB. For sale at $1500. Tubes, if I have this correct are PVC. Motor capacity is 25 HP. You can look up all the dimensions at the West Marine web site. Condition is near new as its been under cover for nearly a year. Can be inspected at the Nyack Boat Club, Nyack NY by appointment

[sogin]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Our Gemini (formerly hypalon, now a few years into a PVC experiment) RIB has a double floor. It has not been a problem for us. It is easy to drain, and always drains before being placed on the foredeck for passages.

Ann

We are also in the middle of a PVC experiment. We purchased an aluminum Oxxean Aluma 275 RIB. It weights only 80 pounds. My original concern was stability with a 10 HP Honda engine weighing 110 pounds. Turns out to be a great combination in a very exposed harbor - (Great Harbor- Woods Hole). I very much like the floor construction which is about 1 inch above the interior of the hull. The company claims to have used a new technology called Valmex® PVC tube fabric with welded seams. All aluminum surfaces a covered with powdered aluminum paint. It has an bow locker and low positioned lifting attachments fabricated into vertical support structures in the hull. So far the performance after a year has been excellent but I realize this is a very short time frame. The only negative concerns the oar locks. I'm unclear about the manufacturer - Some sites indicate the hull is made by AB in Columbia

[DHLyman]

I owned a plywood bottom Achilles for 10 years. Tough to assemble, but nice to stow on deck of my Lord Nelson 41.
Moved up to a Bowman 57 and bought a AB RIB. Love it Had it for 10 years, sold it, bought another. Had it for 8 years and sold it for half of what I bought it for.
Would buy the same one again.
In the Caribbean where we hop between islands bringing the RIB on deck with the engine removed is advisable. You you have deck space?
Engine. 10 to 15 HP is recommended. You need enough HP to tow or push your big boat into harbor when the engine fails.
I waited until I got to Bermuda where I could purchase a 2 stroke 15 HP outboard. It’s nearly 20# lighter than a 4 stroke.
The RIP planes well.

[Nornor]

Originally Posted by Zai

I need help in choosing an inflatable dinghy and the internet is full of propaganda.

I would like advice based on experience.

I am looking for about 2.7 meter to 2.9 meter I am undecided about a rib or normal hard floor or even inflatable floor.

It seems to me from the research I have done to date that it is difficult to find a dinghy which is not made in China.

Thanks in advance for the pool of knowledge!

A lot of the inflatables may be made in China, but be careful that just because it carries a recognized brand name, it may be a piece of JUNK. I purchased a Zodiac inflatables and it came apart in short order. The seams separated and I got no help from Zodiac. It was not repairable and went in the trash dump.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Nornor

A lot of the inflatables may be made in China, but be careful that just because it carries a recognized brand name, it may be a piece of JUNK. I purchased a Zodiac inflatables and it came apart in short order. The seams separated and I got no help from Zodiac. It was not repairable and went in the trash dump.

That happened to my first dinghy as well a Zodiac Cadet 3.10.
The fabric seemed to be as good as anyone’s, but the plastic bits that were glued on were junk and the glue used to hold the boat together was failing.
I took it to a Pro to try to have it repaired and he couldn’t fix it. Lasted two years and was stored inside in the off season for half the year.

[Nicholson58]

We found a good deal on a used fiberglass RIB hypalon Caribe, 9.5 feet with 2-stroke Mercury 15 Hp. It has been pretty good. It does not plane as easily as newer, flatter, wider dinghies. Friends bought an AB aluminum RIB, same length but with a bow locker. It’s wider at the bow & larger tubes so dryer ride than ours. Some aluminum RIBs have had corrosion issues that compromised the glue joint. No such issues with glass.

Since you have a lifting davit I recommend RIB rather than soft or wood/metal floor. RIB rides faster with better stability and seaworthiness.

[lewisa]

I have had both a hypalon inflatable floor (Achilles) and a PVC (German manufactured Meher-Valmex) FG RIB (Coastal) with a bow locker. I replaced the 12 year old Achilles when it developed a bubble in one tube; it never leaked air, but I didn't trust it. Because I rarely deflated the dinghy, I chose the RIB replacement. Frankly, the benefits of the RIB only marginally outweighed the drawbacks - mostly weight (135 lbs vs 70 lbs) for similar lengths. I had glue problems with the Coastal (handles coming off), but Coastal paid to have them professionally reglued; no hull problems. I am 77 years old and, although I can muscle the RIB onto a dock, the Achilles was much easier. When and if I replace the RIB, I will likely return to an inflatable floor model.

[BoatBumm]

I bought an Achilles LSI-290e inflatable floor hypalon dinghy 10 months ago. I’m living onboard and cruising the Bahamas so the dinghy has gotten a lot of use. I have been very pleased with it I love the inflatable floor. Years ago i had a Zodiac with the typical 4-section plywood panel floor. It worked but as others have said it was always a chore to get the panels in while assembling it. I like the inflatable floor because I can inflate or deflate it up on deck of my 34’ sailboat. I use the 6’ long fender boards I carry to help support the dinghy during inflation/deflation. But the dinghy lives most of its life up on davits. And the performance is fine. With just me at 250# and an old Tohatsu 8hp 2-stroke outboard it’s max speed is a scary 28mph on flat water. It feels like it’s going to go airborne. I did that only once. Speed confirmed by GPS. I usually run it at about 20 mph. And my only other comment/complaint is that I found it very hard to get back into the dinghy from the water after swimming. I finally had to buy a collapsible inflatable dinghy ladder from the Up-N-Out people. Expensive but it works great.

[felixdacat]

Hi...
Just a quick note... Do not buy a (de)flatable dinghy!!!
After 15 years cruising , 10,000 repair jobs, hundreds of hours of unnecessary work, I bought an aluminium 10 ft dinghy and added PVC tubes to the sides.
It's unsinkable and I no longer waste my time repairing deflatable boats and it cost $1000 second hand, but it will outlast me! I have a 15hp Yamaha on the back and it's a great dinghy!!!