The Great Dinghy Question

[Boracay]

We are now on our fourth dinghy. Just what you need really depends on your ability, setup and what you are going to use it for.

What we have:-
7' fibreglass with davit mounting points. Used to get to the mooring (oars) and to go on the dinghy rack at my friendly marina without ruining my back (again). 25kg. Never been on the davits. Very unstable. Good padlock, cable and lock up points on dinghy. Fits across foredeck.

9' Aluminium in atrocious condition. Used to get my wife to the mooring. Goes on davits well. Condition too bad to risk outboard. Rows OK. Nice and stable. Currently being replaced with same in much better condition. 36kg. Too heavy to lift or drag onto dinghy rack by myself without ruining my back (again). No self respcting thief would steal it. Fits on foredeck of Boracay.

8' inflatable. Nice and stable. Goes well with 5hp outboard but slow.Too nice to leave on public display. Fits on davits and foredeck.

I'd suggest keeping your davits and see how they go. A 10' RIB or tinnie (aluminium dinghy) with a 15hp Yamaha (provided the boat is rated for 15hp) would be very nice. 15hp is enough power to get you out of the way of some of the less sharp "skippers" that are out there.

I'd also suggest getting at least one alternative dinghy. Possibly a 7' inflatable (20kg) with a 2hp 2-stroke (10kg). Something easily stored. A boat and motor that one person can drag easily and lift if separate. If you are on the boat and the main dinghy is on the shore then swimming is a very dangerous option.

If you cannot buy a good 15hp or 2hp 2 stroke where you are I'd suggest going second hand and getting an overhaul by a reputable outboard mechanic. Upgrade when convenient.

[Squeaks]

Very much an aside but if you keep the davits, consider mounting solar panels on them. A great out-of-the-way location if you're not using a self-steering vane, which I'm not sure how would work well w/ davits anyway.

[Tropicyachty]

Buy the RIB with a 25hp!

[MarkJ]

Have a think about an Alaminum or Fiberglass solid strong dink....

Small OB will hjave it on the plane and tons of space for shopping, friends etc.

And 1/4 of the cost of an RIB

[Abaco]

Center consoles take up a lot of space and add a lot of weight. 12 footer with a 25hp is the way to go. Put the biggest ice chest that will fit in the back to sit on which works as a storage box.

[Dockhead]

Thanks; that's all great advice. I'd love to have a dink with wheel steering which is actually comfortable to drive, but I guess not at the expense of so much weight.

The solid dinghy idea is intriguing -- if it takes a smaller motor to drive it, then that's additional weight (and cost) saving, additional comfort in handling.

Hmmmm.

[donradcliffe]

You will come to appreciate the davits for their ease of use--you can easily lift the dinghy with the big outboard still attached, and don't have to wrestle on the foredeck. While bigger is better, remember that where there is no dinghy dock you will have to pull whatever you have up on the shore, and a lighter (aluminum RIB with a small motor) dinghy is much easier for two people to manage.

[James S]

Ok.... so if you go with something solid and as long as 12ft.... now you have the possibility of sails, and decent or even excellent rowing?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

You will come to appreciate the davits for their ease of use--you can easily lift the dinghy with the big outboard still attached, and don't have to wrestle on the foredeck. While bigger is better, remember that where there is no dinghy dock you will have to pull whatever you have up on the shore, and a lighter (aluminum RIB with a small motor) dinghy is much easier for two people to manage.

Well, I understand this, which I why I'm asking for advice and people's real experience. It's very hard to weigh all the trade-offs. The different qualities a dinghy should have are just not mutually compatible with each other:

1. Easy to store, compact, and light, for those times you're on passage.

2. Light, in general, so you can launch and retrieve it easily.

3. Easy to pull up on shore, for those times when you're beaching it.

4. Stable and capacious, so you can carry your whole crew or much of it, plus provisions.

5. Fast, seaworthy, and comfortable to drive, so that you can range around in it and explore anchorages.


It's impossible to fulfill all of this in one dinghy. The big majority of people on yachts less than 60', it seems, give up Consideration 5 right off the bat, and then find some or another compromise between Considerations 1-3 against Consideration 4.

For me, the 12' RIB plus 15hp motor would probably be the conventional solution, fullfilling Consideration 4 quite well, and using the boat's big electric davits to minimize the downside of Consideration 2.

But if I do that, I don't accomplish much under Consideration 5.

Maybe really I should exploit the big electric davits of the boat not for their weight handling ability, but for their bulk handling ability, and go for some kind of hard dinghy, maybe with a flotation skirt around it to make it a little more seaworthy? I'm confused, however, whether hard dinghies are heavier or lighter than RIB's; whether they are faster or slower with the same amount of horsepower.

[clockwork orange]

I have no suggestions regarding inflatables,i am happy with a 9ft plywood dinghy that rows well and motors fine with a 2hp,im not in any hurry.
But im curious,when i keep reading of 12-14ft ribs with 25hp motors and perhaps a battery and tank of gas i cant help but wonder what you do with it when you get to an actual beach,its way to heavy to carry up above the high tide line unless you have a full crew with you,dragging it is going to wear out the fiberglass bottom or do you just anchor it when you hit the beach and then swim out to it if the tide is further in when you get back to it? but then if the tide was receding you would still need to get it back to the water.Or do you just cruise places where there are dinghy docks available?
I havnt cruised extensivly since before ribs existed and i used to manufacture fiberglass dinghies 30yrs ago and they were too heavy for my tastes so i built a ultra light version and with a cruis n carry and bungy loops on the thwarts to contain the oars and painter.as soon as i hit the beach i would stand the boat on end drop the motor behind the center thwart,put the boat on my shoulders and i could portage it for miles like a canoe. 9ft dinghy and oars,60lbs,motor,12lbs=72lbs.
Steve.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by clockwork orange

But im curious,when i keep reading of 12-14ft ribs with 25hp motors and perhaps a battery and tank of gas i cant help but wonder what you do with it when you get to an actual beach,its way to heavy to carry up above the high tide line unless you have a full crew with you,dragging it is going to wear out the fiberglass bottom or do you just anchor it when you hit the beach and then swim out to it if the tide is further in when you get back to it? but then if the tide was receding you would still need to get it back to the water.Or do you just cruise places where there are dinghy docks available?

That's another consideration. I almost lost a dinghy in January because two of us landed on a steepish beach (Sea of Cortez) and didn't have the strength to pull it up all the way out of the water. It wasn't humongous either; just a 10'-er or so with a 15hp two-stroke. The tide came in, and washed the dinghy away. I saw it just it time to swim out to it and catch it. Pain in the a**.

I guess if you have something bigger you just have to tie it up or anchor it somehow. And keep a good watch. I guess another moral of the story is that only really very small RIB's with 5hp motors or smaller can be dragged all the way out of the water by two people, so this problem is almost unavoidable.

[s/v Jedi]

10' with 15hp and up use Davis dinghy wheels. Anchoring works too but you need a serious anchor like a small danforth style with some chain and at least 30' line.

cheers,
Nick.

[bobsadler]

one thing you may want to keep in mind is that a lot of mooring in the med - if not most - is stern to.

when i bought my boat i had davits and at 10 1/2ft caribe rib with 15hp yamaha - it was a beast. even without the o/b i could hardly roll the dink over.

i sold it and dismounted the davits and now have an 9 1/2ft air floor and a 5hp o/b - i can pick each of them up and the dink rolls up and stows in the fwd head when we're on a passage

if i was exploring remote coastlines i'd probably go back to a rib and a bigger o/b but for messing around in n. eur and the med from what i've seen a lighter dink is more user friendly and probably all that's needed

[Cheechako]

Buy a 10 ft rib and 15hp motor (same weight as the 9.9 hp) keep the davits for sure, one of the most useful devices I've ever had on a cruising boat. You could even go with a 12 ft RIB as long as it's no wider than you mothership.

[keelbolts]

I know it's a radical stance to take, but If you can't deflate your inflatable & stow it on deck or below what good is it? Get a real boat that you can power,row, or sail.