The most popular dinghy size

[ausaviator]

What do you think would be the all-time ever most popular tender size?

I was thinking maybe 2.5 or 2.7m...?

There's so many options now and I notice so many are coming out with aluminium hulls. Aside from them possibly being lighter weight, I'm really not sure what the pro's of aluminium are... would love to hear from the experts?

[LoudMusic]

Aluminum versus what?

I have a 3.1m Highfield Classic with Hypalon tubes.

https://www.highfieldboats.com/classic-310/

I certainly see smaller dinks, but I definitely see a lot of bigger dinks. Both inflatable and rigid. I also have come to understand that different dinghy designs are popular in different parts of the world.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

What do you think would be the all-time ever most popular tender size?

I was thinking maybe 2.5 or 2.7m...?

There's so many options now and I notice so many are coming out with aluminium hulls. Aside from them possibly being lighter weight, I'm really not sure what the pro's of aluminium are... would love to hear from the experts?

The most popular size (at least in my area) is almost universally the 310 or 330 size. Aluminum RIBS are becoming more and more popular.

[dougweibel]

Seems like 310/330 cm are very common. Aluminum is light as you say. That can make a difference in the ability to carry the dinghy on davits or ease of hoisting it on deck.

[rwidman]

I would love to have a 15' dinghy but my boat itself is only 28' long and storing it would be impossible.

My actual dinghy is a bit short of 8' and I can drag it up onto the bow for short term storage or deflate it for long term storage.

[Paul L]

Aluminum bottom inflatables are great when the landing or the beachid rocky or coral rubble. You drag it over them with no qualms. Do the same thing with a fiberglass bottom and you tear it up.
AL inflatables are also the lightest.
Average size pretty much just scales with yacht size it belongs to.

[rms95835]

We have an AB 9AL, with 6HP Tohatsu 4 stroke. After adding fins to the anti cavitation plate on the engine, will plane with 350-400 lbs on board. It’s rated for 8 HP, but I didn’t want the added weight of the larger engine. Combined weight of engine and dink is only 110#’s, so easy on the davits as well as on the fore deck for passages.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

What do you think would be the all-time ever most popular tender size?

I was thinking maybe 2.5 or 2.7m...?

There's so many options now and I notice so many are coming out with aluminium hulls. Aside from them possibly being lighter weight, I'm really not sure what the pro's of aluminium are... would love to hear from the experts?

There seems to be a trend at some of the more popular dinghy docks to limit the size to 12' (330 for all you hinterlanders) - seems they are tired of all the paramilitary assault craft clogging up their docks. Aluminum hulls with Hypalon tubes seem to be the popular choice.

[zstine]

We have a 310 and seems to be on the smaller side compared to those at the dink dock in the Caribbean.

Not only it Aluminum lighter and tougher than fiberglass, It can also be recycled. Fiberglass is just pollution at the end of its life.

[TheOffice]

It really depends on the size of your boat. We have an older 44 with a fairly narrow transom. A 290 would be ideal for us, but 310 seems to be more common.

[contrail]

I have an aluminum AB, which has been very nice. I am considering dinghies for another boat, and when I checked with a friend for some advice, he had some interesting things to say. I should note that for at least a decade, probably two, he ran the dinghy end of things at a charter base with over three hundred yachts and a commensurate enormous fleet of dinghies. Over the years, they used several brands, and he has consulted with various manufacturers as they seek to improve their products. He has some pretty strong opinions, but as he deals with and maintains more dinghies than probably anyone else you can find, I am always curious to hear what he says. He says that the big no no on aluminum hulls is putting too heavy an engine on. This can crack where the transom joins the tubes. To repair that, the tube must be removed and re-installed, which is not a trivial repair. He tends to prefer GRP dinghies because fiberglass is an easy repair. I will note that his region contains many sand beaches, and not many stone ones, so the fiberglass doesn't get torn up, that way. He also has a strong preference for AB dinghies, for their long term reliability, much more so than other high-end aluminum dinghies. As I said, he has interesting and strong views, based on years of experience. He is also not a "seller" of dinghies, so he has no dog in that fight.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by rms95835

We have an AB 9AL, with 6HP Tohatsu 4 stroke. After adding fins to the anti cavitation plate on the engine, will plane with 350-400 lbs on board. It’s rated for 8 HP, but I didn’t want the added weight of the larger engine. Combined weight of engine and dink is only 110#’s, so easy on the davits as well as on the fore deck for passages.

Just FYI the Tohatsu 4 stroke 6, 8 and 9.8hp all weigh the same, 81lbs
The 2 stroke 6, 8 and 9.8hp are 57lbs

[akopac]

Nested or assembled[emoji16]

[OneKoolCat]

ausaviator,

Sounds like you you may want a poll, and then you can look at the numbers.

I have a Highfield UL340. I had to look it up it is 337 cm. (11'1" here in the USA) The US is a little slow shifting to metric only 200+ years to go. Not sure what happened to the the other 3 cm from its model number. I have Torqeedo cruise 2.0 on it, and charge it with a rollable solar panel.

I can blast through an anchorage at speeds of up to 5 kts with family and gear on board. Even just me I can't plane though.

Cheers,
Peter

[SaltyMetals]

When i bought my recent secondhand boat it came with a 3.20m PVC dink. Too large and too heavy so since it was struggling to do the important things like keep air IN and water OUT i dumped it and bought a 2.70m PVC Zodiac with an Aluminium floor. Much more manageable and the Al floor makes sure that if there is a little water from rain or something it is under the floor so your feet/shoes do not get wet. When going ashore i usually carry a small folding anchor so that i can moor it a few metres off the beach.

The length of 2.70m does very much the same as my old 3.20m but is lighter, shorter and a lot better (Zodiac).

Andrew