Trying to pick my dinghy poison

[MicHughV]

my experience exactly.... though with a slightly larger dink...3.1M....

first off, you have the engine and fuel tank on and near the transom...nicely weighing down the rear end.
inside on the floor of the dink, you will have a bailer, the dink tow line and usually (for me) a variety of masks, snorkels, fins, some fish spears, a small cooler, etc..
Then there is likely at least 1 or sometimes 2 other people besides yourself on the dink...sometimes some towels....

so, you have to sit on the dink floor, as there is no seat, with 1 guy behind you and another practically sitting in your lap..and take two stubby aluminum oars which you place in a wimpy rubber oarlock...

holding the oars, you have to hold them very high at a very uncomfortable angle, so that you have some leverage and also to avoid the guy sitting in your lap, the high angle of the oars means that the rubber oarlock is only barely holding the oar...you quickly note that the paddle of the oar barely makes it into the water, only inches from the side of the dink......

after several furious short strokes, (you can't do long strokes without knocking the other guy sitting in your lap into the water), you note with dismay, that you have moved only 6" and a flurry of nautical language unfit for children flows from your mouth for the entire anchorage to hear.

In desperation, you hand one oar to another person and get them to sit on the tube, usually with one leg dangling in the water, while you do the same on the other side.
Very quickly, you will note that your oar strokes are not well synchronized and all you have succeeded in doing so far is to move 6" and complete one circle going nowhere.

By this time, you will have likely attracted the attention of several anchored yachties, one of which may jump in his dink to come give you a tow....

This is how I recall it....

[sanibel sailor]

Thanks everyone for the input. It really helped to clarify my thinking about this issue. I made a spreadsheet, old school paper/ruler/pen style with weights/measurements/pros/cons/costs/expectations, etc. Obviously, something had to give. An airfloor was my first expected solution, but really gave no bulk and only modest weight advantage over my current panel floor dink, and in Hypalon, some of that advantage was lost. Floor durability seems an unsolved issue also. The Takacat/TrueKit have the same floor, were still bulky but lighter although somewhat pricey for what may have turned out to be a failed experiment with an out-of-the-ordinary dinghy design. It may be a poor decision, but I couldn't get past the flexibility/flimsiness of the PortaBote and storage along the stanchions seems like a poor location. Thought about the F-Rib, but it is bulkier and one solid 80 lb chunk to get out of the cabin, not to mention PVC and costly.
Found a couple of Zodiac PVC aluminum RIBs at Defender for attractive prices ($1400), but they are PVC, I was concerned about the adhesion of the tubes to the powdercoat alloy and crating/freight added another $300 almost. Looking at them got me to thinking that I may just have to compromise and accept on-deck storage if I don't want to compromise good planing ability and bottom durability.

9 days and 11 pages later... may we have the envelope please.

I found a used 9 foot AB Lammina UltraLight single floor aluminum RIB, Hypalon tubes, (no paint on the hull) that I am hoping will fit. Weighs 75 lbs. I can portage it fairly easily. It is black in color which would be my absolute last pick, but I can make some white chaps. Can take up to 8HP if I ever get an Enduro. Has oars but no oarlocks interestingly enough. Bought it from a marine service place in West Palm. They said it has a slow leak that they did not try to hunt down. Hopefully that is manageable. I drove over and picked it up tonight. I only paid $650 for it, so if it does not fit or proves unsatisfactory, I expect I can pass it along painlessly. Selling my current dink will cover much of the expense. On deck storage still as welcome as a poke in the eye, but I guess I will learn to live with it and if not, I will be off to the next attempted solution.

[MicHughV]

if you can get your hands on one....the Yamaha 8 hp two stroke is a gem of an engine...lightweight, small, you can pick it up with one hand, plenty powerful for your dink, robust, and will run forever.
you'll have to find a used model, as it's all 4 strokes these days, but there are plenty of these on the market...a wonderful engine that I can personally vouch for...

[sck5]

another vote for the yamaha 8hp. best engine for its weight by far.

[sanibel sailor]

Sticking with my Nissan 5 two stroke for now. Yamaha makes a series called Enduro that is commercial duty. My dream motor. Tougher than a regular 2 stroke. Their smallest is 8 hp, weighs 62 lb. Not available in the USA, but just a short hop to Nassau and they are $2100.

Interestingly, they also make a kerosene model. Limited info on it but it says it is a carb model which seems odd.

[sanibel sailor]

On deck. Fits, barely. Inside of tubes is 27”. Outside of dorase guards is 29”. Needs a chock and bracket for the aft end. Line is where the inner forestay attaches. Just clears.

[Bill O]

If I had to pick between the Yamaha and Tohatsu/Nissan 8 hp 2 stroke, would have to pick the Tohatsu due to lower vibration (they weigh the same).

[mikedefieslife]

It's a nice dinghy. Double floor is better for being dry but of course adds weight.

I have Yamaha 8hp. It's a nice engine. Not the Enduro (that one doesn't make sense) the regular one. That being said, for less money and the same weight, the Tohatsu 9.8 would be the better pick.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

On deck. Fits, barely. Inside of tubes is 27”. Outside of dorase guards is 29”. Needs a chock and bracket for the aft end. Line is where the inner forestay attaches. Just clears.

Have you tried it with the transom towards the bow? The bow of the dinghy might fit between the dorades and allow you to pull it further aft?

[sanibel sailor]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Have you tried it with the transom towards the bow? The bow of the dinghy might fit between the dorades and allow you to pull it further aft?

Arrived home late last night and just threw it on deck before leaving town for the weekend. If I flip it around, the edges of the bow will dig up the bright work on the dorado boxes (solvable with brass half round), but the transom width will likely be troublesome. Maybe the biggest issue is that the large flat transverse transom facing forward all the way up on the bow strikes me as unseaworthy. As currently loaded, I think I can open the forward hatch. Again, no time to check this morning. Bow aft would likely block that. It needs some tweaking. This dinghy would be better if it were 6 inches shorter and 2 inches wider.

[model 10]

[QUOTE=MicHughV;3172232]if you can get your hands on one....the Yamaha 8 hp two stroke is a gem of an engine...lightweight, small, you can pick it up with one hand, plenty powerful for your dink, robust, and will run forever.


Maybe not. We bought a new 8hp enduro in Panama in 2009 and it has needed several major repairs. Once the throttle handle broke off and I had to steer through the shoals grasping the whole outboard to steer. A new $300 carb fixed it another time. Other than that is has been oK. Oh yeah it's light, but try and catch it when the lift harness breaks. No way I could catch 15hp.

[Divevac]

We endured the same dilemma 2 years ago and after much deliberation settled on a10' Portabote and 5hp Tohatsu propane.
Our 2500nm venture down the St Lawrence, around the maritime provinces landing in Boston last summer proved it was the right decision.
We towed it in up to 35 knots through several 24-48 hr passages. It was a reliable and economical taxi. It did flip once at anchor in 88 kt's during Hurricane Dorian but was easily righted and emptied.
It is currently folded on the deck awaiting our next adventure. This thing is bulletproof... PM me if you'd like more details.

[MicHughV]

looking at your pics, I'm wondering if you could fabricate some type of wood dink support..between the dorade vents, something for the transom of the dink to rest on, maybe even something for the bow, this would allow you to slide the dink back and up a bit, maybe enuff to open a hatch...hard to say....if I were there, I could come up with something...

regarding the 8 hp Yamaha....each to his own....I've had nothing but stellar service from mine....takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'..

[MicHughV]

maybe you could position a big fender between the dorade vents....for the transom to bear on..remove it when the dink is not there... ??? another fender under the bow...they make flat fenders ??....just thinkin' out loud here...

[sanibel sailor]

Thinking a wood channel on deck to position and slightly raise transom with some side pieces to fit between the aluminum tube attachments to prevent lateral movement. These will need some material to prevent chafing the tubes. All U-bolted to the dorase guards. A shaped 1” thick closed cell rubber pad under the bow, maybe just glued to the deck. It will take some experimenting.

Gardener’s kneeling pad good source for bow pad.