Trying to pick my dinghy poison

[Ifitsworthdoing]

Am in a somewhat similar position, albeit as a first-time buyer for a 34ft catamaran with a generously proportioned bathing platform as dink accommodation. After surveying the market in considerable depth I’m going to go for one of the all-solid New Zealand’s Offshore Cruising Tenders despite their hefty price tag (plus shipping costs).

My reasons are these: Their part-carbon GRP construction makes them quite light weight so easy to maneuvre/handle; their design makes for large internal space yet planing with less outboard HP than comparable dinks; an alloy delta plate below (optional extra) adds bottom hardiness; they look fantastic and work well in Pacific swells ...
The OC270 (9ft) model at 36kg might just fit on your foredeck/cabin roof.

I will power it with Tohatsu’s 5HP propane/LPG outboard which combines adequate performance with practicality, eco friendliness and great looks (white, as is the tender). An aside: While looks are less important than practical aspects, it does cheer a person up when the object of that “wow, look at the nice kit over there” comment is you!

Drawbacks: (1) Price tag - but this may be balanced by long service life and good resale value; (2) not fitted with oar locks/sail mast mounts.

Check out their website at www.octenders.co.nz ...

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

In my mind unless you are racing sailing isn't a sport any more than riding your motorcycle or driving your car to the next town is a sport.

Cruising in a sailboat is about as physical as going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

I'd say it's more of a pleasure.

Not trying to change the subject, but just can't let that pass. Sailing can be and is a sport (not just racing, either) for many of us. If you are active at it it is definitely an athletic activity. Doing it well often requires some physical effort and coordination. Even as we get older, especially as we get older, we do have to push ourselves a little to sail hard. It feels better that night, and doing hard things will make you live longer. Sitting does nothing for you.

Sitting on a sailboat motoring along, like driving your car, is not physical, but of course many cruisers can't be bothered to do any thing else.

But I hope that you, at least, can recognize that not everyone enjoys the sedentary.

[CaptnBry]

On my 30ft sail, i use a 10ft2" inflatable with 6ph Tohatsu. It does 12kts planning and stows below decks. It takes 30mins to assemble, including engine mounting and all accessories. It lives in a custom bag, strapped with 'seat belt' lashings in the V-berth. Having nothing on deck during a passage is a priority for windage and saftey. Its aluminum floors allow the harsh use of cruising & fishing. Sunbrella chaps help the PVC last in the sun. And its cheap enough ( ebay about $700 usd) that i can buy a new one every 3years or so and enjoy NEW ( not patched, faded, hypalon after 10+ years) . Unorthodox, yes. Works for me.

[ChrisPuget]

When solo sailing BC coast and Haida Gwaii I tow a 10' RIB with 15hp yamaha and a 8' Walker Bay. The RIB is great for fishing, runs to the fuel dock to fill diesel containers for on deck, and trips to a dockside restaurant bar groceries. The Walker Bay shines when pulling up on a barnacle encrusted shoreline. One thing to keep in mind during long excursions on the RIB in remote areas with currents and weather is....what are you going to do if your engine quits???

[tdunlap]

Check out OC Tender. I love mine. They make several sizes. They plane with small outboards and are very light boats. Yes, you need to find a place on deck, but like the Roths who also had a 35' boat and kept a dingy on deck, it can be managed. The OC is light enough to be manageable. They are rather expensive, but the exchange rate is very good right now.

https://octenders.co.nz/

You can find some YouTube vids on these boats.

No dingy is everybody's cup of tea. The smaller the boat, the more of a compromise it will be. I like a boat that I can repair anywhere with a bit of glass and epoxy. These are boats that with just a little care, will never wear out.

[MicHughV]

I think one must consider how the dink will be used. If just for a means to get ashore, that is one thing.

I like to dive and spearfish for my own food, plus collecting lobster and conch and this usually requires a possibly long ride out to the reefs, plus another diver or two in the dink, dive gear, spears, etc, etc...in this regards, a RIB is a must, plus a reasonably sized engine....8-15 hp.
talking about spears...when I had the inflatable, I always had to be very careful as to where I position the spears as well being very careful bringing a speared fish bank on the dink.
If diving is on your agenda, your dink and engine choices become limited to what is practical.
I often went diving with people from other boats, invariably they will have a RIB and a stout engine, and trying to keep up with them in an inflatable with a small engine or electric engine is a non-starter. By the time you get to the reefs, the others will be long gone, and you will end up diving alone. I can guarantee you, if you find yourself in this situation, it won't take long before you are shopping for another dink and a bigger motor.

Any anchorage is a likely beginning avenue for a diving expedition, not only that, you might want to zip around the anchorage or island to take in the view.

Don't view the dink as just a hassle to bring aboard, you must give some thought as to how it will be used. Buying one dink only to replace it later for a more" practical" dink, means a second purchase, plus what do you do with the first one ?

[Happ]

Originally Posted by Ifitsworthdoing

Am in a somewhat similar position, albeit as a first-time buyer for a 34ft catamaran with a generously proportioned bathing platform as dink accommodation. After surveying the market in considerable depth I’m going to go for one of the all-solid New Zealand’s Offshore Cruising Tenders despite their hefty price tag (plus shipping costs).

My reasons are these: Their part-carbon GRP construction makes them quite light weight so easy to maneuvre/handle; their design makes for large internal space yet planing with less outboard HP than comparable dinks; an alloy delta plate below (optional extra) adds bottom hardiness; they look fantastic and work well in Pacific swells ...
The OC270 (9ft) model at 36kg might just fit on your foredeck/cabin roof.

I will power it with Tohatsu’s 5HP propane/LPG outboard which combines adequate performance with practicality, eco friendliness and great looks (white, as is the tender). An aside: While looks are less important than practical aspects, it does cheer a person up when the object of that “wow, look at the nice kit over there” comment is you!

Drawbacks: (1) Price tag - but this may be balanced by long service life and good resale value; (2) not fitted with oar locks/sail mast mounts.

Check out their website at www.octenders.co.nz ...

Good news. I just looked at the website and it does come with oar kicks and oats. Depending where you are it’s $8k nz. For US buyers not that far off an AB.

[lituya1617]

A dinghy is first a lifeboat and then it can be used for other things. I have found that a 10" aluminum planing hull (Lund) with a bit of extra flotation is an excellent dinghy all around. I have used one for decades. This hull has a lot of freeboard which makes it more seaworthy, something not so common in small aluminum boats. I can do excursions with a 15 HP outboard at over 20 miles per hour. It can pack three hundred pounds of cargo (at the weight limit on the hull) and still plane. With extra gas and just me aboard, the dinghy gets 15 miles per gallon. The range is over 300 miles with 20 gallons of gas aboard - enough to get to shore in many cases even if well offshore. It rows easily. With a custom pivoting digger board and a small sail it easily sails at hull speed. The dinghy is very seaworthy and handles rough conditions well. It is very light and easy to handle at less than 200 pounds. It is tough and withstands beaching well. A custom canvas cover and a rubber rail-top bumper enables me to tow the dinghy with minimal drag and no worry about it filling with seawater - it seems to have no effect on the speed of my vessel when towed. If a storm threatens, I can strap it to the foredeck; however, I have never found that maneuver necessary. Once you understand that such a dinghy is not as stable laterally as an inflatable, it is safe and reliable. I recommend such a dinghy.

[Schapera]

Check out www.nestawayboats.com beautiful nesting dinghy!!!

[MicHughV]

true, some folks consider the dink as a liferaft......and having a " liferaft" with some mobility is certainly a plus, but being a belts and braces person, a dink PLUS a liferaft is my choice. Getting them both in the water quickly is key !!

[Mike OReilly]

https://portlandpudgy.com/

I'd love one. No space on my boat though.

[gulfislandfred]

You have the skills to build a nesting dink that will row well, and motor well.
You can design or modify a design to fit your storage spot.
It will cost less than buying a new unit.
Go for it! It will still be a compromise. It won't be perfect. But it will be your own work, and you can make it to fit your space.

Be sure to post pictures and progress here. It's a challenge we share.

[Lightwave99]

Hi John.
So glad you are planning your offshore adventure!
We used a Porta-Bote on our 2-year adventure, and found it perfect. It folds up so you can store it more easily, as you cannot do a crossing with an inflatable in davits. It rows easily, but also takes a good outboard. We used a 2hp (!!!) and got through surf fine. Now they don't make 2 hp's but you can get a smallish 5hp. Seriously, you don't need an extremely heavy powerful engine. You can also get them, lightly used, though Kijiji or CraigsList or probably Amazon. Here's the website address: https://www.porta-bote.com/?gclid=Cj...vsrefdom=p.417 but just search Porta-Bote.

Happy adventuring!
Carllie & Garett Hennigan on Light Wave at lightwave99.com

[j.g.evans]

I recommend considering davits for reasons not mentioned so far. If your dinghy is hoisted on davits it is much harder to steal. Also, if it is inflated on the davits it can be quickly launched as a life boat. For ocean passages you want it on the fore deck and not low on davits.

Another solution that worked out well for me was to have a custom arch made. The dinghy could be hoisted in a low see over low position for coastal cruising and very high for ocean passages. I had solar panels on the top of the arch. I had fabric join the arch to the bimini and all gave me much greater sun protection.
I also found that an inflatable was very wet going slowly. It was dry planing. I always sat on the tubes so bigger tubes provided more shock absorption. Look for a 15 HP 2 stroke.

[CarlF]

As with any compromise, you have to be willing to give up something - and prioritize what can't be given up.

I don't think you should give up planing. You'll want it in the trip you have in mind. South Pacific distances to get ashore can be long.

I do think you should accept deck storage. You are going to need all your locker storage for other things on this trip. Small boats have been stored on deck for centuries. Unfortunately, your boat is badly designed for deck storage. No room under the boom. The deck forward of the mast is not flat.

But you don't need convenient access to to the bow while the dinghy is up there. You're only going to put the dinghy up there for an ocean passage. For short coastal trips, you'll take the outboard off and tow it.

In the OC fits, that would be great but I doubt it. I don't find the Portaboat stable enough although it has many fans. So I'd measure for light RIB's. Lifting a fiberglass RIB aboard with a halyard isn't easy and the weight does not help sailing performance. I'd look at at aluminum but also the light Walker Bay Genesis ribs. Their plastic hulls are much lighter than fiberglass. I have one and have found it wonderfully durable even going up on coral beaches.

Don't worry if they store partly over the forward hatch. It will look odd but not many people will see you at sea. Make a cover in a non-obtrusive color that cinches down tightly and you'll hardly notice it.

If nothing fits, I'd go with a dropped stitched floor 11ft and just be careful coming into the beach and anchor it instead of pulling it up.

For an outboard, I'd get an 8HP two cycle (much lighter than 4 cycle) or a Torquedo. If you get an 11ft RIB, I'd go with a 15hp two cycle.

Everything is a compromise.