Desperately Seeking Dinghy in the USVI

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

I think you might like to try sugar in your tea for a change. WAY too much lemon juice !!

Brian, don't let the faeries dilute you judgment, man.]


Ann, whom you offended with your post of 31-12-16.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Read & heed what's already been said in this thread. Including the bits that sting a little. Better to try & sort out what you can prior to getting to the boat, than to get there & be overwhelmed by the basics.

As to the dinghy, itgenerally serves as your; pickup truck/farm truck, station wagon/SUV, corvette, tow truck, ambulance, safari vehicle (diving), learner boat, & take the family to church on Sunday “wheels”. In addition to roles that have no equal on land. Especially as on most boats there’s but one. And even on boats with a “spare”, the spare is quite often more of a swim toy than a true tender. So when choosing one, ask the following: Can you kick back in it with a case of beer & fish? How's it for floating picnics with a date? And have you ever rowed, towed, or sailed one?

One other key question is where will you store it? As in where on deck. Since having dinghies in davits while on a passage can put things at risk from waves. Ditto on the perils of towing. So some of us select boats partially based on what type of dinghy will be used, & where it'll be stowed. Plus the ease of same.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

I think you might like to try sugar in your tea for a change. WAY too much lemon juice !!

Exactly, we all started on the first rung of the ladder.

Peeps, remember the first time you motored out of the harbour, sailed out of sight of land or arrived in a foreign country? Well there was probably some grumpy old crusty sailor in a Westsail 32 wondering what all the fuss is about as he wobbles about on deck with his WW2 sextant.

Pete

[masonc]

Originally Posted by Sailing Baylana

Hello Everyone,

Buying a new one is out of our budget.

You could sail to St. Maarten, go alongside at Island Water World and collect a roll-up dinghy for $1,800. We just damaged our dinghy so we are probably going over to buy one this week. Even if you get a second hand one, anything good will be $1,000. You can buy online Island Water World | Caribbean Chandlery | Marine Parts and they will have it waiting for you. For another $1,000 you can get an outboard, but you can row for now.
If you can't afford this, you shouldn't get on the boat, because it's going to be an expensive period until you get the boat shipshape. All I did since buying our boat this year is fix it, and I didn't need to hire anyone. We didn't have any major issues but we are constantly in IWW buying parts. Look forward to hitting that credit card hard, and don't buy anything you don't need for safety, seaworthiness or navigation. Those are your priorities.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Ace & Tammy.

[ur2slo]

Originally Posted by masonc

Those are your priorities.

As always good advice here, but the politically correct term is "

People that have no Common Sense,(NO DINGHY), have seen it on you tube and now think a Patreon (SP) link is their ticket to not working and EARNING it.

its just a poor me, I have no dinghy a-hole trying to get something for free...........well ya did, this advice....GROW UP.



(and yes I watched all the stupid video's they have, ( don't give up your day job), even the one about the boat loan getting turned down, a "DISASTER" they termed it! HA only disaster is helping them to the sea...............)

[masonc]

Originally Posted by ur2slo

but the politically correct term is "

Is what?

[Delancey]

Do I understand correctly this purchase was made sight unseen?

[ur2slo]

Originally Posted by masonc

Is what?

I see your ability to correct others punctuation and spelling, is there anything constructive you do?

Ya'll have fun now ya hear? I'm out

[masonc]

Originally Posted by ur2slo

I see your ability to correct others punctuation and spelling, is there anything constructive you do?

Ya'll have fun now ya hear? I'm out

I wasn't correcting anything, I didn't understand what you were referring to.

[travellerw]

Congrats.. Have fun.. We started with zero experience and our first sail was a 380nm offshore run. Study hard, take it easy, watch weather and reef early. You will be overwhelmed, but you can perserver.

As to your dinghy. There are a couple of places in St. John's that sell new dinghies and motors.. Gonna be expensive though. If you can sort out something temporary until you get to St. Martin, you can save some money.

Good luck and hope to see you out here..

[a64pilot]

I think I would get to the boat by any means necessary, bring it in, rent a slip for long enough to provision it and fill up with fuel and water, then travel somewhere I could buy a minimal dink to get by until I knew enough to know what I needed and wanted.

How did the boat survey? Did the survey point out any discrepancies?

[1000 islands]

I'm not sure I am grasping the whole picture here......Ace & Tammy bought a 42 foot sailboat with absolutely no sailing experience and it sounds like they didn't even step foot on her before the $$$$$ was handed over.

How did they inspect what they purchased......did they rely on a survey totally?

I might be a bit of a synic here but why would someone buy a big boat with no experience, no dingy and from hundreds of miles away?

I wish them nothing but good luck, but at the same time I am concerned about their welfare.......I've sailed the Caribbean, it can be very tough and if not for the experience of my father, I would not be here typing.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

My bro-in-law used to keep his boat at Great Cruz Bay. Swimming is an option, but you can get a 2013 Zodiac roll-up from Defender for like $700. Buying a used dink in St John is tough in my experience. If you get the Zodiac, get some old sail material and cover the tubes - it's PVC. You may be able to buy a used outboard, or you can get a little Suzuki 2.5hp for about $750, new. You will need a dink, for sure.

[SeeMonstrEd]

We are on St Thomas on the East end right across from Cruz bay. We have a big 2 person kayak we would sell you to get by until you can afford a real rib.

PM me if you are interested.

I applaud your bravery, you really jumped in with both feet.

As other have posted I would recommend finding a slip at one of the cheap marina on St Thomas until have have worked out any issues you find with your new to you boat. You will have the advantage of other boaters and services at a marina. If you try to stay at Cruz you will pretty much be on your own and you will have to go to St Thomas for most of the things you will need anyway.

Capt Ed
SV Serenity