Dingy, Tender, Dinks oh my

[got seashells?]

Hello all, This is a post asking for opinions. We are looking at getting a tender. Who would have thought that there would be so stinking many options. Here is what we are thinking and if you would be so kind as to share your thoughts that would be great.
We are on a Power boat at this time and will transition over to sail in the next few years. (or so we are planning) We are looking for something that can have a motor but doesn't have to have one all the time. It will be kept on the boat when not in use so we are thinking the inflatable with removable floor is the way to go there. We have 3 small dogs that total 15 pounds and there is just the 2 of us most of the time but we are thinking that 9-10 foot would be best. Salt water proven is also a priority. What kind did you go with? are you happy with it? If you had it to do all over again what would you get or stay away from? Thank you for your input.

[boatman61]

A good quality slat floor inflatable with aluminium slats is your best bet.. they're a little lighter than ply.. for added floor protection from the dogs get two foam camping bedrolls and cut to size to lay side by side lengthways.. they're just wide enough.
Then its just deflate, roll up and stow.. no floor to store separately and struggle with when using again.

[Shrew]

Personally, i stay away from inflatable floors. IMHO they tend to get very hot.

Do you have an idea on engine size? Do you plane on getting on plane?

[accomplice]

You might want to look into a Porta-bote.

I've had bad luck with several DEflatable tenders -- they're just too fragile, short-lived, and difficult to repair. I'm sure there are cruisers who have better dinghy karma than me, or are gentler on their equipment, but I will never own another inflatable.

We're happy with our Livingston 12 cat dinghy, but if there were only 2 of us and 15# of dogs, I'd buy another Porta-bote.

[UNCIVILIZED]

I wrote the following for another thread, but it asks & (somewhat) answers what makes a good dinghy. Though it doesn't cover one important question. That being, where do you plan to stow the dink when you're at sea? And by stow, I'm generally referring to where on deck you'll keep it. Since dinks in davits are fairly vulnerable in a heavy seaway.

"A tender generally 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?

Picture a dinghy where you can throw in a beach chair or two, your fishing gear, beer, snacks, & an anchor. And once the hook’s set, you put your feet up, pull your woven straw hat down, & enjoy living. With actually catching fish being a nicety, not the main mission.

Okay, yes I’m in corrigible: The best “floating picnic” I ever saw was a couple curled up together on the leeward hull side of a primo, clear finished, strip plank dory. So that since the boat had zero ribs or stringers, it was perfect for them to curl up in, & watch/listen to the open air concert on stage (ashore) 20m away. With them sipping red wine, & feeding each other brie, sliced gourmet sausage, & fresh fruit. Never once getting wet, nor fretting about the dink tipping over (I doubt it could do so). After which they had a languid row home, silently at high speed, thanks to the design.

I still want a boat like that one Ditto such an evening . BTW, That concert was sold out months in advance, for mucho $ per head. Though the (gratis) cheap seats afloat were packed, albeit with room for yet more of us. I enjoyed that show a lot! As did my date(s).

PS: Also, picture using it to row out a 2nd anchor, chain, & rode to windward in 40kts, & 1.5m seas".

[got seashells?]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Personally, i stay away from inflatable floors. IMHO they tend to get very hot.

Do you have an idea on engine size? Do you plane on getting on plane?

The engine would come after the purchase of the dingy as that would denote size needed. (I think???) yes I would expect it to get on plane.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by got seashells?

The engine would come after the purchase of the dingy as that would denote size needed. (I think???) yes I would expect it to get on plane.

Then forget about fold and stow dinghy's.. they'll plane with one but that's it.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by got seashells?

. . . We are on a Power boat at this time and will transition over to sail in the next few years. (or so we are planning) We are looking for something that can have a motor but doesn't have to have one all the time. It will be kept on the boat when not in use so we are thinking the inflatable with removable floor is the way to go there. We have 3 small dogs that total 15 pounds and there is just the 2 of us most of the time but we are thinking that 9-10 foot would be best. Salt water proven is also a priority. What kind did you go with? are you happy with it? If you had it to do all over again what would you get or stay away from? Thank you for your input.

If you motor all the time then most anything works.

If you need to be able to plane then a folding boat is iffy with much load. The largest Porta-bote is limited to 56lb engine weight which is about what a 6hp weighs. 6hp will get one person and maybe 2 on a plane if they are light and don't carry much or any gear. You could probably push it to 81lb and put a 9.9hp on but even that is only going to plane with 2 people plus minor personal gear. If you are trying to haul 2 people plus significant provisions it'll be tough to get on a plane.
The folding boat brands I am aware of are:
Banana-boot
Porta-bote
Insta-boat

If you want to be able to row, then an inflatable won't work well in anything other than calm, flat water. That said some row less bad than others. RIBs and inflatable keel boats are less bad, not good by any stretch though.

For rowing or sailing, a folding or rigid dinghy is the way to go.
Best bang for the buck would probably be a Walkerbay.

If you want a rigid dinghy and deck space for storage is a problem then consider a nesting dinghy.
The for pre-build nesting dinghies there is:
Nestaway in the UK which may present a cost and shipping problem depending on where you are.
Arrogant Boat Builder - Sybil & Ozma

There are a number of sources of plans for building your own:
Chameleon by Danny Greene
PT-11 by Port Townsend Watercraft
Eastport Nesting Pram by Chesapeake Light Craft
Two-Paw and Spindrift Series by B&B
To maximize load carrying you probably would want a pram so Chameleon, Eastport, the Two-Paw series and Nestaway.

The following site has photo for a number of the above rigid nesting dingies:
Nesting Dinghies

[MarkJ]

Go look at a dinghy dock.

You will find 90% of Dinghy's are grey, inflatable, hard floor, 8.5 ft to 10 feet.

Why?



Mark

[davewtsnape]

IMHO

As the last guy said, grey plastic 8 to 10ft long. Three chamber, plus possibly an inflatable floor if you fancy. 2.5hp Outboard

Don't think about planing, creates a ton of wash anyway, very anti-social.

Unless your sailboat is going to have a garage or davitts the main issue is weight. I.e. lugging the damn outboard around and lifting the dinghy onboard for safe-keeping. You could tow it, but not a good idea believe me.

They are easy to maintain and repair unless you have a dock with lots of pointy bits on it

Enjoy

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

. . . You will find 90% of Dinghy's are grey, inflatable, hard floor, 8.5 ft to 10 feet.

Why? . . .

Some combination of:
1] Weight to drag up the beach and bring on deck to stow limits the length.
2] Storage requirements
3] Dis-inclination to row
4] Great stability
5] Following the herd: 90% of all dinghies around here are inflatable so that must be the right choice.

[Ken Z]

I love wood dinks, currently finishing up a portegusese dingy, simple 1/4 plywood stitch and glue boat . go to cpyoageekworkshosting.com. it can be lenghthened , with basic wood skills one could be in the water in 5 days or less .mine comes in at 47 lbs depending on how many layers of fiberglass and epoxy are tough and fly with 5 h.p.. ive had inflatables and they are great too, cost of materials under$90.00.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

I love wood dinks, currently finishing up a portegusese dingy, simple 1/4 plywood stitch and glue boat . go to cpyoageekworkshosting.com. it can be lenghthened , with basic wood skills one could be in the water in 5 days or less .mine comes in at 47 lbs depending on how many layers of fiberglass and epoxy are tough and fly with 5 h.p.. ive had inflatables and they are great too, cost of materials under$90.00.

Link ain't working for me, is it correct?

[Cheechako]

9 or better 10 ft is nice . Especially with the three dogs. The rollup design works, the rigid ply floor is ... more rigid.... but harder to assemble /disassemble for sure.
FIrst, you have to decide if you want to putt around with a small engine, or go far and fast. For putting around with a small engine, rollup floor is fine.
I've had many types and always come back to inflatable, but you mention "without motor"... they are a bitch to row... unless it's a very short trip to shore. You want Hypalon material. I really like the quality of Achilles. One of the few that have stayed consistently good for many years. A couple years back I sold an old Achilles from the mid 90's. Not a thing wrong with it after 20+ years.
Our 3 dogs loved the inflatable rides.

[Rigdaddy]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

I wrote the following for another thread, but it asks & (somewhat) answers what makes a good dinghy. Though it doesn't cover one important question. That being, where do you plan to stow the dink when you're at sea? And by stow, I'm generally referring to where on deck you'll keep it. Since dinks in davits are fairly vulnerable in a heavy seaway.

"A tender generally 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?

Picture a dinghy where you can throw in a beach chair or two, your fishing gear, beer, snacks, & an anchor. And once the hook’s set, you put your feet up, pull your woven straw hat down, & enjoy living. With actually catching fish being a nicety, not the main mission.

Okay, yes I’m in corrigible: The best “floating picnic” I ever saw was a couple curled up together on the leeward hull side of a primo, clear finished, strip plank dory. So that since the boat had zero ribs or stringers, it was perfect for them to curl up in, & watch/listen to the open air concert on stage (ashore) 20m away. With them sipping red wine, & feeding each other brie, sliced gourmet sausage, & fresh fruit. Never once getting wet, nor fretting about the dink tipping over (I doubt it could do so). After which they had a languid row home, silently at high speed, thanks to the design.

I still want a boat like that one Ditto such an evening . BTW, That concert was sold out months in advance, for mucho $ per head. Though the (gratis) cheap seats afloat were packed, albeit with room for yet more of us. I enjoyed that show a lot! As did my date(s).

PS: Also, picture using it to row out a 2nd anchor, chain, & rode to windward in 40kts, & 1.5m seas".

I built such a dinghy this summer; works well for me. Hopefully a photo is attached. It's not as heavy as it looks, less than 110#. I use the spinnaker pole to hoist it on deck. It's no quick project though.