Leaving dinghy on mooring for weeks at a time...

[Stu Jackson]

Thanks for filling us in on the WHY part. Have you considered a second smaller dinghy to get you to the shore and then use the bigger one for just hauling stuff? The smaller one could have a small electric or gas/w/integral tank engine, and be easier to get on and off the Gulf. Good luck.

[JPA Cate]

I understand why you want to do it the way you have in mind. I think you'll need a custom tarp to cover the dinghy when it is not in use. It will keep out ducks and varmints, hopefully. It would not be fun to come back to it 2 weeks after having left it, to find it covered in bird poo.

Just wondering if you can make it in two trips in your Walker Bay, or do you need 3 to get everything transferred to and from the cabin?

About getting a larger dinghy up the beach, Jim and I use a boat fender for a roller, and it helps a LOT. We are able to get our large RIB up fairly steep beaches, with its 15 hp o/b. It is not labor free, but it is doable. The roller makes it possible.

Ann

[PEACETIME]

Self bailing dingy like the Angler 8. It is easy to convert a john boat to self bailing by raising the floor above water line. Cover it if worrying about wind blown debris, but it doesn't have to be more than a tarp tied down with drain holes. Angle 8 high side, aluminum 6' john boat low side price.
Pick your poison

[stormalong]

Do you have a neighbor friend with a dinghy that could give you your last ride to the boat before your long hiatus and pick you up again when you return. Regardless of security issues dinghies don't fare well for long periods unattended. I see dinghies tied up in the water all the time at marinas that get totally trashed.

[inchcailloch]

For peace of mind I'd ask a friendly fellow sailor for a ferry. Alternatively try buying a cheap "sit-on" kayak.....virtually unsinkable. Chain it for security through one of the bungy draining holes

[letoile]

We have an inexpensive west marine semi soft floor dinghy RU-250 (9 years old)with a drain on the transom that has a simple lever that opens and closes the drain. We leave it open all the time the dinghy is not in use since this drain lies about 1" above the water surface. Thus allows no water in but allows it to drain all but the 1" of rain water no matter how much it rains. When we come back to the tender after a few weeks we simple grab the dinghy bow line lift it up and drain the water, close the drain lever and we are off.

[canyonbat]

In looking over all of the options presented here, it appears as though you will be just swapping one PIA for another. At least with the method you are using now, you know you have a reliable way to shore when you arrive without having to deal with a swamped, stolen, or moldy green dinghy to deal with when you get there.

[singlespeed]

You need to look at something similar to a surfboat, as used by lifeguards. Double bottom (sealed floor located above the waterline), with large openings that freely drain any water and detritus. They are heavier than a single skin dinghy, but generally sturdier. There are plans on the internet.

[Tayana42]

Lots of boats in marina slips keep their dinghies on float platforms to keep them out of the water. Perhaps that would work for your mooring. A couple of truck inner tubes lashed together would serve to keep the dinghy high and dry enough for the drain plug to be left out allowing it to self drain while you are away. A cover would keep it somewhat clean from birds.

[GordMay]

Wave Powered Bilge Pumps:
➥ https://www.securefixdirect.com/wave...ine-1122-p.asp
➥ https://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/en...mp/m-4417.aspx

[CHAZ]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Somewhere I saw a really cool dinghy bilge pump system that was connected to the painter and used the wave action on the painter to move the pump piston. Dead simple with I think one moving part and no external power of any kind. Sorry I don't remember the name, hopefully someone here knows?

"Drainman" dinghy bilge pump.


google it


Martin

[deblen]

Build yourself an 8-10ft square "swimming raft" from 2x4 construction lumber.Use common construction "popcorn" styrofoam as raft floatation.
Moor raft & pull dinghy out on it.Dinghy will need a drain plug. You may have to use old fish net to keep sh-thawks from roosting.
Ben there-done that. Cheers/Len

[CHAZ]

GordMay beat me to it


He types way faster than me


Martin

[Jdeuel]

Seems like the only thing that might gum up a bilge pump on a moored dinghy would be bird poop, which might also render your solar panel useless. I like the idea of a simple cover with a batten to allow rain to run off, and then a basic pump/solar panel (attached to the cover)/small battery for any stray water that makes it's way inside.

[TravelinLight]

I do not own a dingy, but could you cover it with a center support to help it shed rain / wave action?