On-the-Hook Cruisers . . . What Kind of Dinghy Do You Use ?

[colemj]

Have you been drinking?

[southace]

My theroy is lock the outboard to the tender....remove kill switch or spark plug lead...if they cant start outboard they will try next tender. Most crims wouldnt have the brains to work out the problem.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by colemj

Have you been drinking?

No, but I am very stressed at the moment,

My boat is parked on a tourist beach 12 miles away and I cant see it.

I hope it hasnt been stripped bare, or set on fire, or. or. or.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by southace

My theroy is lock the outboard to the tender....remove kill switch or spark plug lead...if they cant start outboard they will try next tender. Most crims wouldnt have the brains to work out the problem.

Don't go to Miami then, they were using scuba to sneak up on dinks, cutting the chain or cable and swimmimg the dinks away. One cruiser saw a dink "drifting" upwind and blew the whistle on them. They threatened him with firearms. There was a small powerboat a ways away waiting for the "drifting" dink.

A piece of copper wire replaces the kill switch. If they take only the motor, they don't try it out first so removing the lead won't help. Best bet at anchor is davits or haul the dink up with a halyard. I have heard that most of the dinks stolen in FL are dumped and only the motor kept for "resale".

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by southace

My theroy is lock the outboard to the tender....remove kill switch or spark plug lead...if they cant start outboard they will try next tender. Most crims wouldnt have the brains to work out the problem.

Okaaay.... better I don't tell you how to get round that in 30sec's...

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Its all locked up and I have people watching it.
Like I said, very rarely do I park where I cant see them,

But a padlock is no deterent to a thief that really wants what you own.

If you want to be pedantic, go for your life, hahahahahahaha

I am a Engineering Blacksmith, On/site Boilermaker DLI Welder for 49 years, I can blow a hole in one of those 2 foot thick safe doors in about an hour, Big enough to crawl through. So nothing is safe.

Wasn't being pedantic, just wondered how you managed it.

Locking stuff up won't stop theives, but I guess the idea is to make your stuff harder to steal the other stuff nearby. I guess if theives were willing to work they wouldn't be theives. So hopefully they'll go for the easier to steal stuff.

Just read your other thread, sorry to hear about what you're going through. Hope it will all be OK in the end. Main thing is though, you're both safe.

[wildbillca]

Originally Posted by colemj

YIKES! How dangerous is Port Orchard WA????

Mark

I use this size crew off shore in Mexico and about not up here where it's so cold the birds stay off the boat.When I sail 24 / 7 I like to have a crew that is at home aboard and can get some work done on the boat while out at sea.it's like having all your friends with you.FUN...

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by southace

eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d
Im looking at getting this one but it only takes up to a four hp what do you think?

It looks to be well made and our NZ buddies have the rep for dink making. I see the cons as being 1) it's PVC - a personal deal killer for me as I live in the tropics but IMO on borrowed time regardless unless kept protected from long term exposure to sunlight, and 2) Shortish RIB's are difficult to plane, even more so with the 4HP limit so you would need to assume that it will only travel at displacement speeds unless it is lightly loaded and weight kept as far forward as possible.

Having just upgraded from a 9 foot Avon Redcrest "donut" dinghy to an inflatable 9 foot RIB I can say the difference is absolutely amazing. Aside from the drier ride and ability to stand up in the thing, to me the best feature is the increased speed which directly translates to being able to explore and travel much greater distances in less friendly weather.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Mr B

No, but I am very stressed at the moment,

My boat is parked on a tourist beach 12 miles away and I cant see it.

I hope it hasnt been stripped bare, or set on fire, or. or. or.

I just saw your thread describing your problems. Hope everything works out well for you.

Mark

[downunder]

Originally Posted by colemj

For cruising, the largest RIB you can safely carry with the largest engine it will support. If you can't fit/handle a 12' RIB with a 25hp engine, start downsizing from there until you reach what you can safely fit and handle.

In other words, the dinghy is going to be your everyday pickup truck - don't skimp on its qualifications, but don't be foolish in its size.

Way too many cruisers start with romantic ideas of rowing a pretty pram or getting a small, cheap pool toy to save money, only to find that the real world needs require real world grunt. They discover this after they get soaking wet plowing through chop and waves across a 5-mile harbor to pick up supplies - and have to do this several times because they can't hold all they need - or get frustrated trying to snorkel and fish out of it, or miss out on activities and things to see because the trip is out of range, etc.

I don't mean to pick an argument with those who like to row about in prams or kayaks or pool toys as a primary mode of transportation and work boat, but you are in the minority of preferences. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your choices, but again, they are not what most would choose if they had the choice. And there are cruising grounds where these types of boats work just fine for everyday use (mostly coastal cruising in protected waters where you don't do a lot of swimming and stores are close by).

Unfortunately, smaller boats require bigger tradeoffs on dinghies. Just keep downsizing from the size mentioned above until you reach a size suitable for your boat.

Mark

+1

Many of experienced cruisers in this thread support this view.

[sabray]

11' nesting dinghy. Handles the 8hp yamaha 2 stroke of 4 hp Nissan fine. Interesting since I put it in the water I have only motored it twice . Wanted to see how it behaved. I have found that rowing is not so hard. Often easier then trying to figure out why the damn Nissan won't start. For a while I was loading the Nissan in my avon so I could take it out for a row. Pulling a starter cord Is better exercise then a bow flex . I am publishing the mariners guide to the complete pull cord workout.

[SunDevil]

Is there a big need for a dingy to go fast? Or is it just like a jet ski where it is fun to go fast? Some of these motors have more horsepower than the main outboard on sailboats I've been looking at.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Is there a big need for a dingy to go fast? Or is it just like a jet ski where it is fun to go fast? Some of these motors have more horsepower than the main outboard on sailboats I've been looking at.

Look at what their boat is before you read the post..
You'll know then where they're talking from...
My 2.60 is stowed on the fore deck 2/3rds deflated and rolled with the pump etc bagged and strapped in... pain in the ass but lighter than a liferaft...

[southace]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

It looks to be well made and our NZ buddies have the rep for dink making. I see the cons as being 1) it's PVC - a personal deal killer for me as I live in the tropics but IMO on borrowed time regardless unless kept protected from long term exposure to sunlight, and 2) Shortish RIB's are difficult to plane, even more so with the 4HP limit so you would need to assume that it will only travel at displacement speeds unless it is lightly loaded and weight kept as far forward as possible.

Having just upgraded from a 9 foot Avon Redcrest "donut" dinghy to an inflatable 9 foot RIB I can say the difference is absolutely amazing. Aside from the drier ride and ability to stand up in the thing, to me the best feature is the increased speed which directly translates to being able to explore and travel much greater distances in less friendly weather.

I see your just down the road from me,So the PVC wont last in the sun up here?? That is why my 15 year old Zodak is dying! well my plan was to store it upside down and deflated perhaps with a cover...but after reading all the posts here Im thinking BIGGER is BETTER.....!!

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by southace

I see your just down the road from me,So the PVC wont last in the sun up here?? That is why my 15 year old Zodak is dying! well my plan was to store it upside down and deflated perhaps with a cover...but after reading all the posts here Im thinking BIGGER is BETTER.....!!

My Redcrest is about 40 yo and still going strong. The Plastimo PVC dinghy that came with my boat was a sticky, tacky mess after 4 years and went to the dump. It's all relative.