What do you think of my dinghy plan?

[akopac]

Our dink is a Danny green chameleon. Built it while anchored in Ecuador. No wheels. Just hardwood skegs on the bottom. Built her back in 2006.

http://www.mytripjournal.com/images/...2451232491.jpg

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Put a davit on your boat, get a poly dingy and put wheels on it. Lots of big, fat low pressure wheels. It'll brand you as a non conformist ratbag but you can gloat as you watch the conformists struggle down to the water with their big dingys and big powerful motors or sit and wait for the tide to come in or be forever pumping them up, or buying expensive coats for them to stop them getting sunburn.

Which poly dinghy did you have in mind? I've looked at the Portland Pudgy, and it's pretty small and heavy for its size. The Whaly 310 is 50% heavier than a Highfield CL 340, so it's really heavy for its size as well. The Walker Bay 310 is fairly light, but doesn't seem particularly robust. I'd probably want to add the tube kit, which brings the weight up to 150lb, which again is about the weight of a Highfield CL 340. It probably wins on price, but pretty much nothing else as far as I can tell.

[RaymondR]

I bought a poly Boston Whaler type poly hull and filled it with polystyrene, decked it over and put wheels on it. I also cut a slot in the transom to bring the outboard forward. Ir's heavy for it's size but with the wheels and a davit this proves not to be a problem. You actually need a little bit of weight in a small dingy otherwise they are to unstable.

[RaymondR]

The stability issue appears to be becoming more important.

In the areas I cruise in the dingy docks appear to be becoming more crowded and it's often very difficult to get a dingy along side to the pontoon to get aboard. In this circumstance it is advantageous to be able to climb over the bow. Boston Whalers and punts tend to be the most stable for over the bow boarding.

[Michael Cobbe]

I remember in the Med a yacht had a davit, there was gale from behind and the dinghy filled with water, the davit was torn off and the yacht sank.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Michael Cobbe

I remember in the Med a yacht had a davit, there was gale from behind and the dinghy filled with water, the davit was torn off and the yacht sank.

That's one of the reasons I decked the dingy over and put a 2" threaded flange in the bottom of the small cockpit.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Michael Cobbe

I remember in the Med a yacht had a davit, there was gale from behind and the dinghy filled with water, the davit was torn off and the yacht sank.

This year a boat arrived in Mexico without their dingy after coming down the coast. It had been on davits. In a gale off of California, the violent motion acted on the heavy rib and broke the davit pipes and the whole mess twisted over the side then started dragging astern held by the attachments to the hull of the yacht.

In the stormy conditions the crew were unable to clear the wreckage or proceed and called the US Coast guard to come rescue them.

The conditions were benign when they set out.

Carrying a dingy on davits is dangerous, in addition to detrimental to sailing performance.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by wingssail

This year a boat arrived in Mexico without their dingy after coming down the coast. It had been on davits. In a gale off of California, the violent motion acted on the heavy rib and broke the davit pipes and the whole mess twisted over the side then started dragging astern held by the attachments to the hull of the yacht.

In the stormy conditions the crew were unable to clear the wreckage or proceed and called the US Coast guard to come rescue them.

The conditions were benign when they set out.

Carrying a dingy on davits is dangerous, in addition to detrimental to sailing performance.

Like a lot of stuff in yachting it's a matter of assessing the possibilities and probabilities of the expected circumstances and acting accordingly.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Like a lot of stuff in yachting it's a matter of assessing the possibilities and probabilities of the expected circumstances and acting accordingly.

RaymondR, there are a lot of possibilities, many of them so remote we don't think they are worth worrying about. But when the consequences of one of those remote possibilities could threaten the yacht and crew, then you need to make sure to remove the threat even if the probability is low.

Expected circumstances are a piece of cake, it's the unexpected that get you and failures cascade before you know it.

In my business career one of my main responsibilities was to anticipate what could happen and both avoid it and be prepared to deal with it if it happened. It works the same on a yacht.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by wingssail

RaymondR, there are a lot of possibilities, many of them so remote we don't think they are worth worrying about. But when the consequences of one of those remote possibilities could threaten the yacht and crew, then you need to make sure to remove the threat even if the probability is low.

Expected circumstances are a piece of cake, it's the unexpected that get you and failures cascade before you know it.

In my business career one of my main responsibilities was to anticipate what could happen and both avoid it and be prepared to deal with it if it happened. It works the same on a yacht.

It's actually better to just accept it could happen sometime and take precautions against it.

It looks dorky and a blonde with a baseball cap and pony tail would not be impressed but it's hard to sink, has limited volume to fill, a decent sized drain hole and lots of wheels.

[Asmolian]

And won't be top of someone's "shopping list".

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Asmolian

And won't be top of someone's "shopping list".

I doubt if you could find one with those very handy characteristics and had I been able to I would have purchased one rather than building the ugly little beggar.

I have a small inflatable as a backup in case the other one is lost but for every day use when coastal cruising they are far to delicate and expensive an item for every day general usage.

As for big motors and dashing about, been there, done that and am now quiet happy to putter about and enjoy the day and get considerable vicarious pleasure from watching those folks that do dash about in their high powered inflatables struggle with them whilst I stroll up or down from the water, and even sometimes ride in, my dorky, ugly little plastic and plywood dingy.

Have fun out there and don't let the bug get you.