Affordable dinghy for small sailboat

[Attitude1]

For inflatables we recommend Saturn at ‘Boats To Go’
We have owned a number of Saturn Inflatbles including boats, Kayaks, Kaboats, and Paddleboards. All of them are as good or better than expensive inflatables.
For hard body ‘Polycraft’ a manufacturer from Australia whose polypropylene boats are damn near indestructible are going to be sold in the US this year. We love theIr Tuffy model.
We had a portaboat but found that while it was easy to carry it wasn’t pleasant getting in or out of from our mooring. To tippy!

[ChrisJD]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Fully inflatable dinghys, even the better ones, are not great under way without a rigid floor, which increases the cost and complexity in assembly and stowage.

I honestly disagree. Air floor inflatables do a very good job for their mission, and roll up into something not much bigger than a sail bag. For a small sailboat they're more than up to the task. A Walker Bay would be great but I don't even want to take up that much deck space on my 40-footer.

[CaptainGrey]

Make sure it's rowable. The twin spruce outboards never fail.

[YourMomma]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Some good ideas and alternatives here, but all depends upon your budget and use of your boat.

I've seen many smaller boats do well with just a kayak, inflatable or rigid. I've seen many smaller boats with a sizable dinghy that they tow all the time, fine for inshore but not offshore.

Fully inflatable dinghys, even the better ones, are not great under way without a rigid floor, which increases the cost and complexity in assembly and stowage.

Personally, I spent big bucks on a West Marine RIB w/folding transom on a previous boat (Catalina 27) and it worked well but was expensive and took up the entire foredeck when not towed.

Portabotes are great, but not cheap.

So... more info about your budget, boat and cruising plans?

We are looking to spend 2-3k on a dinghy. We want to live on our boat for most of the year and it will be slipped when we are visting family.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by YourMomma

We are looking to spend 2-3k on a dinghy. We want to live on our boat for most of the year and it will be slipped when we are visting family.

You still don’t say where, maybe add that in your profile. I am going to assume US Intracoastal? And you don’t move often but stay at anchor in one place for months at a time? If so then a hard dinghy is your best choice as it can stay in the water day after day and occasionally be dragged ashore and the growth scrubbed off, and a hard dinghy can usually be rowed well, inflatables not so much. My RIB is so bad rowing, it actually rows better backwards, really bad boat to row.
However if your not US ICW and or will be often traveling then you don’t want a hard dinghy cause your only real option is to tow, and not in protected water you will lose it.

So back to where will you be, and will you move much?

I assume money is critical, and a good rowing boat can cover more ground faster than you would think and you avoid all the expense and maintenance and theft issues with an outboard.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I assume money is critical, and a good rowing boat can cover more ground faster than you would think and you avoid all the expense and maintenance and theft issues with an outboard.

Not to mention the health benefits. And yes, if you are cruising/living aboard, you will be using your dinghy 95-99% of the time, and sailing 1-5% of the time. It is worth the hassle of stowage. And if that is an issue, look into folding or other deconstructable types of hard dinghy. Inflatable dinghy oarlocks are simply not designed for constant use, they will be the first thing to go. On a hard dinghy you can consider more robust options. It is nice to have an outboard, but it is really better to row if the distance is reasonable. I sometimes row backwards to give my back muscles a break and work the chest instead, it helps balance the fatigue on the oarlocks too.

[SteveSadler]

Where will you put it underway, is the limiting factor. An 8- 10' inflatable the easiest to roll up and stow. Add the rib part can fit on the foredeck deflated, but a chore to hoist.
Our 49'has a 12' rib but I find myself paddling the inflatable SUP around the anchorage or to the store. A couple with groceries requires kneeling, but doable. No noise, easy to paddle, dry, non invasive to neighbors. Sitting on a plastic crate with a kayak paddle is faster and more stable. Bet yet, stowed on the foredeck, its easy to walk over, and makes a comfy nap site.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by SteveSadler

Where will you put it underway, is the limiting factor. An 8- 10' inflatable the easiest to roll up and stow. Add the rib part can fit on the foredeck deflated, but a chore to hoist.
Our 49'has a 12' rib but I find myself paddling the inflatable SUP around the anchorage or to the store. A couple with groceries requires kneeling, but doable. No noise, easy to paddle, dry, non invasive to neighbors. Sitting on a plastic crate with a kayak paddle is faster and more stable. Bet yet, stowed on the foredeck, its easy to walk over, and makes a comfy nap site.

Yea, in the long run, especially with two people, a paddle is a better solution for an inflatable than oars. With one person, standing/kneeling in the bow with a longer paddle works ok, but not in high winds, then you need two people, or oars.

[jim King]

Like so many others suggested, You won't have the deck space to stow either a hard dink or a RIB. Towing either in any sea states would be unsafe. I think for your needs and the size of your boat an inflatable (non rib) would work best as you can stow it fairly easily when not inflated. A 2 to 3 hp outboard will stow off the rear transom on an outboard storage mount. You can pick up a decent inflatable for around $500 - $600 and pick up a used (tested) outboard for less than $500.

[Captn_Black]

If you're into building, and you don't want a folding dinghy, then even for a small ship you can make a nesting dinghy that perfectly fits your coachroof/foredeck. Towing a dinghy isn't a great idea in general, but that depends on the kind of passage you plan on making. If you will be making infrequent hops to the next port during daylight, then it might be an option.

[sanibel sailor]

It seems some have either not sailed or have forgotten what a small boat is like.



A rigid or even RIB on the foredeck of this boat is only marginally less workable than towing it. And it looks like 5 feet at best between mast and companionway and narrow at that. Coracle? A nesting dink might work, but likely need to be designed specifically to fit and better plan on assembling afloat. Precludes fitting a vang which is desirable with only a mini traveller. Boom height a concern as well. Would still be considerable windage and a major obstruction to visibility. A couple living aboard will quickly resent space below given to a dinghy. I suspect a very small inflatable lashed to the cabintop would be least objectionable.


Everyone who writes of the virtues of cruising very small boats tends to gloss over the very real dinghy problem.

[Captn_Black]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

It seems some have either not sailed or have forgotten what a small boat is like.



A rigid or even RIB on the foredeck of this boat is only marginally less workable than towing it. And it looks like 5 feet at best between mast and companionway and narrow at that. Coracle? A nesting dink might work, but likely need to be designed specifically to fit and better plan on assembling afloat. Precludes fitting a vang which is desirable with only a mini traveller. Boom height a concern as well. Would still be considerable windage and a major obstruction to visibility. A couple living aboard will quickly resent space below given to a dinghy. I suspect a very small inflatable lashed to the cabintop would be least objectionable.


Everyone who writes of the virtues of cruising very small boats tends to gloss over the very real dinghy problem.

Perhaps not that small, 27', but I have seen solid dinghy designs that would nest on that coachroof. Further, if you were to look into a nesting dinghy that is able to be deconstructed into two parts that can nest inside each other then you could achieve something that is of a reasonable size.

I will see if I can help your imagination with some pictures from google.

[sanibel sailor]

This is the only picture I found of a dink on a Etap 26

[sanibel sailor]

Originally Posted by Captn_Black

Perhaps not that small, 27', but I have seen solid dinghy designs that would nest on that coachroof. Further, if you were to look into a nesting dinghy that is able to be deconstructed into two parts that can nest inside each other then you could achieve something that is of a reasonable size.

I will see if I can help your imagination with some pictures from google.

Don't ALL nesting dinghies nest inside each other?

[Captn_Black]

And what do you know, a simple search for "two part dinghy" yeilds results - https://www.google.com/search?q=two+...BMWmJbdQq-a_VM

Possibly more than you deserve with that patronising tone though. Good luck.