Small daysailer and dinghy

[steve1122]

Good morning! I'm planning on getting back into sailing, but trying to go about it a bit smarter than I did the first time
I'll be back in a small daysailer, something in the range of 19'-24', and I would like to get some advice regarding dinghies...
Are these ever carried onboard a boat this size, or are they always either towed or left at the mooring? What size is recommended? Hard bottom or inflatable? Electric motor/gas/unpowered?

thanks for your input.

-Steve

[Spot]

Hi Steve,
Yes, it is done. I know some people more versed in this, I could ask them.

[Jim Cate]

During the 7 years we h ad a Catalina 22 we used a small rowed inflatable when cruising and a 9 foot f/g sailing/rowing dinghy when locally daysailing (towed)... and no dink at all when racing.

worked for us.

Jim

[JPA Cate]

19 ft. is small. Maybe a nesting dinghy? or a FoldBote?

Ann

[TrentePieds]

Carrying a useful HARD dinghy on deck in anything less than a 36 foot mothership seems to me to be an awful kluge. Once you are over 30 feet you can carry a deflated inflateable which, on a gentle August day, could even be carried inflated on your coachroof at least for short distances provided you can live without a vang while you do it.

Once you are above 26 feet I think you can, on a gentle August day, TOW a hard dingy such as an Optimist pram. Google "Optimist pram". It's an 8 foot spritsail rigged catboat that sails amazingly well, and therefore is lotsa fun as well as useful when on the hook. Sailing, she is a one man boat, but rowing she'll carry two persons or one person + groceries. The mast and sprit can stow on the housetop of the mothership

Going about things the other way about, you might think about a Wayfarer. She is a 16-foot dinghy that sails superbly well, and will carry all the clobber a couple would need for a week's coastwise cruising.

As we know, mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon-day sun. It is less well known, but true nevertheless ,that some Englishmen circumnavigate the British Isles in Wayfarer dinghies. And not always sans dogs either :-)!

So in one of those, you have the best of both worlds: You can cruise 'er, you can race 'er. And what's more - for an American - you can trailer her quite conveniently behind your car and go cruising in places you'd never get to go near in yer garden-variety 22 foot cruising boat!

Cheers

TrentePieds

[steve1122]

Hmmm... sounds like the small inflatable, rowed or w/small electric motor is the best bet. Thanks everybody!

-Steve