Best Dingy for a 45' Cat?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

a 10hp hypalon RIB (AB lite comes to mind if they still sell it) with 10-15 hp and davits on your cat would be the unanimous choice for function and pleasure cruising.

"unanimous"?

Did you read the other posts? Many of which suggested other options.

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

"unanimous"?

Did you read the other posts? Many of which suggested other options.

He's a son of Mrs Slocombe

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

"unanimous"?

Did you read the other posts? Many of which suggested other options.

yeah, maybe a poor word choice, but I think if you polled the boats actually out there cruising, with a 40-45 ft cat, that would be the highest recurring type.
Of course there are other options.... always are, but there are reasons the 10ft RIB is so popular....

[tamicatana]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

yeah, maybe a poor word choice, but I think if you polled the boats actually out there cruising, with a 40-45 ft cat, that would be the highest recurring type.
Of course there are other options.... always are, but there are reasons the 10ft RIB is so popular....

...Because the TAKACAT guys aren't aggressively marketing, that's why

[Captain Bill]

I'm out there cruising with a 9'10" nautica RIB. They were bought out by Caribe a few years back and Caribe sells what looks like the same dinghy. I have an Endeavourcat 44 and the narrow stern limits me somewhat on putting on a larger dinghy. If I could, I would. Not a whole lot bigger, maybe in the 11 foot range. I have a 15 hp yamaha 4 stroke. While it planes 3 people or 2 people and scuba gear it struggles with 4 people. The Leopard has more space on the stern and It should not have any problem supporting an 11 footer with a 20 hp. If you can get a 2 stroke, go for it because it will save a lot of weight. I recommend a hard bottom and hypalon. If you can afford an AB aluminum bottom RIB go for it as it will save you a lot of weight. I have the original Lester power davits that Endeavour supplied with the boat. I'm not sure I'll keep them when they give up the ghost, but they're 11.5 years old and still work. I say if it's not broke don't fix it. In any case keep in mind that you can resurface the tubes and protect them from UV. I used some of the rubber coating stuff from WM a four years ago when the tubes were starting to show signs of wear and tear. It's about time to do it again, but for $50 it can add years to the life of your tubes. They also sell a paint that protects from UV for about $30. The rubber stuff is supposed to be better if the fabric is starting to show on the tubes. I do a lot of diving and there are many good places to dive that bringing the large boat too would not be appropriate. I like to do drift dives and I can't immagine trying to do that attached to a 44 foot boat. While the 10 footer can handle scuba for two it's a very tight fit and something a little larger would certainly help.

My 2 cents, change welcomed.

[Nick & LA]

You guys all ROCK... Loads of outstanding advice. Didn't know it was so complicated... But I guess the answers are never straight forward in sailing!

[roetter]

My wife convinced me to get the electric winches,for the dinghy Davies. I am glad we got them. Without them the dinghy would have stayed in the water often after returning late and being tired. With the electric winches the dinghy, 10foot+ Caribe with Honda 20 Hp, is up in no time. I guess we may have had the dinghy stolen already had we left it in the water. Leaving it in the water also creates all kings of noise from the dinghy in the middle of the night. A good rib with at least 15 Hp is essential as it allows you to go places that you otherwise would miss and that would be a shame.

[downunder]

Check these designs out. Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

From 2m to 4.2 m size and 25 to 85 kg in weight.

The 2m design is estimated to weigh in at 25kg and is very compact while still able to carry 4 to 6 passengers. They are all catamaran designs so have excellent stability.

Hard to beat.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Maybe a Cat Dingy would work for you in a 10' or 12 foot.

THE 10 FOOTER | Sorensen Boats

LV10 | Livingston Power Catamaran Skiff Boats | Livingston Boats

I am building a cat dingy right now that will be 9 foot 10 inchs and weight 85 lbs

Why a cat dingy verses and inflatable.
1) Most inflatables give a wet ride in 15+ knot chop
2) Inflatables are noisy when tied behind the boat and water laps up under the tubes
3) Inflatables need more HP to push them
4) Inflatables row poorly
5) Inflatables get stains and are hard to clean
6) Inflatables get leaks and most need to be repaired in just 4 years
7) Plane 600 pounds with only 10 horsepower
8) The Cat seating arrangement gives you the advantage of choosing the direction you wish to face.
9) The Cat Tunnel increases the hull planning efficiently, by causing the water flow through it, to form a pressure which enhances the lift
10) Cat dingys are Super Stable, Roomy, Safe and can carry a big payload and still plane with low horsepower.

+1 for cat dingys. The Sorensen (10ft 175lb) and Livingstone ( 10ft 210lbs) are quite heavy vs the Spirited designs.

[D&D]

We'll just 'vote', chirping in our own experience FWIW...

We inherited a 3.4m RIB and a 6hp 4-stroke Yamaha. The RIB was heavy; it had no seats; nor an anchor locker; and there was a slow leak...and it was filthy... So the Admiral ordered there should be a new RIB...and, of course, the orders were followed.

The new RIB is 3.1m hypalon, much lighter and with both seats and an anchor locker. There is a cover, but we only put it on -- It is a bit of a production to use, covering the whole RIB & engine -- when we're not cruising.

The Yamaha only planes with 1pax, but it still moves along reasonably with a full load (4pax + gear) and the lower hp keeps the overall weight down. We're never in that much of a hurry, so the little Yamy's still there.

If you're looking at an overall budget for the RIB, we'd join the others who confirm that including in your budget a power winch for the RIB is a great idea. Both security and silence suggest lifting the dinghy each night...and a power winch makes that job simple for anyone.

We would also add that others' nasty experiences with dinghy movements at sea suggest you should plan your dinghy position so that it is well-and-truly secured when you're on 'blue water'. There are multiple strong points around our davits through which we run a separate 'blue water' line that triple-secures (after the dinghy is already fully raised, and bow and stern lines are snugged tight to cleats) the dinghy, eliminating any movement and providing a backstop to the other lines; the 'blue water' line is a bit awkward to put in place, but it is removed when we're on protected waters.

The Admiral would probably still like a big, flash dinghy and a bigger motor, but she also likes sailing along at a reasonable pace. So ours represents a compromise...less weight & cost, with acceptable dinghy use comforts.

[tamicatana]

TAKACAT catamaran dinghy discussion

[dan360]

Rather than a power winch - our davits are rigged with a single line, spliced into the twin lifting lines with a pulley attached to the dinghy shackles providing 2:1 gearing. I can winch it up on the fast (hard) speed on my 2-speed winch in about 15 seconds, and my 12 yo can happily do it on the slow speed. Use the weight saving from the power winch for a bigger outboard :-)

[boom23]

I got a 11.5' AB aluminum with bow storage, dealer installed (smaller/lighter) center console/seat and 20HP Honda. It is perfect for my 450.

[Jon Hacking]

Originally Posted by Nick & LA

...Any one out there got a dingy suggestion that they love? Nick

Lots of info here. FWIW, we've been using a 3.1m AB alloy RIB with a Merc 25 for 12 years. In those 12 years the Merc's needed 2 repairs (& some service, of course) & the AB has needed 1, & they're both in excellent shape. Alloy RIBs are lighter than glass. We wanted to plane all 4 of us AND our scuba gear. We leave the engine on all the time (with a custom SS locking bar) & we hoist the dinghy EVERY night. But we beefed up our davits because getting pooped (happened to us off the top of Columbia) can put a shock load of 1000 lbs on your davits, & you don't want them doing anything antisocial back there while you're dealing with too much water elsewhere. We got a Sunbrella cover made so the hypalon looks new. The big tubes make for a pretty comfortable & dry ride when planing, & we NEVER tow it.

[poiu]

Originally Posted by Nick & LA

Just ordered our Leopard 44' for our liveaboard circumnavigation! We've receive a lot of advice, but one suggestion the seems to make a lot of sense it "don't skimp on the dingy." Once you get a good comfortable anchorage, you will want to travel quickly, comfortably and dryly to destinations that may be 5 miles away.
Any one out there got a dingy suggestion that they love?

Nick

The advice is correct. It's an important bit of kit.

I have a 12 yr old Avon 4m with jockey console and 50hp Honda 4 stroke. Total wt 300kg. Love it. Totally reliable so far. No leaks. Rides really nicely. Is very dry. The Honda is really quiet and smooth and fast. I really appreciated the Honda recently after taking a trip in a dinghy with a 40hp Yam 2 stroke Enduro (the gold standard for reliability by the way). Crackle and spit..vs purr. The modern Yam 4 strokes are nearly as nice as the Hondas. I will probably go for them next time. Good reputation. Re weight - They are actually lighter than Enduro 2 strokes anyway and pretty reliable now I believe. I can plane at 25 kt with 6 adults. Probably excessive. Next time I will get a 30hp as i don't really need more and maybe 3.6m length will do. I would get a jockey console for comfort and for staying dry or a real seat and wheel and I would get a V alu hull as it is lighter than GRP and tough.

A problem with a big dinghy like this is winding it up the Davits. Is a pita. I need to find a way to power it using winches. Consider getting powered davits if buying new. A lighter dinghy will help in proportion to weight. Another problem is pulling it up a beach. Can't be done alone or sometimes even with 2, but it can't be done in even 200 kg dinghies on a steep beach. The solution usually is to anchor it just off the breakers. I haven't found these things so much a problem that I would go right down the size range. For you on a cat because of weight being more of an issue, this may push you down the sizes further. Good makes are Avon, Rib Eye, Zodiac, AB and Caribe etc. Must be Hypalon or equivalent for durability.