Dinghy ... Unique Alternatives

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by SURV69

anyone using unique alternatives?

I don't think there ate any viable unique alternatives.

Go to a dinghy dock and you will see the vast majority ate inflatables, either rib or soft floor.

Why?
Because they are better.

A rib will let you push your boat if your onboard stops.
You can rescue other boats.

You won't harm other boats at the dinghy dock.

When thinking about your own needs think about everyone else too

[nhschneider]

I think it's easy to underestimate how important a tender is to a cruising boat. Size of the cruising boat notwithstanding, the ability to get to and from shore, possibly with provisions, fuel, water, etc, without getting too wet, in a variety of weather conditions can make a true believer of substantial RIBs out of almost anyone. Of course, we all know of people who only row their dinks and that's fine but those people aren't much help when it comes to helping someone get off a reef.

Even though I curse the weight of our current dinghy (60kg), it gives us confidence and comfort when the conditions become challenging. A roll-up inflatable can be stowed on almost any sized boat.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I'm sure it was a joke for a tender. I would bet it is used someplace for something. I wonder what?

No joke...that's what they use in the rivers and rice fields.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I don't think there ate any viable unique alternatives.

Go to a dinghy dock and you will see the vast majority ate inflatables, either rib or soft floor.

Why?
Because they are better.

...and people do this everyday because it's better...or at best because everyone else is doing it.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

No joke...that's what they use in the rivers and rice fields.

You lost the joke for a tender, I think. I somewhat figured that was where they are used. I cannot imagine how they are woven to be water tight and the labor hours it must take.

[topmast]

Used in SE asia ,the european version is the coracle Still used in Wales and Ireland for in shore fishing, needs a special J stroke and paddled from the bow which is where ever you are sitting

[rosatte]

how much was the earport pram

[Steve Bean]

A hard dinghy can push your boat if inboard fails. Then it's called a yawl boat. It can rescue other boats. It won't harm others at the dinghy dock if fitted with gunnel fenders. It can be rowed much better than an inflatable. It can be rigged to sail. Of course there are tradeoffs. One could have both on board...

[trimarannaga]

That photo is a basket boat used in Vietnam for fishing. I used a 2 man inflatable kayak as a tender. I made a sunbrella cover for it because the original cover deteriorated in the sun.

[kentobin]

Nesting Dinghies. These links are a good start for researching if you're interested:

STARTING WITH A TWO-PART, NESTING, SAILING DINGHY- http://wendyhinman.com/wp-content/up...s-Mag-2014.pdf
Chameleon
Gecko

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by SURV69

I need a dinghy ... or at the least something that will "easily", fit the deck of a Bristol 30, and/or trail nicely behind the boat.

I'm looking at the stand-up boards and wonder how stable they are and if a small, removable container might be attachable ... anyone using unique alternatives?

Part of the difficulty in answering your question is not everyone agrees on the definition of a dinghy. I have an inflatable SUP with Drings to attach an inflatable seat and bungee cord for securing odd items. I have used it to carry a 33# Bruce and 75 feet of chain for anchoring Bahama style; but only because it was already inflated and my RIB was on davits. I could easily put a dry bag or box under the bungee chords and carry stuff. I use a Greenland paddle which allows me to stand up and paddle in the conventional SUP manner or sit down and paddle like it was a kayak. On the other hand when I go diving for lobster/whatever with others I take the RIB and a 9.9 outboard to run out to the reef. Deflated it is maybe 3X1.5X1 feet, storing the paddle is a little harder, but I have switched from a one piece to a 3 piece CF paddle. Without knowing what you want to use a dinghy for it is not easy to suggest which one is best.Sup - Paddling to shore on the SUP Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery

[hamburking]

You can't go wrong with an old avon redcrest. Throw away the floor, outboard bracket, seats, all the extra stuff you don't need, and you are left with a lightweight, easy to handle little boat.

[Cadence]

It is all semantics. To me a dinghy is a blunt bowed plywood 6 -8 ft boat with oar locks.

[Clamdigger]

A friend in California recently, past 2 weeks, bout a folding HARD SHELL kayak for about $150 IIRCC. It's a 2 pc HARD SHELL and looks like it could work for your needs if you are just going ashore. I don't know anything further about it.

[davewtsnape]

It's a coracle used historically for setting fishing nets and general stuff in Britain and Europe