Is there a Dingy that doesn't sink when rain water collects?

[storx]

Hey,

I was just curious if there is such a thing, been looking at some boats and even went and walked 2 boats yesterday with a broker, I am curious if there is such a thing as a dingy that will not sink if it was to like rain during the day and fill up in the dingy while it is sitting at the dingy dock. I ask because ive been thinking about being out at anchor or using a mooring instead of parking at the marina and just dingy in for the 3 days a week I typically work. One thing that came to mind was since it rains so much here in Florida and when i go to work im there for 12-14hrs shifts, I don't want the dingy to fill up from water during a daily rain and sink on me.

[a64pilot]

You can’t sink a RIB.
I have filled one completely full of water in preparation of a Hurricane, and it was still well above the water.

[gmakhs]

Inflatables won't sink , hard dinghy's can be made self draining .

[Davidasailor]

Yeah, it won't sink just from the few inches of rain that you'd get in some passing storms. Our inflatable won't sink at all anyway, even if filled with water, and to do that takes an epic rainstorm (like 12+" of rain).

[letsgetsailing3]

Even hard dinghies don't generally sink from rainfall, even a whole season's worth in Florida.

[GordMay]

Outboard boats under 20 feet, with over-2-horsepower engines, must float level, when flooded, as defined by a specific set of regulations in the flotation section of U.S. Code Title 46.

“... The Level Flotation system requires that the swamped boat, loaded with certain weights representing weight capacity, part of personscapacity and some equipment, must float in an approximately level position and not heel past a certain angle, even when part of the passengers’ weight is on one side of the passenger carrying area. Section 5.0 covers the requirements and tests to perform...”

➥ https://www.uscgboating.org/regulati.../FLOTATION.pdf

[meridian28]

Use a small bilge pump, motorcycle battery and a cheap solar charger.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

Inflatables won't sink , hard dinghy's can be made self draining .

May I ask, how do you make a hard dinghy self-drain?

[svHyLyte]

An inflatable half filled or so with rainwater and left in the sun for a few hours makes a lovely wash or bath tub--at least in Florida during the spring, summer and fall. Take a bucket along to scoop up "rinse water" before deploying soap and a small hand pump to clear the dinghy after the fact. (Of course, the foregoing assumes one has not spilled fuel/oil in the boat!)

FWIW...

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

May I ask, how do you make a hard dinghy self-drain?

See "EasyBailer"... Discussion at Practical Sailor.

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

May I ask, how do you make a hard dinghy self-drain?

Here's one way -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvWQA5sYSmg

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Here's one way -

Now that's a clever device!

[storx]

Thank you for the feedback, the reason I ask is I still own my stepfathers old Porta-bote from back when he was alive and owned his sailboat with an older 6hp Nissan outboard. I have been using it recreationally for fishing mainly since its so easy to move around without a trailer, but about 1.5 years ago I left it at a friends house for a weekend and over the weekend the rainwater collected in it and sunk it to the bottom of the lake, had to pull it out and drain the water out of the outboard before running it again.

[powsmias]

portland pudgy

[johnjuliano]

There are self bailing dinghies – The (expensive) Portland Pudgy comes to mind. The plug is left out of the bottom and water drains out. They can also be towed the same way.

Boats like this usually have floatation in the bottom and a two-layer (two-skin?) hull, so that the sole is higher than the water line: the same way a self-bailing cockpit on a sailboat works.

On these dinghies, the plug must be replaced when the dinghy is used. The user’s weight pushes the sole below the water lines so that water floods in.