This is a review for the Baltik Air Deck Dinghy. These are sold on Ebay
from Affordable Inflatables and have too-good-to-be-true prices.
I was noting some deterioration of my Quicksilver so I had no problem
in trying another brand of dinghy, especially one that had some many
good reviews.
I won the Dinghy for 629.00 plus 70 dollars shipping. That's about half
the price of a comparable low-end dinghy from Quicksilver/Mercury or
West Marine/Zodiac. It's to be noted that these dinghies and generally
best for coastal near applications and protected waters, but the
reality is that the better models handle UV damage better and that's
about it. Unless you hang an uncovered dinghy from davits, one of these
models is probably going to last 7-10 years at least.
The Baltik arrived in a large well sealed carton and all items were
properly protected. It came with pump (a rather cheap knock off of
better units that I own), two seats, collapsible oars and paperwork for
DMV registration here.
Outside of a small difference in color the Baltik looked nearly
identical to the Quicksilver, right down to the fittings and oars. Once
inflated it appeared to have no notable differences. The Baltik did
have two large rubber handles in the aft tubes for carrying and I noted
that this would also serve well to lock it up. The air deck uses a HP
inflatable floor (10 PSI) in place of traditional plastic or wooden
floorboards. It's sturdy, but not quite as stiff as a true hard floot.
The HP floor is a better choice for sailboats. A short support board
lies across the beam beneath it offering more support. A roll up floor
is another option, actually offers less bow to stern support.
There is also a floating tow rope attached to the center eye.
Thomas liked it!

http://members.aol.com/bobsprit/images/dinky.jpg

With all chambers and the keel properly inflated I found rowing the
dinghy like any other...not great and not terrible. But it's important
to remember that a strong current and a good payload can make it tough
going...and ROUGH going if it's hot out! Fitted with a 2HP Yamaha 2
stroke, the Dinghy handled well, but certainly wasn't going to go very
fast. A 4HP would probably serve well, but won't plane. With a 5HP
Nissan 2 stroke, the Baltik can plane with one 210 lb man aboard and
make 12-15 MPH. With the 8HP Yamaha 2 stroke, the Baltik is quicker out
of the hole of course and doesn't need full power to stay up. Max speed
was around 17-20 MPH with Suzanne driving, a bit slower when I tried
it. All speeds observed on GPS.
Once on a plane, the ride was fairly stable and the bow section offered
SOME protection against chop. When I hit a larger wave or wake, the
dinghy sent some spray my way, but held course well. Compared to
driving my friend's Avon, which is slightly under 9 feet LOA, the
Baltic was about the same and perhaps a bit dryer for her longer hull.
Taking the dinghy apart is quick work, but wrestling it into (and out
of) our starboard locker takes some muscle. It's a bit like trying to
pull Doug's ego out of a Miata's trunk.
In every respect this appears to be the equal of other dinghies in it's
class. Outside of the odd name, I can give it a thumbs up over the more
expensive models. Another company called "Saturn" is offering deals
that look about the same. Save some money if you have plans for a
cheaper Zodiac or Mercury/Quicksilver!

http://members.aol.com/bobsprit/images/baltik.jpg

Capt. RB
Beneteau 1st 35s5
NY