On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 06:15:14 -0800, dbohara wrote:

Inflatables may offer a solution to the dinghy stowage problem but the
require a motor that requires gas and mounting th emotor on the dinghy
when you set it up, etc. Many of us like rowable dinghys because we
think we need the excercise but existing inflatable simply cannot be
rowed. Why cant an inflatable be made with an inflatable skeg so it can
be rowed. Why cant it be made with a better shape for better rowing?

Relatively few people deflate their dinghies often to stow them. Most buy
inflatables for stability. The width that provides this stability is what
makes them lousy rowboats. A more rowable inflatable would have to be
narrower and therefore less stable, eliminating most of the market.

I use a 10' inflatable with an aluminum bottom, and it rows pretty well,
especially compared to the roll-up inflatables I used before (which were
practically un-rowable). But it's nothing like a dedicated rowboat.

Matt O.