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What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Have a look at these dinghies =
http://www.activewatersports.com.au/...cts/boats.html "DS King" wrote in message ... Bob wrote: Have a Westsail 32 and need good recommendations about which is the best dinghy to use on a cruise starting out in the Caribbean and maybe beyond. Past experience with other boats always was with a hard dink but for snorkeling its too hard to get back in to without swamping. If you have cruised on a small boat and have a strong recommendation I want to hear from you. Tired of reading all the ads in catalogs. Also mention the size and make of engine you found successful. IMHO "best dinghy" and "outboard" are mutually exclusive. "J. Amgine Neilson" wrote: I've cruised on small and very small boats. For the dinghy I generally prefer a hard one, but you're right about them being less than ideal for snorkeling. We swim from our sailboat, but there's no skindiving in our current waters. Right. Another thought along those lines, if it's too difficult to get into the water / back aboard the main cruising boat for swimming/snorkeling, how in the world are you ever going to cope with a crew overboard? How do you get in and out of the dinghy from the deck? From what I've observed, most people would rather have clumsy unworkable arrangements, waste lots of time & effort fiddling with cantankerous outboards, and have the hazard & smell & mess ofoutboard mix, so that they can buzz around the harbor in a thief-bait inflatable. But then, if common sense were really common, the world would be a different place. The most innovative design I've seen for snorkeling was a boat in the PNW. They had a teak cockpit grate which they would throw overboard with fenders under it, making their own floating dock. The dinghy was always tied to this, rather than trailing behind. And, of course, it made a great swim raft, floating only a couple inches out of the water. On the other hand, I don't think too many people could be on it before it started swamping. That's a great idea, thanks Amgine! Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
If we had enough room on the fore deck for a 9' Boston Whaler, that would be my
choice, with a 15 hp motor. I was in a friends, and he and I (est. 475# total) got up on a plane easily, and it was a dry ride! Our Avon 10'er is nice but wet in anything but calm conditions. My .02 |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
As a sympathetic owner of a Westsail 32, myself, I would discourage
you from even considering any of the Walker Bay products that were previously recommended. Although their boats are very affordable, they will only provide you with years of frustration. After owning a new 8' WB, we sold it for pennies on the dollar just one month after we bought it. It was more unstable than the proverbial pschyzophrenic and totally useless in anything above a very light chop. Besides, any WB of adequate size will occupy a lot of real estate on your deck and is cumbersome to deploy and recover from the Westsail's deck. My wife and I are back to using our Avon inflatable. It stores easily enough in the fo'c'sle and provides a wonderfully stable platform for snorkeling and diving. The only disadvantage, of course, is with rowing, which is why we tried the WB. If you still consider it, be sure to try the one with the inflatable collar. I hear that it resolves some of the problems I mentioned and still provides good performance while rowingl; always a plus when cruising. Good luck on your search! Louis s/v Synergy Westsail 32 #679 "just me" wrote in message news:TEgYa.83823$YN5.60652@sccrnsc01... I my opinion it simply depends on space and weight. I personally use an 10' air floor Zodiac. It weighs 65#. I use a 10hp 2 stroke merc. It weighs 75#. I can pretty easily lift, move, stow it by myself without much trouble. Rigged a 4 point lift and use a halyard if I want ot put it on deck. It ain't perfect, but what is! "Over40pirate" wrote in message ... If we had enough room on the fore deck for a 9' Boston Whaler, that would be my choice, with a 15 hp motor. I was in a friends, and he and I (est. 475# total) got up on a plane easily, and it was a dry ride! Our Avon 10'er is nice but wet in anything but calm conditions. My .02 |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
"just me" wrote in message news:TEgYa.83823$YN5.60652@sccrnsc01...
I my opinion it simply depends on space and weight. I personally use an 10' air floor Zodiac. It weighs 65#. I use a 10hp 2 stroke merc. It weighs 75#. I can pretty easily lift, move, stow it by myself without much trouble. Rigged a 4 point lift and use a halyard if I want ot put it on deck. It ain't perfect, but what is! "Over40pirate" wrote in message ... If we had enough room on the fore deck for a 9' Boston Whaler, that would be my choice, with a 15 hp motor. I was in a friends, and he and I (est. 475# total) got up on a plane easily, and it was a dry ride! Our Avon 10'er is nice but wet in anything but calm conditions. My .02 With our 28' S2, we use a 8' Nautilus hard dinghy with oars. It can only handle two adults when being rowed or two adults and a kid but it really rows well. It is dificult to get back aboard but I use the jib halyard and have gotten s sort of system to do this. It stows on the fordeck over hte hatch and in the summer causes some sort of draft where the V berth is considerably cooler than the rest of the boat. Now that we have another child, and bigger kids, we have tried using an inflatable kayak along with the Nautilus with limited success. The Nautilus tows very poorly so we dont do that. The Nautilus can be rigged for sailing but we have never done that while cruising as its sailing performance is poor at best. I suspect I will eventually go with an inflatable with lower hp engine. How long does it take to onflate one of these? DBO "Ragtime" |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
This is what I have, with a 25HP Yamaha.
http://www.bossboats.com/default.asp?Page=Yachtsman_10 It's a RBB, rigid buoyancy boat. Built like an inflatable, except the tubes are fiberglass. Stowage in the tubes, no worrying about air pressure, works well for me. -- Keith __ "After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him... The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut." - Will Rogers "Parallax" wrote in message om... "just me" wrote in message news:TEgYa.83823$YN5.60652@sccrnsc01... I my opinion it simply depends on space and weight. I personally use an 10' air floor Zodiac. It weighs 65#. I use a 10hp 2 stroke merc. It weighs 75#. I can pretty easily lift, move, stow it by myself without much trouble. Rigged a 4 point lift and use a halyard if I want ot put it on deck. It ain't perfect, but what is! "Over40pirate" wrote in message ... If we had enough room on the fore deck for a 9' Boston Whaler, that would be my choice, with a 15 hp motor. I was in a friends, and he and I (est. 475# total) got up on a plane easily, and it was a dry ride! Our Avon 10'er is nice but wet in anything but calm conditions. My .02 With our 28' S2, we use a 8' Nautilus hard dinghy with oars. It can only handle two adults when being rowed or two adults and a kid but it really rows well. It is dificult to get back aboard but I use the jib halyard and have gotten s sort of system to do this. It stows on the fordeck over hte hatch and in the summer causes some sort of draft where the V berth is considerably cooler than the rest of the boat. Now that we have another child, and bigger kids, we have tried using an inflatable kayak along with the Nautilus with limited success. The Nautilus tows very poorly so we dont do that. The Nautilus can be rigged for sailing but we have never done that while cruising as its sailing performance is poor at best. I suspect I will eventually go with an inflatable with lower hp engine. How long does it take to onflate one of these? DBO "Ragtime" |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
I don't think that there is a "best dinghy" for the simple reason that we
all have different ideas about cruising. I like small and spartan, you might like big & fancy. My perfect dinghy is a simple 9 ft pram with a 3hp motor small, easy to row and ugly enough not to be a thiefs first choice. "Keith" wrote in message ... This is what I have, with a 25HP Yamaha. http://www.bossboats.com/default.asp?Page=Yachtsman_10 It's a RBB, rigid buoyancy boat. Built like an inflatable, except the tubes are fiberglass. Stowage in the tubes, no worrying about air pressure, works well for me. -- Keith __ "After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him... The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut." - Will Rogers "Parallax" wrote in message om... "just me" wrote in message news:TEgYa.83823$YN5.60652@sccrnsc01... I my opinion it simply depends on space and weight. I personally use an 10' air floor Zodiac. It weighs 65#. I use a 10hp 2 stroke merc. It weighs 75#. I can pretty easily lift, move, stow it by myself without much trouble. Rigged a 4 point lift and use a halyard if I want ot put it on deck. It ain't perfect, but what is! "Over40pirate" wrote in message ... If we had enough room on the fore deck for a 9' Boston Whaler, that would be my choice, with a 15 hp motor. I was in a friends, and he and I (est. 475# total) got up on a plane easily, and it was a dry ride! Our Avon 10'er is nice but wet in anything but calm conditions. My .02 With our 28' S2, we use a 8' Nautilus hard dinghy with oars. It can only handle two adults when being rowed or two adults and a kid but it really rows well. It is dificult to get back aboard but I use the jib halyard and have gotten s sort of system to do this. It stows on the fordeck over hte hatch and in the summer causes some sort of draft where the V berth is considerably cooler than the rest of the boat. Now that we have another child, and bigger kids, we have tried using an inflatable kayak along with the Nautilus with limited success. The Nautilus tows very poorly so we dont do that. The Nautilus can be rigged for sailing but we have never done that while cruising as its sailing performance is poor at best. I suspect I will eventually go with an inflatable with lower hp engine. How long does it take to onflate one of these? DBO "Ragtime" |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
As others have said, there is no best dinghy as it depends on your
circumstances. But here is what we use and why: Caribe 9X with 9.8 hp Nissan with flat pitch prop and Doel-Fin We cruised the east coast and Bahamas last year and needed a dinghy that could go reasonable far and fast and carry two adults, a 40 lb dog and some groceries/laundry/etc. The above rig will do that and plane with all of the load. It wouldn't plane with all of this stuff without the flat pitch prop and Doel-Fin. We carry the dinghy on aft davits so the short length is a plus. If this is not an issue I would go up to 10 feet- it will plane easier. The Caribe is a bit heavier than some but it is built tough- look at the heavy molded rub rail for example. And it is hypalon which is essential for long term storage in the sun. The X version indicates a double layer floor. The lighter RIBs have no floor but we used one like this for a while and found that walking on the sloped floor was difficult and the double layer floor was well worth it. If I had to manually haul it up regularly I might go with the lighter models, but on davits an extra 20 lbs or so is tolerable. The Nissan is one of the lightest 10 hp outboards and has a bullet proof reputation. I have also used the Yamaha 10 hp. It is much heavier but I think is better built. I particularly liked the front mounted shifter. David |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Just to show the other end of the spectrum, we use a 17 ft. Key West center
counsel with a 90 yammy. Best of Both worlds. Trawler and go fast. Sterling |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
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What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Andre Venter wrote:
I don't think that there is a "best dinghy" for the simple reason that we all have different ideas about cruising. I like small and spartan, you might like big & fancy. My perfect dinghy is a simple 9 ft pram with a 3hp motor small, easy to row and ugly enough not to be a thiefs first choice. I forget whether I got "in" on this conversation, so apologize if I'm repeating, but I'm a real fan of the PortaBote. Folds up to the size of a 8, 10 or 12' surf board, folds out to 5' wide and rows and powers almost as well as a proper hard dink. A 4 HP engine drives it at 12-15 knots with 200 or so pounds onboard, an indication of how easily it's driven. Handles 5 full sized adults in comfort and they don't get wet at speed, so it's usually the raftup's taxi of choice. Our 12.5 patiently sits on the side of the foredeck for whenever we need it, but essentially takes no space (except the seats, which we can comfortably stow well out of the way in the engine compartment). -- Jere Lull Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD) Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Denis Marier wrote:
I do not like to handle an outboard engine. Some of my friend have 9.9 outboard engine stowed on the stern rail. Some leave it mounted on their inflatable dinghies. To carry gasoline on board defeats the purpose of have an inboard diesel engine. Agreed, but many people seem to feel that outboard mix & spare cans of gas are no greater hazard than propane. The hassle & mess & smell are what convince me that I do not want an outboard powered dink. Andre Venter wrote: I don't think that there is a "best dinghy" for the simple reason that we all have different ideas about cruising. I like small and spartan, you might like big & fancy. My perfect dinghy is a simple 9 ft pram with a 3hp motor small, easy to row and ugly enough not to be a thiefs first choice. Jere Lull wrote: I forget whether I got "in" on this conversation, so apologize if I'm repeating, but I'm a real fan of the PortaBote. It sounds like a great solution, especially to the limited space issue. I don't have any experience with them other than watching others, but the flexy hull would make me a bit nervous. Plus (please don't take this personally) I don't like their looks. Over the years we've had & used almost every other sort of dinghy, and while I really liked using a canoe, it is not really an optimum working tender for long term cruising. Given the expense of a new boat, the tippiness & heaviness of a Walker Bay (plus I still don't like thier looks either), I have designed my own dinghy and will have it built. It will be 95% as stable as an inflatable, will row better than anything short of a racing shell, will have classic good looks (by which I mean it will favorably remind the most persnickety afficianado of an old-time Whitehall or wherry, and simply beautiful to anybody else), and it's weight will be 25 lbs or less. It won't be cheap, but it won't cost as much as a new hi-end inflatable & it's engine. I'm kind of bemused that other people aren't doing the same thing, given the amount of time & money that goes into cruising dinghies. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
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DSK wrote: Denis Marier wrote: I do not like to handle an outboard engine. Some of my friend have 9.9 outboard engine stowed on the stern rail. Some leave it mounted on their inflatable dinghies. To carry gasoline on board defeats the purpose of have an inboard diesel engine. Agreed, but many people seem to feel that outboard mix & spare cans of gas are no greater hazard than propane. The hassle & mess & smell are what convince me that I do not want an outboard powered dink. Andre Venter wrote: I don't think that there is a "best dinghy" for the simple reason that we all have different ideas about cruising. I like small and spartan, you might like big & fancy. My perfect dinghy is a simple 9 ft pram with a 3hp motor small, easy to row and ugly enough not to be a thiefs first choice. Jere Lull wrote: I forget whether I got "in" on this conversation, so apologize if I'm repeating, but I'm a real fan of the PortaBote. It sounds like a great solution, especially to the limited space issue. I don't have any experience with them other than watching others, but the flexy hull would make me a bit nervous. Plus (please don't take this personally) I don't like their looks. See above - you do not WANT to have a nice looking dinghy. You want a funny looking dinghy - a MEMORABLY funny looking dinghy. A dinghy that makes you cringe to know that anyone would associate you with it. A dinghy that everyone who as seen it once will remember forever. The flexy bottom of the portabote is far preferable to me to the inflatable - I just don't like inflatable - even the nice big ones. We have an inflatable (a Nissan I think), but I far and away prefer the portabote even though we have to assemble the portabote and the dinghy is right there on davits. Over the years we've had & used almost every other sort of dinghy, and while I really liked using a canoe, it is not really an optimum working tender for long term cruising. Given the expense of a new boat, the tippiness & heaviness of a Walker Bay (plus I still don't like thier looks either), I have designed my own dinghy and will have it built. It will be 95% as stable as an inflatable, will row better than anything short of a racing shell, will have classic good looks (by which I mean it will favorably remind the most persnickety afficianado of an old-time Whitehall or wherry, and simply beautiful to anybody else), and it's weight will be 25 lbs or less. It won't be cheap, but it won't cost as much as a new hi-end inflatable & it's engine. I'm kind of bemused that other people aren't doing the same thing, given the amount of time & money that goes into cruising dinghies. Fresh Breezes- Doug King grandma Rosalie |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Dingy Dogs.
Well, not exactly. But years ago in order to work on my pier I fashioned a rope sling rig between two 5 gal plastic pales. I sat my 12 foot aluminum row boat between them so the rope rig carried part of the load of the boat. The extra 10 gallons of floatation on the sides added a surprising amount of stability for working out of the boat. I can only imagine that the dogs would be much better. Ron |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
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DSK wrote: "Rosalie B." wrote: See above - you do not WANT to have a nice looking dinghy. You want a funny looking dinghy - a MEMORABLY funny looking dinghy. A dinghy that makes you cringe to know that anyone would associate you with it. A dinghy that everyone who as seen it once will remember forever. You have to ride around in an ugly boat, just to discourage thieves? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's like the ugly girl said - "My looks are your problem - I don't have to look at me." It also helps to find it in a crowd. I don't think our inflatable is uglier than anyone elses, and I don't think the portabote is ugly so much as funny looking. My theory is that nobody is going to steal a dinghy that cannot have an ouboard motor mounted to it. Time will tell. In any event, our dinghy will be unique enough to identify at some distance. Will they know? My husband had some cheap speakers ($10) mounted on the rear shelf of the car and someone smashed the rear window to get them - and then realized that they were cheap speakers and didn't even steal them. The flexy bottom of the portabote is far preferable to me to the inflatable - I just don't like inflatable - even the nice big ones. We have an inflatable (a Nissan I think), but I far and away prefer the portabote even though we have to assemble the portabote and the dinghy is right there on davits. I don't like inflatables either. The only good thing about them IMHO is that they don't gouge up the topsides coming alongside. The usual method of mounting them in They sometimes make black marks though. The portabote doesn't gouge up the topsides either. davits results in an ugly & awkward obstruction on the back of the boat. But then, it appears to be the style and few people can bring themselves to defy current styles for practicality. In our case we did not want to tow the dinghy (although many people do but it cuts the boat speed plus if it is in the water all the time you have to worry about antifouling on the bottom) and if we put it on deck, I couldn't see over it to steer. But we did want a dinghy that could be deployed quickly. We didn't buy the portabote until a couple of years later (and we got it 2nd hand). grandma Rosalie |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Subject: What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
From: DSK My theory is that nobody is going to steal a dinghy that cannot have an ouboard motor mounted to it. Time will tell. In any event, our dinghy will be unique enough to identify at some distance. How far? The next island, the next town, the next county, the next state? Capt. Bill |
What's the best dinghy for cruising and why?
Yea, as a matter of fact, my dink gasoline is stored in the propane locker.
-- Keith __ Dogs have owners; Cats have staff. "DSK" wrote in message ... Denis Marier wrote: I do not like to handle an outboard engine. Some of my friend have 9.9 outboard engine stowed on the stern rail. Some leave it mounted on their inflatable dinghies. To carry gasoline on board defeats the purpose of have an inboard diesel engine. Agreed, but many people seem to feel that outboard mix & spare cans of gas are no greater hazard than propane. The hassle & mess & smell are what convince me that I do not want an outboard powered dink. Andre Venter wrote: I don't think that there is a "best dinghy" for the simple reason that we all have different ideas about cruising. I like small and spartan, you might like big & fancy. My perfect dinghy is a simple 9 ft pram with a 3hp motor small, easy to row and ugly enough not to be a thiefs first choice. Jere Lull wrote: I forget whether I got "in" on this conversation, so apologize if I'm repeating, but I'm a real fan of the PortaBote. It sounds like a great solution, especially to the limited space issue. I don't have any experience with them other than watching others, but the flexy hull would make me a bit nervous. Plus (please don't take this personally) I don't like their looks. Over the years we've had & used almost every other sort of dinghy, and while I really liked using a canoe, it is not really an optimum working tender for long term cruising. Given the expense of a new boat, the tippiness & heaviness of a Walker Bay (plus I still don't like thier looks either), I have designed my own dinghy and will have it built. It will be 95% as stable as an inflatable, will row better than anything short of a racing shell, will have classic good looks (by which I mean it will favorably remind the most persnickety afficianado of an old-time Whitehall or wherry, and simply beautiful to anybody else), and it's weight will be 25 lbs or less. It won't be cheap, but it won't cost as much as a new hi-end inflatable & it's engine. I'm kind of bemused that other people aren't doing the same thing, given the amount of time & money that goes into cruising dinghies. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
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