looking for a dinghy --ideas

[Highlander]

I'm an always hard guy. My dinghy I mean. I mean my dinghy behind my boat.

The hard plastic 10 foot water tender tows great, is indestructible, and has lasted umpteen season of kids and Caoe Cod rocks.

450-550 on sale at WM.

It rows much better than any inflatable, too.

If told u I got a brand new 10ft walker bay from W/M for the same price would U cry


then there,s the steal I got on the new sail & rib "tube kit"
http://walkerbay.com/dinghies-sailkits/ ... -sail-kit/

Then there,s the deal I got on the new 6HP 4 stroke 2015 Merc
https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/ca/eng ... edirection

J

[mike0404]

Hi
I was thinking about getting a spark seadoo and even use it as a stern plug-in to push or help push the boat. Not completely out of the question but we will see , i would need to find a way to trailer it. On a F250 or Ram 2500 pickup maybe ...
But i definitly want to bring my beach cats. I don't know yet about bringing the Nacra 570 , but the good old prindle 16 is patiently awaiting. I consider using the beach cats as amas for a Mac mod trimaran. Hence it would be good i think for the righting moment and some carrying stuff. I did tow many times the beach cat, at speeds under 15 knots , it surfs the wake and i need to have rigid tow system. It is also quite light , so i can carry it in pieces on top sides. The mast can be like a bowsprit, or a second furler , with no sail on it , motoring is the way to go or mainsail only on the mac.
It would be carried above the pickup truck and the mast twinned on the trailer.
Obviously, my friends already reserve their seat on the cat, they will kick my b.... when sailing . Why not, it is not like if we are crossing oceans like Bourgnon.
I like to have fast dinghies, 20 hp is good and can help if Mac's engine fails. A hard bottom is the way to go , hypalon for south. We have been scraping the bottom of a few , the owner did not put fouling . But the products we found at west-marine did the job.
The 40 hp is used mainly to dinghy around on New River and the canals in Fortlauderdale.
Got to go, birthday party.

[opie]

I have used my Potomac kayak for many years now, even today as a matter of fact. It is 10' 0" long, sold then for $199 at Dicks Sporting Goods, and was still there for that price last month. It stores under the cockpit it s snap.
http://s559.photobucket.com/user/photob ... d.jpg.html

[cptron]

The admiral and I are thinking about getting a couple of the inflatable paddle boards for exploring.

[Curwen]

Would this work?

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=218&ad=39101372 ... =&ad_cid=4

***EDIT***
Arggghhh! the ad was deleted, but it was a tiny row boat/sailor with a tarp for a sail for $100

I'd have to paint it bright yellow....

I'm so tired of waiting for my lake to fill and the ice in the other lake to melt that I am considering getting this bad boy. And I relish sailing the thought of entering it in one of the summer regattas.

Curwen

[arvid]

i use a inflatable or rigid boat - an inflateable can be stored on deck or hanged on side . a towed boat isnt ideal so i have a fantasy about making reinforcements and clamps so i can hang the jolly at the side . in Nice weather its functonial to hang an inflateable boat on the side but i will have som better securing system who also fits a glassfibrejolly - some ideas anyone ??? imagine a 26 x With a jolly safely secured on each side of hull - one inflateable and one rigid jolly ....

[DaveB]

Fact is , you can tow a Kayak or inflatable if you keep the tow line close to stearn.
Even in 15-20 Knots.
This all depends on wave and winds.
I have used both my Kodiak 8ft and 9.6 ft Solicit dings inflatables towing bow up close to motor.
Speeds of up to 18mph, no problem and higher speeds .
Use bridal on both stearn cleats.
Kayak hard poly plastic, use a bridal and extend it to keep bow up at any speed.
Those with no skeg at stearn will not keep a straight line and not recommended.
Dave

Any suggestions for using (or not using) a cheap kayak? The Admiral has a couple Sun Dolphin Aruba 10' one Person Sit-In Kayaks she'd like to bring along on our next outing.

It also depends on what your needs are.

If you just want to explore offset areas, then a kayak will work (if you figure out how to store it on deck). If you need something for transporting more than two persons from ship to shore (or vice versa), or for bringing several items to an anchored boat, a kayak is not the best choice.

Ray

[Catigale]

I'm an always hard guy. My dinghy I mean. I mean my dinghy behind my boat.

The hard plastic 10 foot water tender tows great, is indestructible, and has lasted umpteen season of kids and Caoe Cod rocks.

450-550 on sale at WM.

It rows much better than any inflatable, too.

If told u I got a brand new 10ft walker bay from W/M for the same price would U cry


then there,s the steal I got on the new sail & rib "tube kit"
http://walkerbay.com/dinghies-sailkits/ ... -sail-kit/

Then there,s the deal I got on the new 6HP 4 stroke 2015 Merc
https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/ca/eng ... edirection

J

Maybe..but I got a Boston Whaler Squall with full sailing kit, a trailer, and a 3 HP Tohatsu for less...plus my VW Beetle gives me free oil every year...

[dlandersson]

Just saw this. Apparently there are 2 and 4 person models.

http://www.ybw.com/pictures/solar-power ... kiff-18224

So. I have a 26x, and looking to get a dingy for the thing. I only do inland lakes. but sometimes will be on a mooring ball --sometimes hook. I would think that it is best to have something that can collapse as small as given teh limited storage space we have. My biggest issue though is finding something co$t effective, but isn't crap that will develop a hole first time you use it.

Ideas? links? Or information I should know? Should I get something that has those "hard" insert-able floor panels?

Kev.

[Herschel]

I have used both my Kodiak 8ft and 9.6 ft Solicit dings inflatables towing bow up close to motor.
Speeds of up to 18mph, no problem and higher speeds .

So, Dave, I take it that the use of the downward slope of the first engine wake like we use for hard hulled dinghies does not work for towing an inflatable at cruising speed under power. Is that true for one with a flat plywood floor, too?

[Three Gypsies]

We found an old 1982 Sinbad the sailer dinghy laying in a garbage dump . Someone had dragged it across asphalt and dragged a hole in its keel .
gave a $100.00 for it , repaired the keel , and she has followed our Gypsy for the last several thousands of miles .

I mounted a 2 amp solar cell on her bow deck , installed a small "wheel chair" deep cycle battery , and built a motor mount on her stern , where we hung a 28 lb thrust Minn Kota motor .

She has served us well . In all the years she has only required charging from the Mother ship , one time .
She has about a 5 mile range and at a top speed of 5mph , but not both .

For the life of me , I have never understood why old people struggle with heavy gas motors , mounting and unmounting them from their dinghys . Our electric motor and battery does everything we need . If we needed more , I could increase the engine size and battery , but haven't felt the need .

[Catigale]

A group 24 battery weighs more than my small kicker, which can also be used to move my big boat.

By far, most of us here are week trip sailors in protected waters. We just don't go out in waters where towing is an issue. I have accepted that if I ever get caught in such conditions i will cut the dinghy loose. I've balanced that against the robustness, carrying capacity, and rowing performance of the hard dinghy and come out with the right solution for me.

The hard shell is also perfect for eagle watching on the Hudson, too, in shallow, rocky creeks.

[Three Gypsies]

A group 24 is heavy , that's why I use a sealed 'wheel chair' deepcycle battery , its light and easy to lift . It stays in the boat 99% of the time , and the dinghy trails behind us .

So far , the dinghy has not been a problem , or have I even thought of cutting her loose . She takes on water in storms , but never enough to become a problem , and we have been in some storms .

[kevinnem]

Well folks, here is an update, .. almost 2 years later. (and yes, abusing my privilege as the OP or bring the thread back from the depths).

I didn't buy an dinghy, we ended up finding mast-up storage at a local day-sailing lake, and never did any over night stuff, . that changes this summer when we will be cruising inland lakes.

I have gone absolutely nuts -- like obsessively crazy -- trying to find the right dinghy, .. trying to balance:
1) The fact I will not use it very much.
2) Don't want to spend too much money on it
3) Might be using it in salt water, on oceans, but in foreseeable future online inland lakes.
4) I don't want it to be too small - the wife needs to enjoy boating, and she has a very low tolerance for any sort of difficult, or unpleasant experience.
5) I need it to be light so I can pull it on deck, or load it up or what ever needs to be done.
6) I want it to be big enough to ride well, and hold some weight, (we are bigger people).
7) No idea what to do for engine yet. - separate issue though.

The low price, real dinghy I have been able to find is this guy.
http://www.adventurewarehouse.ca/boat-a ... uffle.html

however, 3 potential drawbacks...
1) anyone know if it will fit on the bow if it has too?
2) do these 'slat floors" suck, they look like they would.
3) no "v" keel , so it will not track well, . will it tow well, or really badly?


Thoughts?

[NiceAft]

I hate to say this, but need number four completely erradicate's the rest of the list.

Ray