MacGregorSailors.com

This is the year I have promised to implement my

Mast raising pole
Mast crutch
Dinghy solid towbar

Implementation, reaching the required three functions for any device of size on my boat

Chinook wrote:Inflatable wants to be towed in the same position, as it reduces the drag. Ours tracks just fine, and I've never noticed it threatening to flip. I think if the wind was so strong as to threaten that happening, I wouldn't want to be out in such conditions. We used to use a porta bote as a dinghy, and we did manage to have it swamp twice, due to following seas slopping over the transom. The inflatable handles those conditions much better.

Thanks. I really appreciate this info. I can relate to the swamping issue. Been there; done that; declined the T-shirt!

Did u drop a case of Beer in the boat Oop,s

J

Highlander wrote:Did u drop a case of Beer in the boat Oop,s

J

I wish. That is tannic acid from our cypress trees that gives the river water a nice brownish tint. We get used to it around here. The freshwater springs that feed our river are crystal clear. I got the dinghy load of water crossing Lake George in the Ocala National Forest. Here is Silver Glen Spring run that flows into Lake George. Water stays an invigorating 72 degrees year round.

Thanks so much for all the great advice! I really appreciate it.

I ended up going with the 310 and purchased a 6hp Tohatsu for it. If I was only looking at a tender for sailing...the 270 would have been the best choice as I could lift that on and off the boat...I do not think I could lift the 310. I went for the bigger size as I intend using it as a general fishing boat too with 3 adults so space is important.

I will be going on a 10 day cruise in July so I guess I will see if it was the correct choice for me.

Herschel wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2017 10:50 am I only have experience towing a fiberglass dinghy behind my X. Forward/downward slope of first large wake wave. Works fine...

Hi Herschel,

I'm on the Dinghy Hunt. You say you had a fiberglass dinghy, but now you've gone to an inflatable. That's great experience... if you could get any dinghy you want what would it be? How long? Would you use the halyard to lift to the foredeck? What do you think about this little hard dinghy at only 88#: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-mar ... ecordNum=2

BD

One of my bigger mistakes was not buying a dinghy with the air floor as Chinook advised me. Instead of a 65 lb dinghy we have a wood floor 9 ft long and 95 lb dinghy. The floor weighs about 45 lbs all by itself. We do pull it 90% of the time. which is around 9,000 or 10,000 miles. Here is a pic of us pulling it. So far we have torn none of the rings loose from the dinghy. We never pull the dinghy with the motor mounted on its transom. We keep the dinghy motor mounted on the Mac.

Hi Ris, Chinook & Highlander

Great info!
Over Easy came with a West Marine HP310 inflatable that can handle up to about 850 lbs load and up to a 10 hp outboard.

When we get to do more extended cruising of the ICW we would like to get some sort of outboard.
We would use it for shore exploration, getting to shore when moored out and occasionally to go fishing (away from the oyster beds ).

While a bigger engine is nice it also comes with price and weight penalties.
->In your experiences what size outboard would provide an appropriate balance of sufficient power and reasonable weight?
->When not using it on the inflatable we would be mounting it to Over Easy. Where do you feel is the most appropriate location to mount it? The aft rail? A swing down bracket? Other?

Best Regards
Over Easy

OverEasy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 30, 2022 9:21 am Hi Ris, Chinook & Highlander

Great info!
Over Easy came with a West Marine HP310 inflatable that can handle up to about 850 lbs load and up to a 10 hp outboard.

When we get to do more extended cruising of the ICW we would like to get some sort of outboard.
We would use it for shore exploration, getting to shore when moored out and occasionally to go fishing (away from the oyster beds ).

While a bigger engine is nice it also comes with price and weight penalties.
->In your experiences what size outboard would provide an appropriate balance of sufficient power and reasonable weight?
->When not using it on the inflatable we would be mounting it to Over Easy. Where do you feel is the most appropriate location to mount it? The aft rail? A swing down bracket? Other?

Best Regards
Over Easy

When I bought my Achilles inflatable (9’ & inflatable floor)in 2005, the dealer told me to not get the Merc. 8hp 4 stroke it was rated for because the weight was too much to lift. I got the 6hp 4 stroke; it weighs 55lb (24.94 kg). I handle it, but 30 lbs would sure handle easier.

The 6hp can get us up on plane with two people and proper weight distribution.

I purchased the Achilles because it was a better boat than the Zodiac, for less money. I went to the Annapolis boat show, and went back and forth between the two booths. I went for the Hypalon; Zodiac didn’t offer it.

With Zodiac (what I initially went to purchase), you are paying more money for the name. The Achilles was the smarter buy.

Hi NiceAft!

Thanks for the feedback and advice!
It’s appreciated!

Yes, 55 lbs is somewhat manageable but probably not for me or the Admiral unless we think about rigging a lifting Davit or something….

Where do you store your engine when it isn’t on your Achilles ?
How is that location working for you?
Is it something you might do differently given the opportunity?

Best Regards
Over Easy

Whenever I tow the Achilles, I do not take the Merc 4 stroke with me. It has oars and an inflatable keel, and we do not anchor that far that we need the motor. We use the motor often, not with the Mac. If I did have a trip where I would take the Merc. along, I am seriously thinking that I will keep it fastened to the Achilles stern, and raised

I’m sure I will read opinions on this, in fact I encourage it.

My 2.5hp 4 stroke Suzuki kicker weighs just 28 lbs, and is quite manageable for me to life off its retractable motor mount and onto my inflatable dinghy. This can be a tricky operation, especially when there is a bit of a chop or swell. Basic laws of physics, involving action and reaction come into play, and the dinghy wants to stray out of position. This is especially a problem when trying to remove the motor from the dinghy and reinstall it on the motor mount. I've pretty much solved this problem by mounting a small jam cleat onto the stern corner of the Mac. I have a 3/8 inch line attached to the transom of the dinghy, on the inside. I pull this line up tight and connect it to the jam cleat. This keeps dinghy tucked tightly up to the stern of the boat, and when I reach over to the motor mount I'm not inconveniently drifting out of position. I can't imagine trying to do this with a substantially heavier kicker. As far as power goes, that little 2.5 does just fine moving the dinghy along. I'm not getting up to plane line a 6 hp would do, but I'm also not having to use blocks and lines to raise and lower it. Also, I figure the last thing I need is more weight hanging off the stern of the boat. The kicker has enough power to push the Mac along for trolling purposes, when I fish with a downrigger. It's also gotten me back to a dock when the big motor was acting up, or not acting at all. In calm, smooth conditions, it will push the boat along at around 4 knots when full throttle. However, if you add any degree of headwind or incoming chop or seas, it can easily get overpowered. Taking all factors into consideration, the 28 lb 2.5 hp motor is the right compromise for me. One more thing: you can probably get up to around 3.5 hp in a 2 stroke for about the same weight. I've used both, and have been much happier with the 4 stroke. Easier to start, and no more carburetor float sticking problems, which result in gas dripping embarassingly into the water.

Thanks NiceAft and Chinook for your great thoughts!
They are appreciated very much!

The rowing of our inflatable is sort of a challenge for me with mobility issues…( things are what they are )
So is the juggling of lifting, moving, positioning and clamping of something over 20 lbs. The more weight the greater the challenge .
The tie off technique is a good one! That should help keep me from doing the drifting boats splits dance move…

We have a project on our active list to make cockpit & bow arches (with a TBD mid support) for our mast.
One of the main intent is to get it up and level to have at least 6-1/2 foot clearance in the cockpit for travel on land and water with the mast down. That will actually lower our clearance requirements when trailering or when motor cruising.
Another intent is to provide for a solar array/roof that we’d like to be the basis for an eventual full cockpit enclosure.
We mention this as it should be possible to include some sort of a lifting Davit for an inflatable dinghy outboard so I (nor the Admiral) are having to personally do all the physical lifting. Any design for that Davit system has to take into account the weight of the motor as well as where/how it is going to get mounted.

As we so far have very limited experience in towing our inflatable sans engine, (never mind with a currently non-existent engine), we are very interested in listening to those who have the experience. The Marinas where we have rented slips discouraged having an inflatable tied to the stern or along side as this poses ogistical and handling issues for the other boats. They have generally provided a separate area for dinghies (generally for those on mooring balls) which tend to be a bit of mayhem all crowded together. So on-deck storage or deflation and interior storage are probably our best option when not cruising.

One of the primary uses is to get “Mac”Gregor our to shore when cruising or tied to a mooring ball.
He’s very house trained and views ALL of Over Easy as home (which has led to some interesting moments when approaching the dock after a day’s adventures on the water )

One thought has crossed our mind though, is there any validity to using a trolling motor?
It’s just a thought as if we were to expand our battery set to a third dual purpose battery we could arrange things so that third battery could be easily removable for use with a trolling motor if that makes any sense…?
Currently we’ve no idea of whether this is practical or a fool’s errand.
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.

Best Regards
Over Easy

Regarding the trolling motor option, the battery creates several issues. Conventional deep cycle lead acid batteries are heavy, slow to recharge, and the power drops off when at half charge or more. Also, that acid part can be really nasty when operating in the cramped quarters of a small dinghy. Lifting a 50 or 60 lb lead acid battery in and out of a dinghy is a bad proposition to me. If you wanted to go with an electric trolling motor, I think the only way to go would be with a lithium battery. No potential acid leakage issues, substantially lighter, and full power available until virtually fully discharged. You're still stuck with the recharge time issue. If you can count on access to recharge capability and can stand the cost, pairing a lithium battery with a trolling motor might be a decent option.

hi Chinook!

Those are good considerations, especially with regard to the lithium type battery.
Concern is having dual chemistry batteries, lead acid and lithium.
Each has its own charging requirements and the engine isn't one of them.

While there is at least one 12 VDC lithium start/store battery that I know of (there must be others) it costs about $500-to-$600.
A bit rich for a battery......

So lithium is gonna require something along the lines of a shore power charger, an inverter to run the shore power charger when not on shore power, and or a dedicated solar charger for the the lithium (and one for the existing start/store lead acid batteries).

Trade-offs...Trade-offs...Trade-offs

The thrust of the trolling motor is pretty low relative to even a 2 or 3 hp gas engine and the range isn't even close to the gas engine and a gallon of fuel.
The quiet operation of the trolling motor is a nice feature though.....
So there's that as well into the mix as well......


Best Regards,
Over Easy