Any advice on best dinghy for exploring the bays?

[Frank Langer]

We are beginning to think about buying a dinghy for our E30+, partly as a safety back-up in the event of major boat problem, but mainly for my wife and I to explore the little bays and shoreline when we anchor out in the Gulf Islands, BC.

With the limited storage on the E30+, I don't think we can store a fold-up of any kind in lockers, nor is the boat large enough to store it on the bow/cabin. So I am thinking we will tow it behind the boat, so it needs to be easy to tow without too much negative impact on boat speed under sail.

My wife and I have a combined weight of under 300 lbs. and wouldn't be taking any significant loads with us (maybe a cooler/picnic basket, or groceries). We are both in our 50's, and a bit limited in our ability to hoist weight over the lifelines.

I also don't want something that takes alot of time to set up or inflate (5 - 10 min. would be ok, but not a half hour).

So far, we are both thinking an 8' Walker Bay fibreglass dinghy might be best--sturdy, not too heavy, good reputation. I'm thinking oars, to avoid the need for engine/gas; my wife is wanting a small engine to make it easier to get around.

Any advice on what would be best for exploring the bays during those quiet evenings before sunset?

Thanks,
Frank.

[ChrisS]

I've got an Avon Redcrest with a 3.5 hp Nissan that I picked up used last year, and it's worked out pretty well. It folds up pretty small since it doesn't have a hard transom, and I either lash it down in front of the mast between anchorages, or put it in the nook at the aft end of the vee berth when I'm not cruising. It weights about 40 lbs., and I can get it on board by myself.

It works fine in protected coves--I just got back from the California Delta and zipped around in it all over the place--but if I'm not going far I don't bother with the outboard. I don't think the design is intended for use in waves, but for smooth water it's great. I can get it inflated and in the water in about 10 minutes.

Another idea I was considering was an inflatable kayak. SOAR makes a 14' hypalon model, but it's pricey, about $2K, plus more for the outboard bracket. But I think it'd be a better choice if you plan to do a great deal of paddling, as you see more facing forward.

[Loren Beach]

Here is an earlier thread with a lot of good commentary about the different choices in dinghies;
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=1809&referrerid=28

FWIW, we are still using our roll-up-floor Zodiac we acquired in '85. It is one of the high quality Hyplon boats, round stern and only weighs about 50#. It takes about 10 minutes to inflate both chambers, up on our foredeck. It rows OK unless there is much wind... then it rows just like an inflatable boat! :rolleyes:
I used to store it (with some difficulty) in the cockpit locker of our prior Niagara 26. Now, when in the bag, it lives in the aft cabin under the cockpit. When storing it on the fore deck I often half-deflate it and fold it in half on the front of the cabin and tie it down there. This looks a bit funny but works, and our boat can be sailed and I can get at the anchor locker.

Two boats in our YC have older faded-out reddish-orange plastic dinghys, "SportYak III" -- these were very common in the 70's and 80's. They row better than our Zodiac, and weigh about 50 or 60#, about 8 feet long.

Loren in PDX

[Frank Langer]

Thanks. I should have done a "search", as the thread you mentioned has lots of good information.
Frank.

[JMCronan]

We use a Fold-a-Boat. It works great. Folded, it is 4ins thick and I store it on the rail. It weighs 55lbs. It takes about 10 mins to set up on the foredeck. I am using oars at the moment but a buddy says his will plane with a 5hp. They make a 8, 10, 12 foot model.

[ref_123]

Hi there,

we've used the Innova inflatable kayak in the past - it's easy to store and it is very light. Good for 2 people and a bit of load. Used it on the ocean and it worked well.

Now we have a baby and an AquaDutch inflatable :).

Regards,
Stan

[Jeff Asbury]

If you intend to tow I would not recommend a rigid boat like the Walker Bays because they can be easily be swamped in rough conditions. I am also not a fan of them because they are very tender. Here in Southern California inflatables are highly recommended over rigid dinks for off shore. I tow my Achilles 8'7" with a bridal because the lack of storage on my E-27. If the conditions are bad I can still deflate it and stow it or lash it to the deck. I have the one with the 3 plywood deck inserts and inflatable keel. It's pretty fast and planes with one person with a Yamaha 4 stroke 4 hp OB. If you plane on deflating it more often I would get one with the inflatable, soft deck.

Back to the Walker Bays, I saw this guy with too much weight in the stern and a 2 hp OB (running) sink it at the dinghy dock at Catalina one time, just as he was trying to get on the dock. Not good for the OB! Fun little boats with the sail kit, (I have sailed one) but I had to keep my self and my 190 lb ass dead center in the bottom of the dink off the seat.

Oh yeah, stay away from the PVC inflatables. Hypalon is much better UV material

IMHO

[Frank Langer]

Jeff, do you know approximately how much towing your dinghy slows you down when under sail? I am guessing it might be about 1/2 to 1 knot.
Frank

[Jeff Asbury]

To be honest I never have seen much difference. I think it only weighs about 60 lbs at the most. In about 24 knots of wind one time I was towing the dink and I was getting up to 8.5 knots. That was my record speed. Make me wonder what I would have made if I wasn't towing the dink. I don't consider towing the dink that big of a handicap, but I would never race with it.

[Frank Langer]

Thanks, Jeff. That's encouraging.
Frank.

[wurzner]

I saw one at the boat show about 2 weeks after I purchased my inflatable and in hind site, I would have gone with the folder. Fits nice up on the deck, holds plenty and is way more manoverable than an inflattable.

Please desosit .02 cents for this advice.
Shaun

[Frank Langer]

I have a friend who has an older fold-a-boat. I have ridden in it to get to his moored boat, and it felt very tippy, he broke the seat just by sitting on it (he's about 180 lbs), so I'm not overly impressed with them. Maybe they have improved since he bought his, or maybe there are different manufacturers of these boats, so I'll keep an eye out for them, but I'm still thinking an 8' Walker Bay, though some of the posts on 8' inflatables sound encouraging, so I'll check them out too.
Thanks,
Frank.

[rwthomas1]

I have an old 1986 Achilles inflatable with the 5 piece plywood floor. I made a one piece floorboard that replaced the three largest sections and I am very happy with it. I have tried/borrowed slatted floor inflatables and also some hard dinghy's. I come back to the Achilles I have since it works so well. I like inflatables if you are on a mooring and haul lots of gear to and fro. Very stable, you can essentially stand on a tube and it won't flip over or capsize. Try that with any other type. The multiple piece floor allows it to be broken down if needed but it just gets towed, hence the one piece floor upgrade. I just downsized from an 8hp Mariner to a 4hp Johnson. Maybe 50% lighter and much easier to heave to the stern rail mount. If you don't have sufficient upper body strength then I suggest looking into outboard lift/cargo crane to save your back. I was told by an inflatable repair shop that Achilles makes their own "hypalon" fabric and it is much better than other hypalon. Don't know if there is truth in that but my dinghy is a 1986 and still looks great. Don't bother with PVC. RT

[HGSail]

Having grown up towing hardshell dinghys (Sabots) I would have to agree with Jeff. I do prefer inflatables, But I still do tow one of my Sabots when I want to sail it at the islands (I just pick my weather window more carefully or I just motor in the morning). And since I am no longer racing, A 1/2kph or so does not matter to me. I do have a couple of friends that have dinks with inflatable floors and they lash them to the cabin top just in front of the mast / behind the forward hatch, Or just behind the vang and in front of the main hatch. Now the later depends on if you have any rigging running back to the cockpit on the cabin top. I found that since I walk on the cabin top when underway the best place for me is on the walkdeck between the shrouds and the cabin. If you are going to tow an inflatable in bad weather....LEAVE THE DRAIN PLUG OUT!!! Keep the dink close to the boat and always be ready to cut it loose.

Pat
E29
'73
#224
Holy Guacamole

[Bud H.]

I was in our local Costo this week and was surprised to see they had a beautiful little dingy for sale. This wasn’t a toy but a small, nice inflatable with an inflatable bottom, oars and a motor mount on the transom. I live in Eastern Washington so I was really quite surprised to see it. Don't recall the price.

[Jeff Asbury]

The Costco Boat
NAVIGATOR II – 500 Inflatable Boat Set
Designed For River and Lake Exploration
$329.99

The NAVIGATOR II – 500 series is designed for*river and lake exploration. Rigid, reinforced hull with 4 air chamber design handles up to Class III rapids. Strong 1000 denier, PVC coated fabric resists cuts and abrasions from underwater surprises and is easily repairable in the unlikely event of a puncture. PVC Anti Bump protective strake surrounds the boat and protects passengers from obstacles. The perfect inflatable river raft for exploring, cruising, fishing or fun.*
*
Features:
• Rigid hull with 2 main air chambers
• I-beam inflatable floor with drain plug
• Quick inflation and deflation valves
• Buoyancy tube inflation valve.
• Heavy, all around Nylon grab line.
• Protective PVC Anti Bump Strake
• Inflatable keep for added control and stability
• Complete set includes boat, 3 cushion seats, gear pouch, oars, pump and carry bag
• NMMA Certified
• Constructed Fabric: 1000 denier polyester mesh fabric dual coated with PVC. Material provides UV protection, is airtight in water and highly resistant to abrasions, salt water and fuel.* Test against 1000 hours of UV and salt corrosion
• Marine Plywood: Marine plywood coated with Polyurethane (PU) pain coating offers extreme protection against sunlight, salt water and chemicals (fuel)
• Seams: All seams are High Frequency RF welded for maximum strength and air tightness. No glue
Specifications:
• Inflated size: 11’ L x 55”W x 15” H
• Air chambers:*4 (3 in hull, 1 in floor)
• Capacity: 4 + 1 persons, 830 lbs.
• Material thickness: 28 Ga. (0.7mm)
• Oars: 54” (2 incl.)
• Seats: 3 cushioned seats included
• Weight: 57 lbs.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11203962&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1

[Bud H.]

Actually the dink I was refering to is a different one. It is a

Silver Marine Nordik 300AD
9'7" X 4'11"
Max. Payload 794 LBS.
Max. Power 9.9 hp.
$649.99
Item # 191985
The Costco in Kennewick has eight of them

[ted_reshetiloff]

Anyone using an inflateable with an inflateable floor? Comments on the these? I am looking at a new 9.5-10' inflateable and will likely go with the inflateable floor to eliminate storing the boards. Currently have an 8.5' with wood floor and inflateable keel. Knice dink but too small for my family and its older than the ericson:egrin:

[treilley]

I love my Cape Dory 10 for exploring anchorages. It has a nice sail rig and rows great. It will hold plenty of gear and is a classic.

[Stuart]

On out last boat, an Ericson 30+, we purchased an 8’ Aquapro inflatable with a ridged floor (V shaped aluminum). We chose this because it would fit on the foredeck if required but mostly we towed it. At a weight of 65 pounds I could haul it on deck myself; a bit awkward but I could do it. As I matured I set a crane halyard on the mast and used that. It rows very well for an inflatable which was also a big concern as we do not have nor do we want an outboard for it. Now about 6-7 years later, I am still happy with it but it does not fit on the foredeck of our E31 as it is a cutter rig so we tow it no matter what ( upside down once in a 65 knot gust). In our last charter trip we had an inflatable with an inflatable floor, I found this pretty much impossible to row so we used the provided motor out of necessity. So a big consideration to me is how well it rows and fitting it on deck.
Our new house came with a walker bay 8, it’s for sale but I don’t want to sell it to anybody I know or care about, in the mean time I will drag it over the foreshore for an evening row from time to time.
Cheers
Stuart.....now in Comox BC

[ted_reshetiloff]

Whats so bad about the house that you don't want to sell it to anyone you know or care about? :egrin:

[NateHanson]

On our last boat we had a West Marine/Zodiac 10-footer, with the High Pressure air floor. I thought this was ideal for a motor-powered tender. Very fast and easy to set-up/store, no parts to lose, fast and maneuverable, and stable underfoot.

But if you ever want to row, you need a rigid hull. For my current boat I picked up a used Walker Bay 8 because it was cheap, durable, and lightweight. There's no way we're going to store a dinghy outboard on this boat, so rowability was the primary concern. The WB 8 doesn't row like a whitehall, but it does as well as most hard dinghys, which is to say, it gets you to the beach and back. I don't find it tippy, personally. Towing it is fine, in moderate wether, and it's light and easy to hoist onto the foredeck using a spinaker halyard. (In heavy weather or offshore you shouldn't be towing any dinghy, IMO.) I've seen the towing eyes ripped out of more than one inflatable dinghy, so I'd worry about that if you plan on towing a lot. Also, I never tow with an outboard on the dinghy. The weight really increases the drag of the dinghy on the tow-line and dinghy hardware. A friend of mine once lost his dinghy and motor that way, because the fairly stout tow line broke in a blow.

If one of your requirements for this boat is as a makeshift lifeboat, you want an inflatable. There's nothing safe about an 8' hard dinghy in any sort of waves. So, if you want a rowable/motorable dinghy, that can provide you with a little peace of mind as a possible short-term liferaft, I'd say you need an RIB inflatable.

[Richard Elliott]

I'll second Stuart's comment on the 8ft. Aquapro RIB. The aluminum bottom makes it much lighter than fiberglass. I have an 8hp Yamaha 2 cycle and it planes very fast with two persons. It stows easily on the foredeck. I had it on an earlier Islander 28 and now on our E34. I see lots of them when cruising B.C.

[Stuart]

Hi Ted
We are very happy with the house, outside the fact we will be doing a significant renovation/update to it over the next several years.
It was the dingy I did not want to sell to anyone I know. Having said that, the dingy is for sale.
On a side note it was great this past summer to watch all the visiting Ericson’s to Comox, some I got to visit and have met at previous PNW Rendezvous, some I missed. Our new house is on the ocean, close to the transient moorage dock in Comox so I watch many visiting yachts coming and going. If anyone is in the area, give us a call, I am in the book.
Cheers
Stuart

[vbenn]

I currently have an Avon R280 with inflatable floor. Previously had an Achilles with wood floorboards. The Avon is lighter and the inflatable floor is more comfortable to sit on if you need to. The inflatable floor is also easier to deflate/stow compared with the wood floorboards. This year I acquired a battery operated airpump which makes inflating and topping off much easier compared with the foot pump I used on the Achilles.

While the Avon is perfect for our needs, my heart is still with my Bauer 8 which we can't use because of our Golden Retriever.

Vince Benn
Wild Blue