Dinghy advice

[RedHerring]

Dear all,

I'm about to buy an Ericson 35-2 in Vancouver. The boat comes with no dinghy, so I need to get one. I could spend $6k to buy a 10ft RIB with a 15HP outboard, I guess, but am not inclined to do so because it just seems extravagantly expensive for someone who plans to spend 3-4 weeks / year coastal cruising in PNW for the next few seasons.

My current alternatives are an 8-9 ft fiberglass tender with oars, or a similarly sized inflatable with a small outboard. Both are good enough to get around a small anchorage.

What would you do if you were me?

 

[Christian Williams]

The results of this poll and the comments might be of interest:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?1809-Dinghy-Poll&highlight=dinghy

 

[Rocinante33]

How will you store whatever you end up with? Inverted on the foredeck? The fiberglass tender may be better. But the inflatable can be rolled up & stowed below for those other 48 weeks a year.

Otoh, I have always envied those who have a tender which can be both rowed and rigged to sail in the anchorage. That would be the coolest to me.

 

[RedHerring]

Yeah, I've seen similar polls. Would still like to get an informed opinion for a specific boat in a specific area.

 

[RedHerring]

As far as I can tell, there is enough space on the foredeck of an E35 for a 9-ft hard dinghy (?)

 

[Dan Morehouse]

I cruise in the PNW, and I like the results I get with a hard plastic Walker Bay dinghy. I drive mine with an electric trolling motor and take oars just in case. Inflatables are more stable, carry more load, and don't go bonk on the hull of the mother ship, but are disappointing to row. I think the hard dinghy rows better, tows better, and takes barnacle-infested rocks better. You'll have to decide which of these sets of strong points are most valuable to you.

 

[Frank Langer]

We love our 8' Walker Bay hard dinghy. It tows well even in waves, rows well, doesn't get damaged going ashore and only weighs 71 lbs.
Frank

 

[Rick R.]

Dinghy

We started out with an 11' fiberglass dinghy with a 6hp Nissan. It was very stable but impossible to stow on deck and marked up the hull when I would pull it alongside to back into our slip.

We researched for a while, read polls, asked for advice before buying a Duras 8' PVC inflatable and a new Tohatsu 4 hp. When not in use we keep it below decks in the aft cabin. Inflating takes nine minutes with the foot pump. It is light enough that I just pick it up and toss it overboard.

Thanks to Larry Lee's advice, we installed a Garhauer outboard lifting davit to move the engine from the pushpit to the dinghy and back.

The only downside is that in its folded up state, it's a little hard to take from below decks to the foredeck where I inflate it. We sail several times per week year round so I am considering installing Garhauer davits so we can use it more often.

I think we paid $800 for the Duras from these folks http://www.solutiononemaritime.com/9-inflatable-boats

They ship anywhere and we also bought a liferaft from them.

 

[Emerald]

I've always like the stability of my Avon Redcrest, and with the wood floor boards, you can almost pretend it rows better than a normal inflatable. If you plan on using the tender with people who are guests and not necessarily boat oriented, an inflatable might be easier from the stability standpoint. Hard dinghies are also nice, and I have one of those also. The reality though is I can stow the Avon in my port cockpit locker, and for cruising in the Chesapeake, very different from where you are, I've opted to keep her stowed on board in case I need her versus wondering if I need to splash the hard dinghy and have her following me around for the weekend etc.

Thinking of stability and non-sailors, I must relate a story. Back sometime in the 70's, I was headed out with my parents on their Tartan 34, and my father had some out of town business guests that were coming along. One of the ladies in question had no experience and could not swim. We had the boat on a mooring and had a hard dinghy we used to shuttle back and forth. Dockside, there was only about a foot of water where we brought the dinghy up. We emphasized that you must step gently into the center of the boat. She was wearing one of those ancient belt type inflatable preservers. Well, she ignored everything we said, plopped down hard off center, and promptly flipped herself out backwards into the drink. At this point, she's in about 12 inches of water and flailing and screaming with the big yellow ball inflated as we kept telling her, "Stand up!!!!" She finally figured it out......

 

[u079721]

When the discussion turns to dinghies I always like to remind folks of the Porta-Bote option. Stable, indestructible, and they fold flat for storage. While cruising around the Great Lakes we would typically only fold and store it on the side deck when making big passages across the big lakes, and the rest of the time we would tow it behind. Motored just great with a 2 HP Honda too. My preference would be to have a RIB on davits, but even our 38 couldn't reasonably handle the weight that far aft.

 

[Rick R.]

When the discussion turns to dinghies I always like to remind folks of the Porta-Bote option. Stable, indestructible, and they fold flat for storage. While cruising around the Great Lakes we would typically only fold and store it when making big passages across the big lakes, and the rest of the time we would keep it folded on the side deck. Motored just great with a 2 HP Honda too. My preference would be to have a RIB on davits, but even our 38 couldn't reasonably handle the weight that far aft.

I like the Porta-Bote too.

 

[Christian Williams]

A hard dinghy on deck has some advantages:

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/entry.php?206-Flotation-for-the-Dinghy

 

[Kevin A Wright]

So I assume you are in Vancouver BC, not Washington? I"m in Port Townsend and spend my cruising time kicking around the same areas you are looking at and have an E35 III. I've always gone the inflatable route. Currently have an 8' and I just stick to the oars. KISS. I've normally only got 2 people so an 8' is just fine. Towing a dink in rough conditions is no fun, and things can get rough fairly quickly around these parts. Coming out of Echo bay on Sucia I had my dink picked out of the water and turned over by high winds one day as I turned the corner at Johnson point. Not fun.

I find I only use the dink once or twice in a normal 2 week cruise. Usually to go ashore at some of the park islands like Portland Is. The rest of the time there is either no place or reason to go ashore, or you have stopped at someplace with a dock. For that little bit of use it is much easier to keep the dink deflated and rolled up on deck and only inflate it when and if I need it. I've got a 12v inflator deflator that can handle that in about 5 minutes on the foredeck, then just toss it over. The blue bag in front of the mast is my deflated dink.

And the distances you normally are rowing normally just aren't that long that I've found it worthwile to get an ourboard of any kind and deal with storing fuel, charging batteries, or however you want to do it (although some of the small propane outboards start looking interesting).

Good luck!

Kevin Wright
E35 O Barquinho

 

[C. Trembanis]

Cruise n Carry 2.7 hp

View attachment 14547So I assume you are in Vancouver BC, not Washington? I"m in Port Townsend and spend my cruising time kicking around the same areas you are looking at and have an E35 III. I've always gone the inflatable route. Currently have an 8' and I just stick to the oars. KISS. I've normally only got 2 people so an 8' is just fine. Towing a dink in rough conditions is no fun, and things can get rough fairly quickly around these parts. Coming out of Echo bay on Sucia I had my dink picked out of the water and turned over by high winds one day as I turned the corner at Johnson point. Not fun.

I find I only use the dink once or twice in a normal 2 week cruise. Usually to go ashore at some of the park islands like Portland Is. The rest of the time there is either no place or reason to go ashore, or you have stopped at someplace with a dock. For that little bit of use it is much easier to keep the dink deflated and rolled up on deck and only inflate it when and if I need it. I've got a 12v inflator deflator that can handle that in about 5 minutes on the foredeck, then just toss it over. The blue bag in front of the mast is my deflated dink.

And the distances you normally are rowing normally just aren't that long that I've found it worthwile to get an ourboard of any kind and deal with storing fuel, charging batteries, or however you want to do it (although some of the small propane outboards start looking interesting).

Good luck!

Kevin Wright
E35 O Barquinho

Kevin I have an excellant 2.7hp Cruise n Carrie out board. Noisey but weighs 13lbs approx. $175 located in Tacoma if you are interested??

 

[Kevin A Wright]

Thanks, I've got a 1938 Sea King 2hp I can use if I wanted to. Just don't see the point of carrying a quart of gasoline on a sailboat when that's all you are going to use it for.

Kevin Wright
E35 O Barquinho

 

[exoduse35]

I see Christian has posted at least twice here an modesty must have overcome him! Check out his dingy! His great flick on building it, and the website it came from. It comes in a 2 piece version and is only about 48x 48 to stow. Will fit between the dodger and mast on my 35-2, so I bet it will fit there on yours. Edd

 

[Christian Williams]

Modesty was just here, but she left before we got halfway through my album of selfies.

Videos of building and sailing our Eastport pram are here.