I am in the market for a dinghy. I would appreciate hearing the pros and cons of inflatables versus fiberglass or wood. The traditionalist in me favors a nice wooden dinghy but I am also practical. I also don’t want to go over 5HP for the motor. They seem to be getting heavier with each passing summer.
How do the different types tow?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Richard Codd
Oriana NS 26C #159
Bradley Beach, NJ
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For 11 years I have carried an 8 foot Boatex fiberglass dinghy with 2HP outboard engine on Atkins and Hoyle stern mounted davits on my Nonsuch 33 over several thousand miles. I prefer a dinghy that can be properly rowed. I also had previous experience with inflatable dinghies and had frequent problems keeping them in proper repair. On previous boats I have also towed both inflatable and rigid dinghies with no major difficulty except in heavy seas in which case it would be preferable to keep the dinghy lashed on deck.
I believe dinghy choice also has a lot to do with where it is stored on land and how easy it is to launch. If it stays on davits you probably have a wider range. If stowed aboard on deck or stored below is another choice. I miss my inflatable that I could launch myself. The RIB I have now is much more sturdy for the same length, can be beached without damage, hold more weight, but needs at least two people to launch. Everything on a boat is a trade off and there is no perfect dinghy for all
Joe Valinoti
IL GATTO NS30U #221
Oriental, NC
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Currently we have a 10' Air floor Mercury Quicksilver hypalon inflatable with a 6 Hp 4 cycle Tohatsu. So obviously it is the only rational smart choice
Advantages:
1. Large capacity for it's size
2. Comfortable seating for 4 adults
3. Somewhat self bailing
4. Redundant flotation (5 air chambers- 3 tube, 1 Air floor & 1 Keel)
5. Very stable. difficult if not impossible to overturn.
6. Easily beached
7. Stowable on deck either inflated or not.
Disadvantages
1. Aesthetics somewhat lacking
2. Difficult to rig davits (A RIB would make it easier)
3. Periodically needs to be pumped up. (once a month or so?)
4. At risk for puncture
5. Not as easy to row as a skiff.
6. Perhaps harder to keep clean due to all the places sand can hide.
(Advantage Rib)
6 Hp will plane ours if weight is shifted forward with one person. Otherwise it's a mini trawler.
Tows easily on a bridle with motor attached but raised. No experience towing in heavy seas or high winds.
Hypalon costs more but is purported to last longer than PVC especially where sun exposure is intense.
Were I to do it again I'd look harder at a RIB especially if cost was no object. I opted for the air floor as I didn't see I'd be adding davits. Since money is always an object, I'd do the Air floor again.
First dinghy we had was an inflatable worked great, decided to go with a Walker Bay 10 (fiberglass) with sail kit, never used the sail kit and found that with the 75 pound Chocolate Lab on board, who likes to swat the bow wake with his paw, it proved to be a rocky and unstable ride, now back to the inflatable (Coastal Marine 10 footer), problem solved, still swats water but I don’t feel we are going for a swim with each swat. Bob U, Wharf Rat, 30C, Scituate, MA
If you cruise a lot and want to use your dinghy a lot, bite the bullet and get a decent sized RIB and a Dinghy-Tow. Once you’ve got that, you can put a decent engine on it because you can leave it right on the transom of the dinghy.
I can agree with Allen’s message. I had the Dingy Tow on my NS26U and it was great. After I sold my 26U Bob Cole purchased the Dinghy Tow and as far as I know he likes it as well.
In a message dated 05/06/09 14:56:20 Eastern Daylight Time, sesame130@COMCAST.NET writes:
If you cruise a lot and want to use your dinghy a lot, bite the bullet and get a decent sized RIB and a Dinghy-Tow. Once you’ve got that, you can put a decent engine on it because you can leave it right on the transom of the dinghy.
The paradigm shift is here when the RIB inflatable has become the “traditional” tender. Unless you’re shooting for the front page of Cruising World, I can see no practical reason to consider anything else.
Phil Harmeson
Catharsis.
NSU 30 #295
Traverse City, Mi
I had a RIB with a 6HP engine. When cruising on Lake Ontario, I did not want to be slowed down by towing a dinghy (it is noisy too.) The boat had davits, but they ruined the aft deck and required an expensive repair, so I have not re-installed the davits. Lashing the RIB to the coach house blocked the forward view when cruising and added windage and was awkward to get by to go forward to lower the anchor. As well it was awkward and heavy to launch. The engine was also a problem to stow as we did not want to put it on the pushpit railing as it added weight and could snag the main sheet on a tack (or gybe).
As a result we sold the RIB and engine and just purchased a Zodiac inflatable floor and keel inflatable. It can be stowed in a lazarette or in the cabin by one person. For power we selected the 2hp Honda four stroke. I is very light and can be stowed in the lazarette too (after I drain the gasoline.)
It should tow fine for short jaunts to the Toronto Islands.
Sea Cat has a dinghy tow system with a 12 year old 9’ Zepplin “Grizzly” inflatable and a 5 hp Nissan motor which never comes off the dinghy. The system works great, but I have never had to row the dinghy. At the dock we flip the dinghy up so that the bow lays against the boom for storage. Happy with this part of life’s journey.
I have a Chesapeake Light Craft East Port Pram. Weighs in at maybe 50 lbs. We hoist her on deck with the main halyard and there is a trick to that but once you have it down pat it is relatively easy to do. Once on deck it does block the view a bit… but I know where it is so that is some comfort. Towing is a breeze as well.
As far as a motor, we row, and she rows like a bandit. So far see no need for a motor as we rarely go further than a mile or two. However a 2 HP Honda would work well on her. We have had 4 adults in her but most of the time 3 is the max.
Used her through out the North Channel and it was excellent. No gas to drag around, started every time, and quiet as a dark night.
If anyone is interested I can share (off line) some changes to the design I’d make
Dave - I.m just starting my second season with dinghy tow. How do you rig the lines to raise the dinghy all the way up? I tried briefly last summer and couldn't get it started.
I would sometimes STORE my dinghy in an upright position using the main
halyard (trimming the boom on the centerline) but I never had it there when
under way. (NOTE: New purchasers can save a few bucks by eliminating the
extra rigging.)
I have dinghy tow and have tried to store my 9' Avon inflatable in the upright position, but have considered it unstable in that position. I have tried it with the two bars in both horizontal and raised positions. In the storage position, the dinghy seems so vulnerable to a breeze that I have resorted to adding extra lines to hold it in place, but even that is unsatisfactory.
I attribute this to the vertical stern on the Nonsuch, and the length of the wishbone, which places the topping lift too far aft to allow the dinghy to lean forward (towards the bow) in the storage position.
It works quite well on many other designs with reverse sterns and shorter booms, because then the dinghy rests about 30-45� from the perpendicular, leaning toward the bow and resting on the backstay.
In the towing position, I could not be more pleased. I leave the outboard on the dinghy for the entire time of a cruise, and it tows perfectly under both power and sail, when it can be adjusted to stay level when the Nonsuch heels. Despite the storage position limitation, I would strongly recommend dinghy tow.
Any suggestions about improving the storage position would be appreciated!
