Dinghy - PVC vs. Hypalon and other questions

[henry hey]

Hi,

Now that my refit is almost finished on my CD25 I'm getting ready to do some cruising. I want to find a nice small dinghy that will hopefully fit into a cockpit locker when deflated (Ok. . a really small dinghy).

I also hope to find a dinghy that is quite inexpensive as my refit and one-time costs have taken me to the limit. I noticed that Mercury makes some pretty inexpensive PVC dinghys. A guy in my boat yard even mentioned that Sevylor is now making real products (other than just swimming pool junk).

One person at the boat yard recommended that I avoid PVC and try to go with a hypalon construction. Of course the hypalon dinghys cost more.

Thoughts on any of this? Perhaps someone here has an old dinghy they wish to sell.


-henry

[Russell]

Well there is little doubt that hypalon is a superior material. But much if the problems with PVC have to do with how it stands up to sun and heat, you live far enough north that this should not be a big issue for you, especially if you intend to leave it mostly deflated and stowed. I would not recommend a PVC dinghy, even that far north inflated and exposed all season, if you do leave it inflated, a cover would be a worthwhile investment in increasing its lifespan. Personally though, I would not hesitate to buy PVC up there.

Now wether or not the quality of the manufactuer is any good I cant tell you, materials is only one part of the equation.

[Joe CD MS 300]

To bad you are not closer to Annapolis. There are two inflatable dealers down there that have pretty good inventories of used inflatables. (Airworks and Inflatable Experts) A few weeks back I picked up a 2003 Avon / West Marine Hypalon 280 RIB for what I thought was a very good price. It looked almost new. I'd go with the Hypalon, north or south. I also have 1993 Avon 320 RIB that is still in great shape. Just my preference as I don't have any experience with PVC inflatables.

Airworks had a few of the new inflatables with the super high pressure floors. They seemed pretty solid but I don't know much about how they hold up. I just sold an older Avon with wood panel floors. I didn't like it to much, too much play in the floors. The interlocking rollup might also be an option for you.

Although neither fits your need for a fully inflatable, in my recent search for a dinghy I also considered the Portland Pudgy.
http://www.portlandpudgy.com/frequently ... stions.htm and the new Wakerbay Inflatable. Both are interesting new designs. I may have bought the Pudgy (around $1,900) but I would have needed to get a new outboard which I didn't want to do. The Waker bay is a really nice design with a lot of built in storage but just more than I wanted to pay (around $3,000).

I think I'm developing a dinghy adiction. If I get the Pudgy I could have match races with my Dyer Dhow.

Joe