Roll Away Anflatables

[Jon]

Hi All,
I'm thinking of picking up an Avon Roll Away Inflatable. Does anyone have experience with these or similar inflatables? I've alway used a glass tender, but I don't like to tow it and don't want it on deck. Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker? Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump? Do they row as well as a hard tender? Are they tough to handle on windy days? What size is recommended?
Thanx,
Jon

[Neil Gordon]

>>Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker?<<

We have a West Marine 8 1/2 foot rollup sport dinghy. It stores very nicely in the v-berth. Maybe I could get it into a locker, but the lockers are already stuffed with lifejackets, etc., etc.

>>Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump?<<

No, but this depends on the size of the dinghy. Ours inflates in just a few minutes, although we're more likely to leave it inflated and tow it.

>>Do they row as well as a hard tender?<<

Nope. They row nicely with no wind or chop, but otherwise can be difficult.

>>Are they tough to handle on windy days?<<

At some point, you can no longer row to windward... you get blown back more between strokes than you make up by the rowing.

>>What size is recommended?<<

We do just fine, but it's just the two of us plus the dog.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Ken Coit]

Jon,

We agonized over dinghys for awhile and then bought an Avon RAB 3.11 (99 model) from Defender. This is the largest RollAway. It has the capacity to be transportation for more than a crew of two (a maximum of five and about 1200#), which eases the pain of going very far with a larger crew. It can handle a 20HP engine, but that is probably unnecessary. It rolls into a valise that makes the companionway look small and rules out the lockers. It might fit into the lazarette, but I don't think we want that much weight back there in addition to the engine. It weighs about 100 #, as does the 15 HP 4 stroke engine we purchased. It inflates fairly fast with the standard foot pump and is somewhat of a challenge to fully deflate on the patio. On board, I would think that it would be even more trouble. I have not tried it yet, but my guess is that if we are not going offshore, we are likely to tow it or store it on deck, perhaps only partially deflated. The next best alternative in my mind, when one considers capacity and stability, would be a rigid-bottomed inflatable. Of course you would then be unable to deflate sufficiently to store below.

Edson has some brackets to hang an inflatable from the stern rails. In fair weather, this might be helpful; in foul weather, I would think not.

I've not experienced the fun of rowing this inflatable, but it has to be better than the last one I tried because it does have an inflatable keel chamber. In a bit of a blow, it will take an engine to travel upwind in any case.

Bottom line? I recommend stability and capacity as two safety factors which may be important at some point.

Good luck with your search.

Ken Coit
S/V Parfait CD-36 #84
Raleigh, NC

Hi All,
I'm thinking of picking up an Avon Roll Away Inflatable. Does anyone have experience with these or similar inflatables? I've alway used a glass tender, but I don't like to tow it and don't want it on deck. Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker? Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump? Do they row as well as a hard tender? Are they tough to handle on windy days? What size is recommended?
Thanx,
Jon

parfait@nc.rr.com

[larry mace]

Hi All,
I'm thinking of picking up an Avon Roll Away Inflatable. Does anyone have experience with these or similar inflatables? I've alway used a glass tender, but I don't like to tow it and don't want it on deck. Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker? Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump? Do they row as well as a hard tender? Are they tough to handle on windy days? What size is recommended?
Thanx,
Jon

Jon,
We have a new Avon 9.6 roll up that we inflate/deflate from the cabin house top with little hassel. The boat rolls up as Ken mentioned which we store on deck with a couple of tie downs. when we leave the boat it goes into the quarter berth which is not too bad if you have two people. As far as lockers go, our CD33 does not have one big enough. We power with a 2hp honda which has been ok although I would like to see if a 5hp would be woth the extra weight.
Larry



lmace@gt.com

[Bill Collins]

Jon; as with everything in boating - it is a series of compromises. I have owned both a hard dingy - a sailing Sinbad and a 9' inflatable Achilles with a 5hp Mercury. I have owned the inflatable for approximately 12 years with no problems; however as stated to you in an earlier follow-up, it does not row well - impossible in a heavy blow on the nose. I have not seen a roll up that will store in a Cape Dory cockpit locker, but I have lashed mine down inflated and rolled on the fore deck of both my CD30 and my CD30MKII. Inflatables do not tow well in any kind of weather - they fill up with water and become a very effective (sic.) drogue. When storing them below (normally keep mine in the v-berth for long passages) you need to balance the load -especially if the outboard is on the the stern rail. All things considered, I prefer a roll-up inflatable, but often wish I had a ridgid inflatable with a keel and a 15 hp to get more speed and be able to cut through a chop, but don't know where I would store it, as davits are unacceptable in heavey weather, and a larger O/B would necessitate an external fuel tank. Good luck.



william.collins@eng.ped.gmeds.com

[Larry DeMers]

Jon,

We also bought the Avon 3.11 last summer, from Defender. It replaces a not sold yet..but definitely for sale nesting D4 Dighy in great shape <$350>.

We had not used an inflatable for a few years, so we were surprised by a few things with the Avon. It rows awfully..with two of us in there, and the boat inflated to the point where the foot inflator will not add any more to it, the boat is just too poor at rowing to be of much use that way. Our D4 dinghy would have some carry after your stroke. The inflatable has zero carry. It basicly stops dead at the end of the stroke. So if you will be rowing..forget an inflatable. However, that said, we love teh dinghy itself. It motors quite well with our little 2 hp. Evinrude, and frankly..I would bet that it would plane off with a 4 hp.
Stowage: We decided before buying the Avon that the CD30 was too small a boat to store the dinghy on the stern, and towing was not an option except for in the islands. Davits or any additional weight on the stern was just not going to happen with our boat. I had already added 270 lbs. of sand to the bow to get her into alignment with the lines as she was designed..this is to neutralize a basicly empty boat.

So we settled on the area in front of the dodger. I have built a rough version (1st. draft) of a box that mounts to the boats sea hood and grab rails, and that holds the folded Avon dinghy. It is setup so that the box front and sides fold down using s.s. piano hinges, and the dinghy is slid out about 1 ft., then unfolded, and pumped up. Next, we attach a lite 3-part bridle that I tied from a length of spare line. The bridle consists of two large diameter loops that go over the end caps of the dinghy's tubes, and the third element is a snap shackle that attaches to the bow towing eye. These three elements all meet in the center of the dingy, and there is a lifting eye tied in here. The main halyard is then used to lift the dinghy into the water and also to retrieve her. We can now acomplish a complete inflation manually, with launch in 10 minutes (which is the maximum time I estimated that I would accept for a rescue platform to be ready for use, should it be needed). The D4 nesting dingy took far longer than this to reassemble, and had to be done in the water to boot. Lets see that occur at night, in 15ft.seas. It sure was a blast to row though...hmm


Larry DeMers
s/ DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30

Hi All,
I'm thinking of picking up an Avon Roll Away Inflatable. Does anyone have experience with these or similar inflatables? I've alway used a glass tender, but I don't like to tow it and don't want it on deck. Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker? Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump? Do they row as well as a hard tender? Are they tough to handle on windy days? What size is recommended?
Thanx,
Jon

demers@sgi.com

[Jim Stull]

Hi All,
I'm thinking of picking up an Avon Roll Away Inflatable. Does anyone have experience with these or similar inflatables? I've alway used a glass tender, but I don't like to tow it and don't want it on deck. Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker? Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump? Do they row as well as a hard tender? Are they tough to handle on windy days? What size is recommended?
Thanx,
Jon

Jon
From your website I assume you are sailing a CD25. We use a Bombard AX2 which we fits in the lazzerette. Its lightweight around 30#. It has the inflatable floor which makes it very rigid. We have a new, aircooled 2 HP Honda, 4 stroke with the centrifugal clutch. Makes the dinghy go like stink. We keep this mounted on the stern pulpit. Our CD25 is VERY heavily loaded and we found it necessary to trim the boat to keep the waterline level. Rowing the dinghy is OK, but not in a wind. Inflation is quick and easy with the foot pump. We lay the dinghy crosswise across the coaming when inflating or deflating. No problem.
Downside, this is only a 2 person boat and in a chop, the ride can be wet!
Jim



jtstull@icubed.com

[John Nuttall]

Hey Larry,
Are you going to post some pix of that box you built ????
Thanks,
John



nuttallj@msn.com

[Jon :)]

>>Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker?<<

We have a West Marine 8 1/2 foot rollup sport dinghy. It stores very nicely in the v-berth. Maybe I could get it into a locker, but the lockers are already stuffed with lifejackets, etc., etc.

>>Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump?<<

No, but this depends on the size of the dinghy. Ours inflates in just a few minutes, although we're more likely to leave it inflated and tow it.

>>Do they row as well as a hard tender?<<

Nope. They row nicely with no wind or chop, but otherwise can be difficult.

>>Are they tough to handle on windy days?<<

At some point, you can no longer row to windward... you get blown back more between strokes than you make up by the rowing.

>>What size is recommended?<<

We do just fine, but it's just the two of us plus the dog.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

THANX ALL!!

I've decided the tender I need is 8' and glass, except when I have 3 people with me, then it needs to be glass and 10'(If it's real windy it needs to be wood). When I store it, it should be deflatable, and fit into the winch handle holder.

With all this considered, I've decided to install a rarely seen Cape Dory option just for moving people - the deck catapult. This too needs to be deflatable, so we can get it below deck when the Coast Guard comes by (and we can return their sniffing dog more quickly).

Thanks again,
Jon

[Larry DeMers]

John,

Oi! Sure, I can post it after I finish the building (I built this thing from scrap 1x4 pine, so that I could make adjustments, scribe the curvature of the coach top into the box's bottom framing, and experiment with the side height and strength a bit before making her of teak, with all of the brass corner trim and brass latches etc.) So right now, I think you would not be too impressed by it. I believe that we will be able to complete this project after launching in a few weeks, and I would have more time to diagram this thing too. This is a complicated project compared to my navigation table adaption for instance. It requires scribing to fit the coach roof, which is something new for a lot of folks.

Cheers!

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30

Hey Larry,
Are you going to post some pix of that box you built ????
Thanks,
John

demers@sgi.com

[Larry DeMers]

Hahhhahahaheee....hehheh. I can just see this thing;
Jon walks out on the deck, scratches his rear once, puts the coffee cup down, and begins winding the main halyard winch, which is in turn winding up the 100 bungie cords in parallel that propel his precious cargo so carefully across the open water to shore. As the load on the winch gets near the breaking point for the bungies, he ties the catapault off, and calls for the first shore visitor to come up topside. They place themselves into a bucket seat from a 1962 Mustang, place their hands and legs close together for protection, and then wham!! They sail over the heads of astonished onlookers, who swear they just saw a cow come flying by! (with apologies to Monte Python).

Cheers! ;^)

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer

>>Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker?<<

We have a West Marine 8 1/2 foot rollup sport dinghy. It stores very nicely in the v-berth. Maybe I could get it into a locker, but the lockers are already stuffed with lifejackets, etc., etc.

>>Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump?<<

No, but this depends on the size of the dinghy. Ours inflates in just a few minutes, although we're more likely to leave it inflated and tow it.

>>Do they row as well as a hard tender?<<

Nope. They row nicely with no wind or chop, but otherwise can be difficult.

>>Are they tough to handle on windy days?<<

At some point, you can no longer row to windward... you get blown back more between strokes than you make up by the rowing.

>>What size is recommended?<<

We do just fine, but it's just the two of us plus the dog.

Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

THANX ALL!!

I've decided the tender I need is 8' and glass, except when I have 3 people with me, then it needs to be glass and 10'(If it's real windy it needs to be wood). When I store it, it should be deflatable, and fit into the winch handle holder.

With all this considered, I've decided to install a rarely seen Cape Dory option just for moving people - the deck catapult. This too needs to be deflatable, so we can get it below deck when the Coast Guard comes by (and we can return their sniffing dog more quickly).

Thanks again,
Jon

demers@sgi.com

[Jon :)]

Hahhhahahaheee....hehheh. I can just see this thing;
Jon walks out on the deck, scratches his rear once, puts the coffee cup down, and begins winding the main halyard winch, which is in turn winding up the 100 bungie cords in parallel that propel his precious cargo so carefully across the open water to shore. As the load on the winch gets near the breaking point for the bungies, he ties the catapault off, and calls for the first shore visitor to come up topside. They place themselves into a bucket seat from a 1962 Mustang, place their hands and legs close together for protection, and then wham!! They sail over the heads of astonished onlookers, who swear they just saw a cow come flying by! (with apologies to Monte Python).
Cheers! ;^)
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer

Of course, the black & white cow does clash terribly with the polished bronze & teak of the catapult!

Jon

>>Do the inflatables deflate small enough to store in a locker?<<

We have a West Marine 8 1/2 foot rollup sport dinghy. It stores very nicely in the v-berth. Maybe I could get it into a locker, but the lockers are already stuffed with lifejackets, etc., etc.

>>Do they take long to inflate with a foot pump?<<

No, but this depends on the size of the dinghy. Ours inflates in just a few minutes, although we're more likely to leave it inflated and tow it.

>>Do they row as well as a hard tender?<<

Nope. They row nicely with no wind or chop, but otherwise can be difficult.

>>Are they tough to handle on windy days?<<

At some point, you can no longer row to windward... you get blown back more between strokes than you make up by the rowing.

>>What size is recommended?<<

We do just fine, but it's just the two of us plus the dog.

Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167

THANX ALL!!

I've decided the tender I need is 8' and glass, except when I have 3 people with me, then it needs to be glass and 10'(If it's real windy it needs to be wood). When I store it, it should be deflatable, and fit into the winch handle holder.

With all this considered, I've decided to install a rarely seen Cape Dory option just for moving people - the deck catapult. This too needs to be deflatable, so we can get it below deck when the Coast Guard comes by (and we can return their sniffing dog more quickly).

Thanks again,
Jon

[Mark Yashinsky]

Question, How are the landings on shore handled??? Also, what about the return trip to the boat??? How about some diagrams and pixs??? Would love to just this on some crew (the kids) problems.

[Bill Stebbins]

I agree completely with Jim. I have his inflatable with a 2.5hp Nissan and it is as he says.



stebbins@umich.edu

[Duncan Maio]

Remember, land-based transmission (including transmitting crew members) is prohibited without an FCC station license.



dmaio@meganet.net