Rethinking the Dinghy - The "Portland Pudgy"

[MHBsailor]

Now that my CD is tucked away for the long New England winter, it's time to start getting ready for the next season. Top on my list of priorities is to replace my aging beat-up "beach dinghy" with something better. My goal is to sail to a few of the local islands next season such as Cuttyhunk, and I'd like the dinghy to double as an emergency lifeboat in the unlikely event that my CD sinks out from under me. Most small dinghies that I've used don't strike me as having enough stability to stay upright very long in typical summer Buzzard's Bay conditions. In addition, while RIBs have good primary stability, once they flip over they aren't going to right themselves, and it could prove difficult flipping them back over in the wind and swells. Finally, there isn't much room on a 22-foot sailboat to mount a life raft.

I've been reading the promotional information about the "Portland Pudgy" dinghy (https://www.portlandpudgy.com/) which was designed with the express purpose of doubling as a mini-lifeboat, and while intriguing, seems a bit small for two adults, and I am advised by the manufacturer there are no plans to make a bigger version. It does have all kinds of interesting optional equipment which appear to be well thought-out, including a kit to turn it into a mini-lifeboat.

I was wondering if any of you have experience with the Portland Pudgy", and if so, would comment on your experiences. Thanks!

[Jim Walsh]

The Leatherman of dinghies but the weight must be a prime consideration for a small yacht.

[kerrydeare]

,,, I was wondering if any of you have experience with the Portland Pudgy", and if so, would comment on your experiences ... !

I have an Achilles inflatable, a small Dyer, a CD10, a Switlik cannister raft, and a Switlik rescue platform, so I'm familiar with the standard systems. As Jim suggests, this boat poses as a solution to many if not all dinghy "issues" and when that happens, I get a bit wary. In addition they list new for $8500 or so, and that's luxury pricing for a dinghy.

Therefore although I cannot be specific about this model in actual use, I think that something like a "rescue platform" (https://www.switlik.com/marine/mrp10) that stows in a small space and provides adequate safety for the type of sailing you describe might be worth looking into. It doesn't however serve as a "shore taxi" and that means an additional expense, although probably less combined than the boat under discussion.

[fmueller]

Narragansett ...

I've got a 2 year old nearly unused Puffin hardshell for sale ...

PM me and we can discuss price if you are interested.

Fred

[Frenchy]

The Puffin is a good dinghy choice- no teak to varnish, easily towed, nice lines and as seaworthy as
any. For coastal cruising, a vhf radio and a waterproof handheld should ease your concern about
emergencies. I think you always want to be self reliant, but the radio is
important in case you need to call TowBoat/Us or the USCG.

[MHBsailor]

Thanks for your comments thus far. I knew a guy a while ago who fell off of his powerboat in early October off New Bedford, MA and washed up dead on Martha's Vineyard two weeks later, leaving a wife and kids. I work with a retired career Naval Aviator, and he tells me that every critical system on an aircraft has triple redundancy (i.e., there is a backup to the backup).

My philosophy is that "it's better to have it (safety gear) and not need it, than need it and not have it." Yes I do carry a portable submersible VHF that has the capability to broadcast my gps position to nearby vessels clipped to my "coastal" Type V inflatable life jacket/harness with Type II performance (crew are issued the same life jacket), along with a clip-on flashing strobe etc. What I have learned from also being an avid kayaker is that it can be very difficult to get back into a small vessel like a kayak or dinghy when the wind is blowing and the seas are upset, so I practice three ways to get back into my kayak. My current beach dink (an old sailing dink sans mast etc.) is so unstable I doubt that it would be possible to get back in if I had to - even in calm conditions.

To my eye (and I could be wrong), the Pudgy looks like it would be the easiest to get back into (using the optional boarding ladder) in the event that my crew and/or I ended up in the water. As for towing, according to the website, it has "...the perfect balance between weight and buoyancy... stays in the water, but at the same time it floats high and therefore has minimal transom drag when towing." What I like about the Pudgy is that all of the accessories are designed and tested to work together as a system, whereas with every other dink one would have to assemble their own components.

The base price of the "Pudgy" is $2995, the "exposure canopy" is $2275, the sea anchor and rode $389, boat cover $ $240 and boarding ladder and fender $142. Throw in a few hundred more for other options (e.g., integral bilge pump and front/side fenders) and total price is around $5500-$6000. Not cheap but considering all of the accessories not outrageous either. I would consider the extra expense a form of "insurance".

Just out of curiosity, can anyone identify this fine small vessel? Sure has nice lines.

[BernieA]

I think that double ender is called a peapod.

[Capt. Fritter]

There is a Pudgy here in Boot Key Harbor and as it happens the owner has a CD 30 in the mooring field. I don't know much about the dinghy as the owner is also a miserable SOB who never smiles, never talks to anyone in the harbor, is rarely on the boat, and is generally a not nice person. But the dinghy looks very seaworthy. He has no motor on it. It does look a bit heavy and he is a pretty large man so it may well hold two but not much more room for gear. Being it's plastic like a kayak no way will it sink. Looks to be a bit more cumbersome than what I would want to deal with in a dinghy but definitely a rugged little boat. If I can get a photo of it when the miserable SOB ain't around I'll try and post it.

[kerrydeare]

... Just out of curiosity, can anyone identify this fine small vessel? ...

This design most likely stems from one of the various peapod designs published by Woodenboat. The most popular is/was the 13 footer but this looks shorter, maybe in the 10 foot range.

[fmueller]

maybe one of these ???

[John Stone]

I think there is far too much reliance on safety gadgets. The best most important most reliable safety gear you can have is what’s between your ears. But I acknowledge and respect everyone’s choice to make their own decisions regarding what’s right for them. A lot of sailing, especially offshore sailing, is fear management. We all have to find our comfort zone.

Anyway, over the last four years I have sailed about 8,500 miles. Most of that was singlehanded offshore sailing. I don’t carry an inflatable lift raft. Instead I have relied on my 9’ Fatty Knees dinghy as a life boat, work boat, station wagon, dive platform, sailing dinghy, etc. I have plans to enhance her capabilities as a life raft at some point. But, in the mean time, she has served me exceptionally well. She’s tough, relatively stable, rows very well, tows well, sails like a witch, and hauls a ton. When I use her as a snorkeling platform I crawl right up over her stern with no problem and she ships little to no water using that technique. She has a surprising amount of room because there is no ‘thwartship seat. Mine is a 9 footer. I’d be very happy with an 8’ Fatty Knees too, though I think the 7’ is too small. She gets compliments every where we go. I have had her for 15 years. I can’t imagine parting with her. I told my kids when the time comes to give me a Viking funeral in her.

I think there are a number of similar hard dinghies suitable but not having the ’thwartship seat gives her unparalleled room—enough to sleep on the grating if necessary.

It’s true I carry her inverted on the cabin top in specially made chocks but she would be fine being towed nearshore/inshore. In other words, I can imagine any other hard dinghy that would tow better than a Fatty Knees.

The original builder, Eddy and Duff, is out of business but another builder in NE is making them. You see used ones occasionally for sale.

[Megunticook]

Just out of curiosity, can anyone identify this fine small vessel? Sure has nice lines.

That's a peapod alright. Fantastic boats. Once very common here in Maine, traditionally used by lightkeepers and also for hauling lobsters (believe it or not they would stand up, but a foot on the gunwale, and haul by hand--that's a stable boat! They are fantastic boats for rowing and many also sail very well (I first learned to sail in one). I considered getting one for a tender but the wooden pods are quite heavy, so I ended up getting an old Puffin (not as nice-looking as a peapod but a lot lighter and still has relatively traditional lines). I've seen glass pods around, so I suppose that might be worth considering.

This time of year you should be able to find a used Puffin in decent shape for a reasonable cost. I just picked up an 8 footer this fall for $200 (was solid but 20 years old and a little rough cosmetically).

[fmueller]

Those are unusual oars John - squared off at the top ??

About life rafts ... many of us don't always have a "car-topped" or a towed dinghy. In that case some of the very compact raft packages make pretty good sense ? ... although the reality that I might actually sink outright (and rapidly) sailing around Narragansett Bay is pretty vanishingly remote. We had a sinking of a capsized boat off Rocky Point in the upper Bay a few years ago, coastguard pick two off that boat before it went down, later salvaged in 15 foot water, and a woman (sailor) lost her life after colliding with a powerboat. She was sailing a Hobie style cat. Some kind of regatta in Tiverton. But there are probably 100,000 boats on Narragansett Bay. What I hear on Chanel 16 almost daily (I always monitor) is "disabled powerboat under tow". This fall I heard the Coast Guard report repeatedly about a solo sailor who left Jamestown Harbor and was two days overdue (I think it was Norfolk, VA

In fact I'm far more worried about collision and the resulting injury than actually sinking ... that's why I had a hi cut jib made when I had my boat in Boston Harbor where the collision risk was severe, and I still don't notice traffic sometimes as quickly as I think I should.

[John Stone]

Those are unusual oars John - squared off at the top ??

Yes. The squared end of the loom adds some weight to counter the rest of the loom and blade outboard of the oar lock so they are less fatiguing to use. Also they prevent the looms from rolling so they lay flax if the blade is suspended. But best of all the oar lock is trapped on the loom so you don’t have to worry about losing them.

The oars were easy to make. I made them in maybe 8-12 hours over a couple days. They are ash. Very happy with them.

[kerrydeare]

I think there is far too much reliance on safety gadgets ... I don’t carry an inflatable lift raft ...I have relied on my 9’ Fatty Knees dinghy as a life boat ... she has served me exceptionally well ...

I agree with John that "gadgets" can often be a problem, but I've never really heard fellow cruisers call a liferaft or EPIRB a "gadget." Often these items are mandatory in certain areas or under certain conditions, depending on the governing authority. Of course this is not to suggest that traditional liferafts are simple or inexpensive to own, maintain, or operate. John states that his dinghy has served exceptionally well, but doesn't specifically mention having used it as a lifeboat.

When it comes to routine use, I feel the same way that John does about both my 8 footer (a Dyer) and 10 footer (a CD). They're fine rowing boats with good carrying capability (albeit infantile sailing rigs), but I wouldn't want to try boarding either from the water in extreme conditions. Even launching from the deck offshore in difficult conditions seems a poor bet. Meanwhile I'll admit that the "cool factor" of these boats under oar is appealing.

From time to time products appear that claim to enhance typical hard dinghys for emergency applications. I'm thinking of inflatable collars, canopy rigs, etc. Most if not all of these have gone the way of the dodo bird, and it's still the case that in most harbors where offshore sailing boats congregate, the vast majority are equipped with traditional liferafts. Pretty strong hint, methinks.