Rethinking the Dinghy - The "Portland Pudgy"

[casampson]

I day sail around Buzzards Bay and never give a thought to towing a dinghy. We never leave sight of shore. I do have a nice dinghy for the infrequent overnight trips we do make. (It's a Cape Cod Shipbuilding Company MK 9 that my grandfather bought in 1953.) Now that you mention it, though, it would be smart to have an emergency boat on board. Would an inflatable do? Would a deflated one fit in a sail locker? How long would it take to pump one up by hand?

[John Stone]

I agree KerryDeare I would not call a life raft a “gadget” either...maybe an EPIRB. But, I do carry an EPIRB aboard. And in a perfect world (with much more money to spend and a larger boat with more room, I might have a life raft too.

No, I was referring in a general way to the comment "it's better to have it (safety gear) and not need it, than need it and not have it." There is simply no end to the amount of stuff, i.e.gadgets the marine industry tries to convince boaters they must carry on their boats to be safe else they are reckless and irresponsible. Many boats are far too cluttered with unnecessary equipment and complexity. You shouldn’t have to hemorrhage money to own a sailboat.

Too much stuff takes the poetry out of sailing...for me anyway. Less is more.

But we all need to make those choices for ourselves. And if a piece of safety gear makes you feel better or sleep better than by all means get it.

[kerrydeare]

... Too much stuff takes the poetry out of sailing...for me anyway. Less is more ...

Sometimes but not always, in my experience.

I've never been one to discourage freedom of choice: quite the opposite. Still after what amounts to a lifetime or two of sailing I still hear folks (thankfully no persons here) talk at length about the simplicity and purity of sailing, all while enjoying their GRP boats, high performance diesel engines, aluminum or carbon fiber masts, fossil fuels, stainless or high technology fiber rigging, a full complement of electronics, sails built with complex exotic materials, smart phone navigation systems, and on and on.

The wind itself is free I suppose, but using it is not. Lynn and Larry did it the old fashioned way, but most folks with ordinary amounts of time, skills, and money are usually not following their wake.

[kerrydeare]

... if a piece of safety gear makes you feel better or sleep better than by all means get it.

Actually no piece of safety gear makes me feel better or sleep better, but that's because I don't entirely place my faith in something that complex. For the record, I'm no stranger to the sciences.

Take for example diesel engines in cruising sailboats. They are a practical necessity for the vast majority of folks, but they also inhibit learning basic skills such as using the boat's sails to get underway, pick up or drop a mooring, set and retrieve anchors (plural), sail into a work slip for repairs, coming alongside for eats and cocktails, etc. Every sailor really should know and practice this material, but the availability of a reliable diesel sometimes gets in the way.

At the same time engines are the only way boats can transit certain areas such at the C & D Canal, Cape Cod Canal, many crowded harbors, certain passages or inlets, etc. The ICW also provides an example. Further, while it was true decades ago that MOB techniques were largely based on sailing maneuvers, nowadays it seems that the recommended techniques are almost always based on maneuvering with an engine. Also if you ask a weekend family sailor if they use their engine to get back to the dock on Sunday night to get ready for work the next day, I think I know the answer.

Not sure what else to add, except to agree that reliance on any single technique or piece of gear is not at all a good idea.

[John Stone]

... Too much stuff takes the poetry out of sailing...for me anyway. Less is more ...

Sometimes but not always, in my experience.

I've never been one to discourage freedom of choice: quite the opposite. Still after what amounts to a lifetime or two of sailing I still hear folks (thankfully no persons here) talk at length about the simplicity and purity of sailing, all while enjoying their GRP boats, high performance diesel engines, aluminum or carbon fiber masts, fossil fuels, stainless or high technology fiber rigging, a full complement of electronics, sails built with complex exotic materials, smart phone navigation systems, and on and on.

The wind itself is free I suppose, but using it is not. Lynn and Larry did it the old fashioned way, but most folks with ordinary amounts of time, skills, and money are usually not following their wake.

Oh I disagree KerryDeare. I don’t think high tech materials have much impact on the purity of sailing. To me it’s not about having a wood boat with a wood mast that you made from a tree you felled in your back yard and hemp rope you made yourself. It’s about limiting what you put between you and your boat and between your boat and the environment that defines the purity of sailing.

I think you can have a carbon fiber boat and synthetic rigging and still have a simple boat (even an “exotic” boat can be engineless and without a chart plotter or refrigeration, etc if desired). I have a great friend who was a professional sailor and loves to go as fast as possible but sails a very simple boat. His dream boat is a carbon fiber sled but set up super simple eliminating as much complexity as possible.

My last season in the Caribbean I ran across another engineless sailor who circumnavigated in a glass hulled gaff rigged 31 footer. In fact there is a great (though small to be sure) community of simple sailors out there. Even in our CD forum I see comments all the time from sailors determined to keep their boats simple...especially the Ty sailors.

My comments are mostly aimed at the less experienced who may not know you can have a simple boat and still be responsible as well as more experienced sailors who are frustrated in dealing with complex systems and may be seeking more enjoyment in simple sailing.

In the end, who cares? Keep it simple if that makes you happy or get complex if that gives you joy.

Happy sailing and Happy Thanksgiving.

[kerrydeare]

... It’s about limiting what you put between you and your boat and between your boat and the environment that defines the purity of sailing ... I think you can have a carbon fiber boat and synthetic rigging and still have a simple boat ...

Interesting chats and point of view. In our yard on Barnegat we build, host, and repair an unusual collection of wooden boats, and the vessels range from "simple" to "complex." I put these terms in quotes because they mean different things to different readers.

Included in the fleet is a collection of A Cats (as far as we know the only such collection) built of wood and traditionally rigged (I'm sure there are many references online). These boats are "simple" with no electronics or machinery, but they also cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars to build, and perhaps 15% or so of that per year to maintain. To me that's not "simple" but instead excessive, because all I like to do is go cruising on a little boat and a person can do that with much less expense and bother. Just my definition of the word simple.

Another example: a friend of mine designs, builds, and races exotic multihulls of considerable size that, by some standards such as gear and accommodation , are "simple." But you can't get near one of these for much under a million dollars US. For me that's not simple, it's a problem. Still, it works for my friend.

[Skeedeen]

I own a Portland Pudgy. I purchased it somewhat on impulse as it was a "second" that the company was selling at a deep discount (I live about 5 miles from the Portland Pudgy HQ). For background, I have owned any number of inflatables, a Fatty Knees, a Trinka, a Boston Whaler Squall, a Puffin, etc. All of these are great dinghies (with the Fatty Knees being my favorite). All dinghies have pros and cons. With all that said, I am surprised at how much I like the Pudgy. It is not particularly beautiful to my eye (but I am surprised at how many people stop and ask about the boat because they do like its appearance). But it is well constructed and rugged. It is very stable. It rows pretty well (I don't have the sail kit so I can't speak to its sailing ability). It has the ability to carry a lot of gear. And one of my personal favorite features - it is self-bailing so I never have to bail it out. Finally, it is the easiest round-bottom dinghy to get back into from the water (probably even easier if you buy the optional boarding ladder) and to right if it capsizes (it even has hand holds in the bottom of the hull to help right it). I have used my Pudgy for coastal cruising and won't even dip my toe into the debate on whether or not it is well suited to be used as a "life boat" for offshore sailing. Finally, the people who designed the boat and still make the boat are fantastic and are committed to making sure owners are happy with the boat and get parts and support when needed. This is my long-winded way of saying that I can recommend the Pudgy and think it pretty much lives up to its advertising. If you are ever in the Portland, ME area, you are welcome to come and take my Pudgy out for a test drive.

[John Stone]

Skeedeen, finally somebody got this thread back on track! Excellent review. Sounds like a great dinghy.

[Boyd]

The idea of the Pudgy is great, but...

I took a long look at the Pudgy when my last RIB was about toast. I found two problems that killed the idea. First is its weight which is substantial. Much more than I wanted to put on my davits. I have a Cat so weight off the stern has a significant effect on the ride. Also hoisting that much weight up on deck was intimidating.

The second problem was it requires full straps around the bottom when suspended on davits. Otherwise they claim it warps if just suspended by the ends.

The price is a bit steep but compared to a new 10' RIB its not that far out. I finally settled on an APEX RIB at less than 100# as the lightest option. Its hard to beat the stability and performance of a RIB. With my ancient 15 hp two stroke OB it flys.

Boyd - Former CD 30mkII owner
Cat-A-Tonic
34' Prout Catamaran
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

[John Stone]

Having owned two inflatable as dinghies for sailboats, and if given a choice, I don't think I would ever go with an inflatable dinghy again unless my boat was simply too small to carry a reasonable size hard dink to include a nesting dinghy. I have seen some lovely nesting dinghies and their owners seem to like them quite a bit. So, that's an option on a small boat.

To me, inflatables are not long lived enough to justify the cost. Yes, I like that they are fast. And, there is no question they are remarkably stable. They are susceptible to punctures even though they are pretty tough.... And RIBs don't even have the advantage of being rolled up and stowed as a smaller package. I fully acknowledge that the vast majority of cruisers I have seen in foreign ports all use inflatables. So, I understand my views do not represent the norm. Quite the contrary....

If at all possible I want the dinghy to be stowed upside down on the cabin-top in special made chocks. I can open the saloon hatch under it when sailing off shore and get good ventilation even when its raining. It's something to grab hold of when working your way forward in rough weather. Or any kind of weather for that matter. I suppose you can carry an inflatable there, but they are ridiculously wide and most of the space is not usable...it's for air. They also are a bit unsightly though over time they certainly have become part of the view. Not objectionable. Our eye has become accustom to them. So, that's a small point. You can't sail them. Though, to be honest I don't think most people would sail a hard dinghy though I sure love sailing Sweet Pea.

But, I have seen on-line a very interesting and reasonably handsome hard dinghy It appears to meet all the requirements that most any cruiser or sailboat owner would have for a dinghy if using an outboard is desirable. It's lighter than an inflatable. It planes...it's very fast. The small 8'6" model is rated for an 8 hp. I would not hesitate to put our 9.8hp two stroke tohatsu outboard on it. Appears to be very stable. Stable enough to crawl over the side from the water. Perhaps, if something were to happen to Sweet Pea and I was willing to carry a 10 hp outboard I would get one of these:

https://octenders.co.nz/

Do the conversion--NZ dollars to US. Not cheap but not terrible considering what you get. About the same as a Fatty Knees I think.

[Capt. Fritter]

I just use a kayak and be done with it. Cheap. Easy to maintain. Won't sink. Easy to paddle even in rough weather. Holds a lot of gear. No registration to deal with. A simple rowing dory like a Walkers Bay or if I could find one in my price range, the little CD dory which can be sailed would be my next choice. But the kayak does what I need it to do.

[Frenchy]

Why I'm not crazy about inflatables:

[Jim Walsh]

Looks as though this great white was incapable of penetrating the hypalon....a ringing endorsement of an inflatable dinghy

[Frenchy]

Yes - all the same, Jim - I'd rather not be sitting in that thing. - Jean

[MHBsailor]

Holy crap Frenchy is that photo real?????

While I enjoyed the philosophical digression about minimalist sailboats (one of the things I really like about my TY Senior), I'm glad the thread is back on-track

Weight is an issue as I plan on towing it behind a 22-ft TY Senior (or possibly a 25D or 26D if I move up to one of those some day). The website says that it rides up on the water so there isn't a lot of drag - Skeedeen, has that been your experience?

I've read that another issue with the RIBs is that they are like catamarans in that they have great initial stability but once they're turtled they can be a bear to flip back over, especially if there is some wind and swells.

While on one hand I like the idea of a proper dinghy (e.g., "Fatty Knees") that is as much a conversation piece as a TY Senior, one of the best features of the "Pudgy" is that it's got storage areas for virtually everything one could want to put in an abandon ship boat, and you don't have to worry about all the gear falling out if the dinghy gets flipped over. The Pudgy does seem rather short though.

As for kayaks, I have a 14-foot "light touring" kayak that has a round bottom that I use to paddle protected ocean bays in Southern New England, and I can tell you from experience that it is nearly impossible to go between it and my sailboat at mooring even in becalmed waters, so I can't imagine trying to do that in infamous Buzzards Bay chop when it's blowing stink in an abandon ship situation.

Some years ago, I was sailing out towards the Mt. Hope Bridge near dusk and nearly hit what appeared to be a submerged telephone pole. It was floating level about a foot below the surface. Fortunately I saw it out of the corner of my eye just in time to bear off to avoid it. At that time, it was comforting to be in a 19-foot sailboat with built-in foam flotation, but as my Cape Dory doesn't have that, and this sort of thing could happen anywhere at any time, for that and other reasons, I wouldn't want to attempt leaving the Narragansett Bay without an auxiliary lifeboat in tow.

JD