Dinghy selection

Bob Schwartz · Post by **Bob Schwartz** » Mar 2nd, '07, 20:49

It has been a while since I have sought the counsel of the Cape Dory owners. However, in the past, I have received much wisdom.

My current problem is this. I am planning to go off on the trip that I have dreamed of for several years. I plan to leave Galveston around April 1 and cruise for 2 months or a little more to Florida and the Bahamas. This is in my CD-27, renamed "Sharryn".

I seriously need a dinghy. I happen to be a relatively good oarsman and would prefer to row. I do happen to own a Honda 2 hp outboard, but would prefer not to take it if I had other viable options.

I have been told that inflatables do not row well - if your experience is otherwise, I would sure like to hear about it.

A year or two ago, John Vigor posted an input to the dinghy debate. His solution was to get the cheapest thing that could be towed, so if it broke loose, the loss would not create cash flow problems. I have been looking locally, and dinghys are very hard to find.

It looks like the best possibility is through Boater's World. There are three boats that might work: 1) Sandpiper 8 ($400); 2) Pelican Scorpio Cathedral Hull Boat ($600); and 3) the Leisure Life Water Tender 9.4 ($550). West Marine has the Walker Bay series, but they are a bit pricy compared to the Boater's World line.

It seems like whatever I choose, it should be self bailing, so when waves and rain pour in, the water will run out the back with the scupper plug pulled. Otherwise, it would act as a serious sea anchor. I have called Boater's World, and nobody knows anything about the technical specs and I cannot find anything online. I do not see anything about Walker Bays with respect to the self-bailing question.

So, If you have not gone to sleep reading the question, I would appreciate any help you can offer on the dingy question, including input on the following: Does anyone have experience with any of the Boater's World boats listed above, or Walker Bays?; Are there other dinghy's that can be ordered through the major suppliers?; and, in an unstructured sort of way, does anyone have any advise on how to solve my dinghy needs?

Thanks in advance for your advise and wisdom.

Tom in Cambria · Post by **Tom in Cambria** » Mar 3rd, '07, 00:17

Ninety or ninety five percent of the dinghies you will see in the Bahamas will be inflatables. (In spite of the misinformation you might read in some guide books) There's generally not a lot of rowing to do in the Bahamas as in most places you anchor close to shore in protected waters. We found that we used the dinghy most often to dive from. Some of the greatest diving in the world in the Bahamas. Scrambling into a hard shell is much harder than scrambling into an inflatable as inflatables have a lot of stability when your weight is all on one side and you're trying to pull yourself up and in and, of course, they are very low to the water.

While they don't row as well as a hard shell, they don't row that badly for the small amount of rowing you'll be doing in the Bahamas, and the problem is usually with those ridiculous hollow aluminum oars that come with most inflatables. I chucked those and bought some 6 foot solid wood oars instead. A little 2 hp outboard is perfect for commuting over to a neighbor's boat or going ashore and the lighter it is the easier it is to lift it up onto the big boat when you're sailing.

A big solid boat is the best for rowing, but don't forget there aren't many docks to row to and tie up at in the Bahamas. In most places you'll be dragging the dinghy ashore above the water line. A big solid boat is not as easy to drag up the beach as an inflatable. In those places where you'll be pulling into a slip, having a dinghy you can pull up on deck makes it much easier to maneuver. Trying to pull a solid boat into a slip behind you or when you're backing out of a slip just complicates your life.

It all depends on the kind of sailing you're going to do, but my feeling about a solid boat that rows well is that they are best in places where you have deep water running to a dock or shore and you have to row a fair distance in sometimes windy or rough water conditions or with a strong current you have to buck. Most of the time in the Bahamas the water is calm, the wind is moderate and wherever you're headed is not far away. There are exceptions, of course, but on those nasty days you just hunker down and wait a day or two for it to blow over.

That was my experience at least. Different strokes for different folks as they used to say, but ask around and talk to people who have sailed the Bahamas and see what they say. For every 4 or 5 hard shells we saw there were 100 inflatables.

You want to make yourself a "look bucket" (or buy one) also. The water is so clear that after you anchor you look over the side and study how well she's set on the bottom.

rtbates · Post by **rtbates** » Mar 6th, '07, 15:05

here's an inflatable that rows well, sails, motors, and can even be had with a full enclosure liferaft option.

Only downside that I can see is the cost.

http://www.tinkerinflatables.com/home.htm

http://www.tinker.co.uk/html/functions.htm

Bob Schwartz · Post by **Bob Schwartz** » Mar 6th, '07, 16:20

Dear Tom and RTBATES:

Thanks for the useful and insightful information, and the time and effort it took to post it. It was very helpful to me and I am sure that it will be helpful to others with the same question.

Happy sailing,

Bob

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Mar 6th, '07, 19:45

Hello all,
We have traveled many miles including 6 weeks in the Bahamas with our CD27 and a 7ft hard dinghy. Our choice was a "7ft Boatex", made in Canada. Its pretty rugged but light (about 65lbs) and I often row but also carry a 2hp yamaha outboard.
I wanted something that can go on deck for open water passages as a swamped dinghy can get ugly fast. We towed ours most of the time but when needed it is securely lashed on deck. Load capacity is much better in an inflatable and it is certainly more stable for snorkeling and entering and exiting. The hard dinghy is much less likely to be damaged when dragged on a beach (or rock and coral). I did put a small split in mine twice over about ten years and about 10000 miles and much abuse but it was easily repaired by putting it on deck and using a little 2-part epoxy. I also enjoyed a nice row many mornings and have seldom seen an owner of an inflatable out rowing (unless the engine died). It certainly is a trade off and many more cruisers use inflatables. A few times we stayed aboard because the water was too rough for our dinghy and you certainly could have gone with an inflatable.
I believe that most of the inflatables in the Bahamas have much larger engines than the 2hp that you have which would limit your range. Also our 7 ft dinghy works fine for my wife and me - another adult is possible if seas are calm. I believe that for money spent over the ten years and enjoyment we would not have done as well with an inflatable.

Hope this is helpful,
Loren

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Mar 6th, '07, 19:47

Hello all,
We have traveled many miles including 6 weeks in the Bahamas with our CD27 and a 7ft hard dinghy. Our choice was a "7ft Boatex", made in Canada. Its pretty rugged but light (about 65lbs) and I often row but also carry a 2hp yamaha outboard.
I wanted something that can go on deck for open water passages as a swamped dinghy can get ugly fast. We towed ours most of the time but when needed it is securely lashed on deck. Load capacity is much better in an inflatable and it is certainly more stable for snorkeling and entering and exiting. The hard dinghy is much less likely to be damaged when dragged on a beach (or rock and coral). I did put a small split in mine twice over about ten years and about 10000 miles and much abuse but it was easily repaired by putting it on deck and using a little 2-part epoxy. I also enjoyed a nice row many mornings and have seldom seen an owner of an inflatable out rowing (unless the engine died). It certainly is a trade off and many more cruisers use inflatables. A few times we stayed aboard because the water was too rough for our dinghy and you certainly could have gone with an inflatable.
I believe that most of the inflatables in the Bahamas have much larger engines than the 2hp that you have which would limit your range. Also our 7 ft dinghy works fine for my wife and me - another adult is possible if seas are calm. I believe that for money spent over the ten years and enjoyment we would not have done as well with an inflatable.

Hope this is helpful,
Loren

Bob Schwartz · Post by **Bob Schwartz** » Mar 6th, '07, 19:50

Thanks Loren.

That is quite helpful - very good information.

Good sailing,

Bob

chase · Post by **chase** » Mar 7th, '07, 12:43

Here's an interesting review of hard dinks:

http://www.cruisingworld.com/article.js ... &catID=571

Has anyone piled their family of four into one of these small, hard dinks for short rides to shore? Anyone store one on deck of a CD30?

Chase

darmoose · Post by **darmoose** » Mar 7th, '07, 13:52

bob,

i sent you a private msg.

darrell
mystic rose
cd30k

Jim Davis · Post by **Jim Davis** » Mar 7th, '07, 14:05

While this doesn't answer the question of has anyone stowed one on a CD30 the Dyer LoProfile docent do well on an Alberg 30. Nor does it do well on a Choey Lee Bermuda 30.

I have used hard and inflatable dinks for quite a while. Nothing beats rowing, or sailing around the anchorage, but to support a cruising boat I have found an inflatable hard to beat. For most use where storage is tight, I would personally opt for an "air floor" or roll up. These make a small enough package to hog tie on the coach roof. These will do reasonably with a 2-3 HP motor and can be sortta rowed. A RIB would have essentially the same foot print of a hard dink. If coach roof space isn't a problem then RIB's and hard dinks become more practical. From the standpoint of hauling supplies, people and dogs, the inflatable wins hands down. The same can be said when it is used as a swim platform.

For the towing question. A soft bottom inflatable hauled up to the stern, with the bow out of the water isn't bad. Strung out on a painter it generally acts like a sea anchor. A rigid dink, or RIB let out astern does well. That said once the wind and sea kicks up, I've seen inflatables fly and twist in the air. At this point you are about to loose it and it will be unsafe to try and get it on deck. Hard dinks will broach, swamp or roll over. Again recovery can be dangerous underway. I say all of this from the "Been there, Done that" perspective.

My current solution is to use an inflatable for most of my cruising and save the Dyer as a formal dink for rendezvouses. As much as I like a hard dink, I haven't found them to be the best for long distance travel.

Bill Goldsmith · Post by **Bill Goldsmith** » Mar 7th, '07, 15:54

farmerchase wrote:Has anyone piled their family of four into one of these small, hard dinks for short rides to shore? Anyone store one on deck of a CD30?

Chase

When I had my CD27, I purchased and fixed up an old CD10 to use as a tender. It certainly had to be towed as opposed to finding any storage on deck. The CD10 was a beautiful rowboat but not the greatest tender for a family of 5. We used to regularly ship water even in modest harbor chop, and there was no self-bailing. In Block Island sound, the darn thing surfed down waves and banged into the transom. Then it swamped. As much as I enjoyed the mother duck--duckling look of a CD27 towing a CD10, I had to get practical, sell the CD10 and purchase an inflatable.

Ultimately it was the size of my crew that drove me to a larger CD. But if I were going to cruise in a CD27 again, I would only consider an inflatable (with an inflatable floor) for ease of stowage.. You can tow it without concern over surfing and ramming the stern. In a blow it can be brought aboard, deflated and stowed somewhere. The "somewhere" is the real issue: lashed down to the foredeck is a possibility. Roll it up and stow it in the footwell. The CD 27 has enormous cockpit lockers for the size of the boat--if you can roll it up small enough you might get it in there. Or lash it to the coachroof, but you'll probably obstruct the companionway slider. At least you'll have more options than with a hard dink.

Evergreen · Post by **Evergreen** » Mar 8th, '07, 02:07

A couple of years ago we sailed our Catalina 22 to the Bahamas for two months. We towed our 8 foot Trinka (a hard dinghy) the whole time since it was impossible to fit on deck.

I believe the previous posts cover all the important issues.

My personal impressions of the experience: I am a firm believer in a hard dinghy, however, in the Bahamas an inflatable with a motor is the way to go. The distances are just TOO great for rowing! Also as previously mentioned it is very difficult to enter a hard dinghy from the water. If you are going to tow a hard dinghy a self bailer is mandatory for safety reasons. One of the drawbacks of an inflatable in the Bahamas is that there are a lot of sharp rocks --- take a repair kit or two. Regardless of what dinghy you take always keep an eye on it if it looks nice. We were still checking in at customs and a boat load of "pirates" nearly had our dinghy. So the bottom line is that we liked not having to worry about our hard dinghy but we felt very limited.

Best of luck, Philip & Sharon "Evergreen"

Didereaux · Post by **Didereaux** » Mar 8th, '07, 04:48

Didereaux · Post by **Didereaux** » Mar 8th, '07, 04:48

I have a "The Dink" thats the actual mfr trade name. It is a double hulled fiberglass that can be rowed, motored or sailed(sailed being used loosley in this instance). It weighs in at under 120lbs, rows easily, cannot be sunk, and is about 8' in length.

In and around the marina I use an electric trolling motor 36lb thrust which moves it along rapidly for about six hours.

I had occasion to lash it up on deck of my CD-25 twice. Not easy, not pretty, but it worked. Generally I towed it, up very close with the prow slightly lifted. I used the boom with a vang and jib halyard to lift it aboard.

I also lashed two small fenders horizontally along each side, the bouyancy let you get into it from the water and only fill it half full<grin>, but added greatly to stability in rougher choppy water.

All in all I would not trade this dingy for a RIB. With its double hull even if you split the bottom it still floats and can be rowed.

g'Luk

Paul Grecay · Post by **Paul Grecay** » Mar 8th, '07, 06:42

This may bring some laughs, but I have tried a number of hard and inflateable dinks. After all of them, I bought a Walker Bay 8 and it is perfect. It is nearly indestructable, maintenance free, easy to manage and when I come up alongside, it does not mar the hull of my cd 28. It tows, motors, sails great. I take it everwhere and it is light enough to not slow me up too much.
Yes, it is plastic and lacks the classy appearance of some of the other hard dinks, but I don't care. I works so well. And nobody seems interested in stealing it!... It's kind of like the accordion I left in the back seat of my unlocked car in Philly.... I left it unattended and when I returned, someone had broken in and left 3 more accordions.
Anyway, consider the walker bay 8 or 10....they are alot of fun.

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