looking for a dinghy --ideas

[K9Kampers]

The low price, real dinghy I have been able to find is this guy.
http://www.adventurewarehouse.ca/boat-a ... uffle.html

however, 3 potential drawbacks...
1) anyone know if it will fit on the bow if it has too?
2) do these 'slat floors" suck, they look like they would.
3) no "v" keel , so it will not track well, . will it tow well, or really badly?


Thoughts?

We have a 9' West Marine inflatable with air deck floor and I have been able to place mine, fully inflated, on the bow deck of my .
Slat floor inflatables do kind of suck as they roll somewhat with a wave. Likely more suckish with a motor.

[NiceAft]

The low price, real dinghy I have been able to find is this guy.
http://www.adventurewarehouse.ca/boat-a ... uffle.html

however, 3 potential drawbacks...
1) anyone know if it will fit on the bow if it has too?
2) do these 'slat floors" suck, they look like they would.
3) no "v" keel , so it will not track well, . will it tow well, or really badly?


Thoughts?

We have a 9' West Marine inflatable with air deck floor and I have been able to place mine, fully inflated, on the bow deck of my .
Slat floor inflatables do kind of suck as they roll somewhat with a wave. Likely more suckish with a motor.

K9,
It appears that we have similar inflatable's. Mine is a 9' 6" Achilles. So do you believe that in some choppy water, or hitting a wake, your dinghy would pass the item #4 test. In a craft that small you also are going to get wet in anything but calm water.

Kevinnen,
The dinghy you're looking at is constructed of PVC. PVC does not wear as well as Hypalon or neoprene, but it does not cost as much either.
Ray

[K9Kampers]

K9,
It appears that we have similar inflatable's. Mine is a 9' 6" Achilles. So do you believe that in some choppy water, or hitting a wake, your dinghy would pass the item #4 test. In a craft that small you also are going to get wet in anything but calm water.

Ray

4) I don't want it to be too small - the wife needs to enjoy boating, and she has a very low tolerance for any sort of difficult, or unpleasant experience.

Mine is a 9' or 9'-6, I forget, but it is the longer of two that we were considering. My wife insisted on the larger one and it has worked out as the perfect size.

[Spector]

The low price, real dinghy I have been able to find is this guy.
http://www.adventurewarehouse.ca/boat-a ... uffle.html

I have the same one but branded different. I think they all come from the same chinese manufacturer.

Over all I'm happy with it. Tracking and towing are not an issue.
I broke one of the slats when stepping in. We've since changed to a HP air floor(see the link below). Great upgrade

For our level of use it fits the bill. We've towed it around the gulf islands fine. I think its a bit cumbersome to have on deck inflated. We deflate it and strap it to the fore deck if we are making a long passage.

http://www.aquamarineboat.com/index.php?mode=kat&id=36

[Highlander]

food for thought enjoy
http://www.cruisingworld.com/tenders-hard-vs-inflatable

J

[kevinnem]

Well I ended up buying it.. nothing say "we stand behind our product" ..like a "absolutely no returns policy".

I hope I don't also break one of the slats, but I resigned myself to the fact that if I do, I can still by an air floor, and come out ahead.

The thing didn't even come with a pump..

I now need to get an engine situation figured out.

I think I am going to have to give up the idea of planing around at any speed right away, . I am a big guy, and the 9.9hp engines seem to be kinda heavy.

so 5-6 or 3.5 class engines are what I will end up looking at. I was hoping that I would be able to have the dinghy motor double as a emergency back up for my big motor, that is no like 20 years old.... but a 3.5 isn't really going to do much in anything but the very lightest of beeze.

Thought on electric? , it seems from the videos I watched, it is very very under powered for the dinghy (useless for the mac). and is playing around with motor, and batteries, ... better or worse then ensuring gas engines work when you need them to?

[NiceAft]

When it comes to the size of the dinghy motor, strongly take into consideration what the weight is.

Since I don't know you, please don't take this as an insult, but just because you are a big guy, it doesn't mean you are accustomed to lifting heavy weights. It''s not your arms so much that matter, as much as your back. If you don't normally lift forty pounds or so on a somewhat regular basis, you might have a difficult time lifting a forty pound 6 HP four stroke from a dock while sitting in an unstable inflatable. The leverage on your back is immense.

My Achilles is rated for an eight HP outboard, but I bought a 6HP four stroke (quieter, but much heavier than a two stroke). I felt forty pounds was manageable.

Ray

P.S. My 6HP Mercury four stroke gets the 9.5' Achilles up on plane with both my wife and I onboard. It takes a bit of effort, but it gets there. It's been doing that for twelve seasons.

[kevinnem]

thanks for the heads up , .. no offense taken, dispite my age (35) I have a really bad knee and bad back. lifting heavy things in general isn't an issue, . but lifting heavy things, in awkward ways, on something that is shaking... vastly different situation.
Do you have a 6 hp that only runs in about 40 lbs, i thought that class was about 55 .. what do you have?

[NiceAft]

I purchased the 6HP MERCURY four stroke in 2005. The dealer told me that it weighed forty pounds. I never checked it out. I have never had any difficulty. If it weighs more, I have no idea how much more. I'm sixty-seven, I still handle it fine. Heck, the Achilles weighs seventy-five pounds.

Ray

[Highlander]

6hp Merc. 4 stroke dry weight is 57# , I know cause I have one too

J

[Sumner]

... lifting heavy things in general isn't an issue, . but lifting heavy things, in awkward ways, on something that is shaking... vastly different situation.
Do you have a 6 hp that only runs in about 40 lbs, i thought that class was about 55 .. what do you have?

I have a 5 HP Nissan, same motor as the Merc and mine weighs close to 60 also and I found it very hard at times to move it from the Mac S over the coaming and into the Zodiac if it was anything but calm conditions. I'd tie the Zodiac front and stern to the Mac but still with waves it was going up and down and fore/aft and bumping the side of the Mac and just not fun getting the outboard into and on the Zodiac. It is a long shaft so can power the Mac as a backup.

Then we bought a 40# 3.5 HP Tohatsu 4 stroke. It is much better and also a long shaft. I'm sure it would move the Mac in all but the most difficult situations and for them I'd try and stay anchored and wouldn't be running cuts unless it was at slack tide.



I made a side mount for it vs. the rear mount I had for the Nissan. Still it was hard getting it up off that mount standing down in the Zodiac as it did its dance. I rigged up a block and tackle with a 2:1 purchase and now it is pretty easy to take it on or off the mount and down to the dinghy floor and then onto the transom. My Zodiac has a wood floor (not slates) and it is nice when I want to set the bottom of the outboard on it before moving it to the transom or back up to the mount. The negative...



... of this floor is I can only inflate and put the floor in on land. Can't do it on the boat, so .....



.... the Zodiac is always towed behind the Mac. With the Endeavour it is on davits. There were a couple times I'd like to of put here away. If I got another for the Mac I think it would be a high pressure floor one and I'd take something along to protect the floor when putting the outboard on.

The Zodiac has the blow-up keel and with the high/large tubes is very stable in rough water and I feel it gives me some confidence that if something drastic happened to the Mac it could make out as a life raft and would trust it in those conditions over a hard sided dinghy but you won't row it in a wind for sure like you would with one of those,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[NiceAft]

Summer,

The question I have is, are there any scenarios of cruising for a week or more, where you would be comfortable towing the Zodiak with the motor attached? For example, the ICC?

Ray

[Sumner]

Summer,

The question I have is, are there any scenarios of cruising for a week or more, where you would be comfortable towing the Zodiak with the motor attached? For example, the ICC?

Ray

I personally haven't been comfortable towing with the outboard on the transom, but haven't tried it with the lighter 3 1/2 HP. Your results might be different. When I did try it it was with the heavier 5 HP outboard and I was towing from the front of the dinghy. The dinghy would pull with the bow very high.



I now tow the dinghy with the pull line pulling from the transom.



Now the tow rope pulls the bow down and it might be better. I didn't like towing as much as I do using the rings on the bow. I thought sooner or later I might pull them out but others have towed a long ways like that. Now the lines to the front tow rings are slack most of the time as you can see above.

I'd say give it ago and see what your results are,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Catigale]

Summer,

The question I have is, are there any scenarios of cruising for a week or more, where you would be comfortable towing the Zodiak with the motor attached? For example, the ICC?

Ray

I've towed the 10 foot boat with motor attached ( 4 HP Nissan 4 banger) around theCape in 2-3 foot chop, no problems.

It is both transom pinch mount and heavily lashed to the dinghy, and tipped up.

The Nissan 4 pushed our Mac home from Cuttyhunk to Westport in calm conditions , and then bucked a 4 knot ebb tide at the gut, so these kickers are useful as backups.

[NiceAft]

Summer,

The question I have is, are there any scenarios of cruising for a week or more, where you would be comfortable towing the Zodiak with the motor attached? For example, the ICC?

Ray

I've towed the 10 foot boat with motor attached ( 4 HP Nissan 4 banger) around theCape in 2-3 foot chop, no problems.

It is both transom pinch mount and heavily lashed to the dinghy, and tipped up.

The Nissan 4 pushed our Mac home from Cuttyhunk to Westport in calm conditions , and then bucked a 4 knot ebb tide at the gut, so these kickers are useful as backups.

Thanks.

Ray