How big/heavy is your dinghy?

[aya16]

Because the cleats on the mac are so weak I just put the towline in my teeth when it starts to pull to hard I slow down.

[DLT]

You will be my new hero if you can do that and tow at 15 mph...

[aya16]

frank good thing I over slept by 5 min, I was going to bid 180.00 10 seconds before the close for that great deal you got. I never bid so congrats.

[Frank C]

I just won my ebay bid on the Sevylor, $293 USD with shipping. My other choice would have been the Achilles LT-2 for $800.

Earlier in this thread we discussed bidding against each other on eBay. Well I just went ahead and bid on an 8-foot Sevy Runabout. Hope I was not bidding against anyone here, but it was close to the auction's end at only $20. I put in a last second bid and won the dinghy.

This is the same style that BobbyT and David reported on. The 8 footer is now being closed-out by Sevylor many of them shown at Buy-now prices of $240, plus $53 shipping (hence David's cost quoted above @ $293).

This particular boat was advertised as, "New, but with no oars," so I bid 80 bucks below Sevy's std price. It was just enough to beat another bid at $150. My cost is $152 plus shipping, total $205. So, while I surely don't need them all, I now have four (4) inflatables !!
... two yaks, a Caravelle and now the Sevy Runabout Hmmmm.

My message is two-fold ... (1) hope I didn't snag it from someone here;
(2) they're decent dinks at fantastic prices, even lower than Sevy's close-out prices!

ETA: Mike, I was editing this post to add more details, you apparently saw the first version and answered the question before it appeared!!! Don't quit ... Sevy is still listing many others, too, at very low starting price of $10. (also, check for a PM)

[aya16]

I dont need it but like you, saw the no researve price and watched it.
you didnt snag it from me. I too have many dinghys. but good job I think you got a great deal. My ebay name sogpaintball

[DLT]

I bid lowball, and was high bidder at ~$20, but you were not the only one that wanted it more than me... So, no harm...

[Frank C]

There were only 8 individual bidders, 2 from here means 25%.
If aya had bid, this forum would have been one-third of the bidders.
It's obvious that our recent forum discussions had highlighted that product, but ...
hmmmm - pretty interesting ratios.

[blanton]

skiff pix:

http://web.mac.com/blanton/iWeb/Site/PW ... %2706.html

We carry as many as five of the Alpacka rafts on board at any given time. At 5 lbs. a piece that's not much of a burden. We've at least one of each color, size and style. These are real boats built to last a lifetime.

The Alpacka Dory would make a fine tender for two and tips the scales at
5 & 1/2 lbs.

http://www.alpackaraft.com/Site/Items.cfm?ItemID=22

Our larger tender is last year's 8' Avon (sold by West marine) Hypalon RIB with a folding transom (~80 lbs). The folding transom means it will fold flat andn go in a bag. I'm gonna bolt some of these to her transom for ease in beaching and dragging up the boat launch ramps to the van.

http://www.eideboatloader.com/wheels.html#

BTW, Hypalon RIBs will last for many years in the sun, the deep V keel tracks well under tow at about and speed or sea state. The fiberglass bottom can be beached with impunity.

I always replace the soft-mounted bridle attachment rings with a hard mount seriously back-plated bow eye for towing with impunity in almost any conditions. My previos Avon's bow eye was probably 8 times stronger than the Mac's which has NO backing at all. That's hard for me to believe that it has no backing and as I go through the boat I'll back-plate just about anything I can get at.

I've got a bow eye for the new Avon that's probably spec'd for a 40 ft. sailboat.

Naiad RIBs use two butyl-rubber inner tubes and PVC outer covers. The inner tubes are fairly easily accessed for repair or replacement. The aluminum hulled deep V Naiads http://www.naiad.co.nz/Showroom/Range/3-8T.html
are nearly indestructable blue water boats. I used to have a 3.8 which saw extreme duty in the Gulf of Alaska in the winter. A well maintained Naiad can last a lifetime. Currently they are available from New Zealand. They used to have a small factory here in Anchorage. There are still quite a few in the neighborhood.

Trying to decide between a Suzuki 2.5 or 6 for the 8' Avon. If there was room on the stern of the M for a reasonable kicker bracket (I've got an idea there...) I'd hang the six on the M and tow the Avon with the 2.5 shipped to her transom. When towing an inflatable in any weather I remove the transom plus so can self-bail.

I hustled to get the last of the eight foot hypalon boats as this years equiv. is a longer PVC boat by Zodiac.

As a tender for my Bristol Bay gilnet vessel I used an Avon 8 ft. RIB with a 15 hp two stroke Evinrude. That combo would skitter across the top of the water with quite a load aboard.

We almost exclusively tow with 5/8 yellow poly except when she goes on top of the van.

Our van, "the pig" sometimes draws more water than the Mac.

http://homepage.mac.com/blanton/PhotoAlbum26.html

I've sometimes wondered what it might be like towing the Mac during some of bolder fords the pig (herself a ford) has negociated (I've had the pig's bow wave come in my driver's side window)

I can picture the Mac and trailer floating behind the pig.

For folks who prefer to ship their tender on the fore-deck I've always thought the Porta-Bote to be decent choice. They are lightweight, durable, fold FLAT, and offer near-instant set up.

http://www.porta-bote.com/

[James V]

blanton - Thanks for the advice. I was wanting a dinghy with a motor. The rocky waters and beachs look like a threat for the inflatable tubes. Have you had or do you know of anyone that has had problems with the tubes?

[blanton]

James, what we have mostly here in South Central Alaska is rocky waters with 20-30 ft. tidal ranges and rocky beaches often composed of sharp shards of shale or other rock.

In years of experience wih RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boats) ... inflatables with inflatable side tubes and rigid fiberglass or welded aluminum bottoms V-bottoms I've not had problems with the Hypalon (used by Avon) hull material. PVC material as used by Zodiac is comparable. Naiad uses a PVC outer tube that slides into a slot along the length of the aluminum gunales. Within the very durable but replaceable/repairable PVC outer tubes reside replaceable/repairable rubber air bladders.

The RIBs because of their rigid deep V bottoms are unexcelled as sea boats and with the transom plug pulled are self-bailing. It's my opinion that they would make good lifeboats even in significant storm states. In a storm I'd pull the plus letting water flow in for ballast. When towing one of these in a storm I always pull the transom plug.

Rocky shores with tough skinned the Alpacka rafts are no issue at all as one can easily carry the 6 lb. vessel inshore.