Dinghy Options? (Hoist or Tow)

[Dano]

We are getting ready to go and pick-up a 26x and are looking for a viable dingy solution. I do not want to tow behind because we will be spending most of our time in the Sea of Cortez and down to PV.

The gentleman who we are purchasing the boat from used a "Porta Bote" but it is not included in the sale. It is one of those hard collapsable boats. He said that it stored nicely strapped to the starboard aft side of the boat.

I am not familiar with these, so if anyone has any feedback on them or any other suggestions on a good dingy solution that would be greatly appreciated.
Dano

[Andy26M]

Dano -

I have one of the 8-foot porta-bote dinghys and I can say that I love it. There is no doubt that the boat itself stores on deck when folded - picture a somewhat heavy surfboard that is 8 feet long (for the 8' version - they have them up to 16' I believe). However (there is always a caveat!) in addition to the boat, you will also have to carry the rigid plastic seats and transom, plus the oars.

The other issue with a porta-bote is that I cannot see any chance that you can unfold it and set it up on the foredeck of a Mac - at least not without scratching and banging the heck out of both boats. So, I don't think it is the solution if you want to pull into an anchorage and go ashore without ever actually bringing the "mothership" to shore at least briefly.

My mode of usage is to car-top the porta-bote to wherever I am trailering the Mac, unfold the porta-bote on shore, and then tow it behind the Mac. The porta-bote tows very well provided you put some weight in the stern to get its' bow up a little bit.

- Andy

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

[Frank C]

Portabote is a subset of the "dinghy" discussion, which has numerous camps. You can find tons of prior threads with terrific, detailed discussions. Search on portabote or dinghy for a dozen threads and maybe 3 hours of reading. My SWAG at an overall summary of those various discussions might be . . .

Hard Dinghy, hard Kayak or Inflatable?

• The Mac is so light and small that stowage is a problem, even for the collapsible portabote;
• Assembly of the portabote on-board the Mac is 'problematic;'
  ( I.E. Andy's comments above )
• Most don't want to slow down enough for towing;
• (But owners rave that towing the portabote is easy);
• A dedicated few believe in hard dinks or portabote,
  but the majority feel they are too difficult to carry/stow;
• If choosing a hard kayak, plastic is less punishing to Mac than fiberglass;
• Overall, the majority seem to favor the inflatables.

Inflatable dinghy or kayak?
Personal preference. Kayaks might be smaller, easier to paddle and more fun ...
but they carry much less cargo or crew and you'll get a wet butt.
(I have both an inflatable dink and inflatable kayak.)

Hypalon, PVC or ???
A sub-category of inflatables is the Seahawk line (and similar) available for ~ $150. They are made of light plastic material, without a nylon overlay, don't have hard floors ... making them much less stable or durable.

Hypalon is the long-range cruisers' choice, much more expensive and durable. The Mac isn't an ideal long-range boat anyhow, and Hypalon is very expensive, so it's a rare Mac'r's choice.
EditoAdd: just noticed you'll be in Mexico. Hypalon's compelling advantages are durability with UV resistance, clearly an issue for you. Assuming it is generally stowed below decks, PVC has the cost advantage. But if your boat must be stowed on deck, spending extra for Hypalon means long-term durability and it could save money in the long run.

Hypalon is a trademark for chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) synthetic rubber (CSM) noted for its resistance to chemicals, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet light. It is a product of DuPont Performance Elastomers, a subsidiary of DuPont. Along with PVC, it is one of the most common materials used to make boats for rafting and folding kayaks. It is also used in roofing materials.

PVC with a fabric overlay is the inexpensive, fairly durable "dink du jour." Most of these are now made in China and marketed by myriad USA retailers. There's a company on eBay called Affordable Inflatables that sells the 8-footers by the thousands (same as Baltik?) at about $500, including many in this Forum, a great choice for a Mac. Another China-brand is Maxxon, probably a bit more costly since they are distributed by brick'n mortar boat stores (these are all Air Decks, see below).

You'll see in your search that some of us chose a Sevylor product called Sevytex (SVX 250). It was a short-term PVC product line, made in China on behalf of Sevylor by the Zodiak Group. Sevylor closed them out last year, at which point the basic 8.5-footer was as cheap as $200 - I got one just before they ended (pretty close to the same thing as the $500 Baltik). You might occasionally find one on eBay.

Hard floor or Air Deck?
A hard floor greatly improves stability and potential speed, and it's a req'mt if you plan to use a kicker. Options are roll-up slats, plywood inserts or the newer choice, a high-pressure air deck. Everyone who's had them seems to decry wooden floors. They are heavy and a pain to assemble or stow. The Air Deck is probably the best answer.

Oars or kicker?
Everybody starts with oars. Just one afternoon session padding against the wind and most elect to start shopping for a small outboard, also called a 'kicker.' You can carry your inflatable for years and never face an afternoon wind ... long delaying that expenditure of another BoatBuck.


(Search terms: dink, dinghy, porta-bote, portabote, porta bote, baltik, affordable, maxxon, sevytek, sevytex )

[Dano]

Gentleman thanks for the information, it is really enlightening. I have to admit that this web site is like no other I have ever seen. The information is unbelievable, and the participation is remarkable. I have spent hours reading and feel as though I already know some of the members. Once again thanks.

[Gazmn]

Just my .02,

I have an 8' Porta-bote that I've assembled on the forward deck. Be careful of the mac windows and cradle the Porta-bote bow within the Mac's bow. I did this while mastless. This may have given me room I would not have otherwise had. But it is still quite doable.

Since I only use the aft berth for storage I didn't have a problem storing all the extra parts. A big dufflebag, 60" long does wonders. Look on ebay for that - as well as a Porta-bote.

-Gaz

[James V]

Every dinghy has its own special needs. A hard dinghy has its pros. If you can travel with it on top of the tow. It might be better for you.

I was going to tow the dinghy all the time anyway so I bought the Portland Pudghy. Does not spring a leak. Banged it against nails etc....

Soft dinghys are best for soft, sandy coast.

[eric3a]

..

[aya16]

dano welcome to mac world.
You didnt say how many will be using the dinghy, or if you wanted a motor or not.

But exploring and shore boat for two, you cant go wrong with an 8.5 inflatable like Frank was talking about. The air floor is best I think (less weight and easier to set up) I have the 9.5 baltic and a 6.5 baltic air floors. we (two) use the 6.5 more because its easy to toss around. But its used for a shore boat mostly. I have a 4hp 2 stroke outboard that weighs 29 pounds I use on either boat. Some have bought the 2.5 suz 4 stroke outboard and love them at 29 pounds they are a good choice too.

A good electric air pump makes life better with the inflatable. But most any boat will do for just a shore boat. But if you want to explore the porta boat or min. 8.5 inflatable with outboards would make good choice.

and there will be times you want to tow it. (short trips from a-b)

[dthomas]

We have a Baltik dinghy from Affordable Inflatables too, and have been very pleased with it. One thing - this seems like a no-brainer, but makes a big difference - make sure it is fully inflated! I was overly careful when I was inflating mine and wasn't getting good performance (hull flexing, poor stability, etc). We purchased a manometer from Defender ($20.95) and discovered it wasn't even half inflated! The tubes and air floor "seemed" full, but they weren't full enough. When we brought the air pressure closer to the spec, the whole boat seemed to change - much faster, much more stable, and easier to pick up and move. Funny what a difference a little bit of air makes!

I second the comment about the quality of this board! Even though I'm no longer a trailersailor, I continue to haunt these boards. The quality of discussion here is just great and many of the discussion topics are still applicable to my Beneteau (except for the big outboard motor discussions, lol).

Dean Thomas
Formerly 1999 MacGregor 26X Lion's Paw
Now 2001 Beneteau 361 Second Wind

[Ivan Awfulitch]

Anyone have experience with Air Aquatics (Seattle WA) inflatables? They seem to be competitively priced, and offer free shipping. I'm considering this 10' 9" model as it seems to be fairly competitively priced ($950) compared to the Baltik boats on Ebay which have a $150 shipping charge.
http://www.airaquatics.net/store/index. ... ucts_id=62

[Rich Walton]

I got the Sevytex (SVX 250). for $180 off ebay after Frank pointed out on one of his posts
I love it.

[mike uk]

I recently bought a 2.3 metre inflatable dinghy with inflatable airdeck and roundtail as opposed to wooden transom. There's a stainless steel bracket that fits over the roundtail for the motor when required.

The unexpected benefit of the roundtail is that the whole thing can be deflated and rolled and will stow under the helm seat.

A friend tried his 2.0 metre with wooden transom and it wouldn't fit - the fixed transom width is just too wide.

Mike

[ssichler]

Anyone have experience with Air Aquatics (Seattle WA) inflatables? They seem to be competitively priced, and offer free shipping. I'm considering this 10' 9" model as it seems to be fairly competitively priced ($950) compared to the Baltik boats on Ebay which have a $150 shipping charge.
http://www.airaquatics.net/store/index. ... ucts_id=62

Looks very similiar to my Baltik except for the fuel can tie downs.

[waternwaves]

do you know of an american or canadien built boat?

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

I got the Sevytex (SVX 250). for $180 off ebay after Frank pointed out on one of his posts
I love it.

I've had my SVX 250 for a couple of years now.
inflated, it fit's nicely on the bow while motoring or sailing for ease of use.
very lightweight.
handles my Suzi 2.5hp too!

Bob T.
"DāBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI (14" x 11 pitch)
Dinghy Motor: '06 2.5-Suzuki