Livingston 10 Experiences

[angus99]

We're considering a Livingston 10 with a 9.9 Yamaha 4 stroke as a dinghy for our Defever 44. We plan to use it extensively for exploring anchorages and fishing and would greatly appreciate the thoughts of any owners.

On paper it looks ideal for us, but one owner of a 2013 is not satisfied because his LV-10 won't plane with 400 lbs aboard and the prop cavitates a lot. Just wondering if others have had the same experience or have addressed the problem with different engines, props or trim tabs.

This is what I'm most interested in knowing:

-- what year is yours?
-- what engine?
-- does it plane quickly with 2 grown adults?
-- is it mostly a dry ride underway?
-- how does it handle chop?
-- does yours have any options? (Think we'll want seats)
-- could the boat, in your opinion, handle 12 or 15 hp?
-- do you primarily tow it when you're underway?

One final question I have is about how spray or rainwater water drains while it's behind the boat, but not being towed, or in the chocks. Do the drains only work while underway?

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

 

[siestakey]

We're considering a Livingston 10 with a 9.9 Yamaha 4 stroke as a dinghy for our Defever 44. We plan to use it extensively for exploring anchorages and fishing and would greatly appreciate the thoughts of any owners.

On paper it looks ideal for us, but one owner of a 2013 is not satisfied because his LV-10 won't plane with 400 lbs aboard and the prop cavitates a lot. Just wondering if others have had the same experience or have addressed the problem with different engines, props or trim tabs.

This is what I'm most interested in knowing:

-- what year is yours?
-- what engine?
-- does it plane quickly with 2 grown adults?
-- is it mostly a dry ride underway?
-- how does it handle chop?
-- does yours have any options? (Think we'll want seats)
-- could the boat, in your opinion, handle 12 or 15 hp?
-- do you primarily tow it when you're underway?

One final question I have is about how spray or rainwater water drains while it's behind the boat, but not being towed, or in the chocks. Do the drains only work while underway?

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

Our Dock Neighbor has the LV10 with center console and a bimini two person bench behind the center console

he has a 20hp on his

after riding in his I am thinking of getting the same very smooth ride

 

[Tomas]

We have a Livingston 10 with a Merc 9.9. Problem we have is the boat doesn't want to plane, doesn't feel as stable as a good inflatable and doesn't handle 4 adult passengers well. Saw one that had been modified with a 10 inch extension that performed very well, perhaps I'll make a similar modification. If I had it to do over again I would spend the extra money and buy a Caribe or AB RIB.

 

[angus99]

Wow! Didn't know they could handle that much power. Their site calls for 10 hp with tiller and up to 15 with the small "console" they offer. Thanks!

 

[hmason]

We researched dinghys for months. Decided on a center console Boston Whaler 110 Sport with a 25 Hp Mercury 4 stroke. Tows great, planes easily with 2 adults on board, much less expensive than a good center console inflateable. And, it will last forever. Interesting to note,is that we bought it through Costco.

 

[siestakey]

Wow! Didn't know they could handle that much power. Their site calls for 10 hp with tiller and up to 15 with the small "console" they offer. Thanks!

his does not have the little center console shown on the website he also has the entire bow fit with a platform and a snapdown cushion

 

[Tom.B]

We had one and we totally hated it. We had a 9hp Nissan on it and it would BARELY plane, and not every time either. Moreover, the shaft of the engine sits right between the pontoons and ours had a HUGE problem with a constant stream of water splashing back INTO the boat. it sucked so much we stopped using it. We'll never have one again. We'll opt for a small Whaler.

The good thing was that it did have a TON of inside space compared to inflatables.

 

[siestakey]

his does not have the little center console shown on the website he also has the entire bow fit with a platform and a snapdown cushion

I stand corrected his is the LV12

 

[angus99]

Not a lot of love for Livingstons around here. Not writing them off until I drive one, but I will expand my search to other brands--maybe the smaller Carolina Skiffs and Whalers. Thanks, all.

 

[Marin]

We have a 9' Livingston we bought new in 1998. We were not interested in planing, only stability and interior volume. To this end, the boat is superb. We wanted to keep the weight down so we fitted it with a 4hp, 4-stroke Yamaha. So we have zero complaints as far as what we want the boat to do and be.

But... when we get the time to take longer cruises up the coast, we will leave the Livingston home and tow a 10' Bullfrog with a 15 hp motor. Good friends have one and we think it's the best tender going in this size range.

We have no use for inlatable boats at all--- finite fabric life, limited interior volume, tubes suject to damage on our rocky, barnacle-encrusted shorelines, and other issues. That's why we opted for the Livinston when we needed a stable shoreboat for our cruiser.

But the Livingston in the smaller sizes is not the boat you want if you have to run long distances in choppy water to get supplies or in an emergency. Very low freeboard with a load in it, and its catamaran hull is not ideal for planing. The Bullfrog, in contrast, is the exact opposite.

So in summary and in our opinions, the smaller Livingstons are terrific shore boats for use in bays, anchorages, and marinas/harbors. But for a true tender/utility boat, I think there are better choices than the smaller Livingstons.

I don't know how Livinstons made by the current manufacturer compare to the ones made by the original manufacturer out here. But with the originals, if the boat was going to be carried on its side on a swimstep mount, it was critical to order the boat with the reinforced side option. Otherwise, over time the boat would start to sag and warp.

 

[Pgitug]

Our neighbor has a Livingston. The inside of his is like sitting in an egg carton. The newer open, flat interior models look like they would be more comfortable. Also there is spray coming up from behind the boat in your face because of the front of the outboard hitting the "Dead" water between the hulls. He had a plate installed in a failed attempt to block the stern spray. BUT, a very stable ride with reduced bow spray.