Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-14-2014, 07:18 AM   #1
Guru
 
angus99's Avatar
 
City: Signal Mtn., TN
Vessel Name: Stella Maris
Vessel Model: Defever 44
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,742
Livingston 10 Experiences

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.
angus99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 07:31 AM   #2
Guru
 
siestakey's Avatar
 
City: Sarasota,FL/Thomasville,GA
Vessel Name: Steppin Stone IV
Vessel Model: Marine Trader Kelly Trawler 46
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by angus99 View Post
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
siestakey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 09:02 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Tomas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 207
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.
Tomas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 09:03 AM   #4
Guru
 
angus99's Avatar
 
City: Signal Mtn., TN
Vessel Name: Stella Maris
Vessel Model: Defever 44
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,742
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!
angus99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 11:30 AM   #5
Guru
 
hmason's Avatar
 
City: Stuart FL
Vessel Name: Lucky Lucky
Vessel Model: Pacific Mariner 65
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,760
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.
__________________
Howard
Lucky Lucky
Stuart, FL
hmason is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 12:07 PM   #6
Guru
 
siestakey's Avatar
 
City: Sarasota,FL/Thomasville,GA
Vessel Name: Steppin Stone IV
Vessel Model: Marine Trader Kelly Trawler 46
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by angus99 View Post
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
siestakey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 01:56 PM   #7
Guru
 
Tom.B's Avatar
 
City: Cary, NC
Vessel Name: Skinny Dippin'
Vessel Model: Navigator 4200 Classic
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,841
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.
__________________
2000 Navigator 4200 Classic
(NOT a trawler)
Tom.B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 04:24 PM   #8
Guru
 
siestakey's Avatar
 
City: Sarasota,FL/Thomasville,GA
Vessel Name: Steppin Stone IV
Vessel Model: Marine Trader Kelly Trawler 46
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,815
Quote:
Originally Posted by siestakey View Post
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
siestakey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 09:01 PM   #9
Guru
 
angus99's Avatar
 
City: Signal Mtn., TN
Vessel Name: Stella Maris
Vessel Model: Defever 44
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,742
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.
angus99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2014, 11:10 PM   #10
Scraping Paint
 
City: -
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 13,745
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.
Marin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2015, 08:37 PM   #11
Guru
 
Pgitug's Avatar
 
City: Punta Gorda, fl
Vessel Name: Escapade
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 37 2002
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,231
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.
Pgitug is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:33 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012