Plastimo Hard Dinghy

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HopCar

HopCar

Guru
Joined
Aug 20, 2011
Messages
5,308
Vessel Name
Possum
Vessel Make
Ellis 28
Hi Guys! I'm looking for a hard dinghy to sell in my store. I'm thinking of importing the plastic boats made in France by Plastimo.
I'd really like your opinion on if they would sell in the USA or not.

They make them in four sizes of roughly 7 foot, 8 foot, 9 foot and 10 foot.
The following prices are what I think they would have to sell for in the US.
The sizes shown are rounded up to the next even foot.

PRS210 $675.00 (7 foot)
PRS245 $799.00 (8 foot)
PRD260 $1050.00 (9 foot)
PRD300 $1150.00 (10 foot)

They appeal to me. I really like the looks and that they have a wheel built into the bottom. I can see throwing one on the roof of my car and launching it just about anywhere. The 8 foot would fit nicely across the transom of my Ellis, Possum.

They look like they might row reasonably well and they have a neat way to store the oars aboard.

Here is a link to the Plastimo online catalog. Plastimo

Follow the link, click on the little boat picture on the right of the screen, flip through the pages to page 142.

Tell me what you think. Are they a good value compared to other plastic boats currently available in the USA? Do they look good to your eye?
 
Parks:

Sorry to say that I find them ugly. Like something that you'd find in a kiddie swimming pool. Can't say about their seaworthiness or how well they row,

Walker Bay makes dinghies that can be had in the same price range discounted through Defender or others. While I don't particularly like them either, they look better than the Plastimo to me.

A very popular dinghy around here is the Puffin. They used to be sort of in the same price range as the Plastimo but they are now being made by a new owner of the molds and the prices seem to have gone up. But maybe they are looking for dealers?
 
dwhatty said:
Parks:

Sorry to say that I find them ugly. Like something that you'd find in a kiddie swimming pool. Can't say about their seaworthiness or how well they row,
Click to expand...

ditto...boats should be pretty...
 
This one blew in over the last couple of days. I found it bouncing around between my boat and and the boat next to me. No identification on it.
 

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Hi David, You have better taste in boats than I do! Puffin is beautiful. Kind of a poor man's Trinka. They are fiberglass rather than plastic which would explain the price difference.

I think the Plastimo would probably be competing with the Walker Bay rather than a pretty boat like Puffin.

I'm thinking that the 8' Plastimo (PRS245) may be less tippy than the 8' Walker Bay.
If I did the math right, the Plastimo has a beam of 58 inches and hard chines.
The Walker Bay has a beam of 50 inches and soft chines. I think that's why they made inflatable tubes to strap on the sides.


The PRS245 has a load capacity of 250 kg vs. the 8' Walker at 170 kg.
 
The virtually indestructible plastic dinghy is dinghy of choice for cruisers and houseboat charter companies here. My marina had a number of them for users convenience, as well as for hire boats. Many seemed to get waterlogged, becoming heavy and hard to control, due to being double skinned and water getting between the 2 skins, presumably from damage to the outer skin, probably due to abuse because of the apparent indestructibility.
They row ok, if not waterlogged. I think that even not waterlogged, they are quite heavy, but that might be because I never met one that wasn`t.
 
It took two guys to haul the one in the picture out of the water.
 
HopCar said:
Hi Guys! I'm looking for a hard dinghy to sell in my store. I'm thinking of importing the plastic boats made in France by Plastimo.
I'd really like your opinion on if they would sell in the USA or not.

They make them in four sizes of roughly 7 foot, 8 foot, 9 foot and 10 foot.
The following prices are what I think they would have to sell for in the US.
The sizes shown are rounded up to the next even foot.

PRS210 $675.00 (7 foot)
PRS245 $799.00 (8 foot)
PRD260 $1050.00 (9 foot)
PRD300 $1150.00 (10 foot)

They appeal to me. I really like the looks and that they have a wheel built into the bottom. I can see throwing one on the roof of my car and launching it just about anywhere. The 8 foot would fit nicely across the transom of my Ellis, Possum.

They look like they might row reasonably well and they have a neat way to store the oars aboard.

Here is a link to the Plastimo online catalog. Plastimo

Follow the link, click on the little boat picture on the right of the screen, flip through the pages to page 142.

Tell me what you think. Are they a good value compared to other plastic boats currently available in the USA? Do they look good to your eye?
Click to expand...

:nonono:
 
"I think that even not waterlogged, they are quite heavy, "
The 8 footer is about 90 pounds. The Walker Bay is 19 pounds lighter.
Is the Walker Bay single skinned? It's been a long time since I looked at them.
 
You should carry those portable Navlights in their catalogue.
 
David, behave yourself. I don't need no blue faced shaking heads staring at me!
 
Thanks Oliver, I'll take a look at them.
Are you and your Dad coming down for the Miami Boat Show?
 
HopCar said:
"I think that even not waterlogged, they are quite heavy, "
The 8 footer is about 90 pounds. The Walker Bay is 19 pounds lighter.
Is the Walker Bay single skinned? It's been a long time since I looked at them.
Click to expand...
Parks, a Walker Bay dinghy attached to another boat was nudging our bow at the NYE fireworks. Looked single skin, but floatation tubes must affect durability. At one point it had 4 guys sit in it, sat low, didn`t sink.
 
I know you need something that will move off the shelf but the Possum deserves one of these .
 

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Parks, Don't forget that momma has to like it too, and the colors are NOT going to appeal to the fair sex. (And it's ugly). I really like the Puffin tho'. Ben
 
Sorry Parks, they don't appeal to me either.
 
Have you considered Livingston? The 10 ft is a very capable well constructed boat and made in America.

Livingston Boats

I own one but have no affiliation with Livingston or any other boating sales related companies.
 
Oliver, yes we have a room upstairs in the convention center and my guys will be running the Gill booth at the sailboat show.

David, you did see the smiley face on my post concerning blue face shakey head?

Pack mule, I've loved Trinka for more than twenty years. Maybe Mark would give me a deal for old times sake. I used to see him at the Miami show each year but I don't think he exhibits there anymore.

You guys are giving me great feed back. I guess I won't bring in a container load of them. Maybe ask them to bring me a couple in their next shipment so I can get a look at them. The color bothers me too.

I might go ask the question over on the Cruisers Forum. I bet sailors, never mind, I was going to make a joke about sailors, but they're my friends too. Go ahead and make your own joke:D
 
Northern Spy said:
The color is a tad froggy.
Click to expand...


The color may be froggy...

The look is fughly..

One would need to leave one's sense of pride on their big boat when they stepped (or slunk) into that abomination.


HOLLYWOOD
 
Wow Hollywood! Let your feelings out. If you keep holding in you'll explode!
I'm not going to defend the looks, you guys are right, but a lot of you guys own inflatables because they're practical, not pretty.

CP, I'm having fun! This is actually the reaction I expected. The high class guys on this forum would never be caught dead in a plastic boat.
 
The Aussie poly boats were all a red color, which faded with time. They were not Plastimo, a name like Roto Mill comes to me, but I can`t verify it. An owner maintained one might be fine, but most owners would go for an inflatable and/or a f/g one.
 
HopCar said:
Wow Hollywood! Let your feelings out. If you keep holding in you'll explode!
I'm not going to defend the looks, you guys are right, but a lot of you guys own inflatables because they're practical, not pretty.

CP, I'm having fun! This is actually the reaction I expected. The high class guys on this forum would never be caught dead in a plastic boat.
Click to expand...



Now just hold on a minute.... who are you calling high class??

see attached pic from our last Yacht Club cruise....

HOLLYWOOD
 

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Hollywood, dems my kind of folks.
 
Parks,
I still have this Walker Bay . Pretty sure it's single skin .
 

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I like the idea (and price) of a plastic dink- just never found one the seemed to hit all the marks I was hoping for. One was having enough strength for a Weaver snap Davit system. Rated capacity was not quite what I was hoping as well. We like to shuttle 4 adults at a time when we get out to Ship Island.
At the same time, I bet Parks is looking for a product to introduce to the US market. Carrying an existing line means too much competition and minimal profit!


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's
✌️
 
have you looked at Bic boats? Yep the same guys as the lighters and pens. they also have a very popular line of SUP boards if were considering taking something like that on too.
 
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