We prefer a hardshell dinghy over an inflatable or RIB for a number of reasons.After doing a fair amount of research into the pros and cons of fabric vs. hardshell dinghies, we installed a 9' Livingston on our boat about 16 years ago. It's a terrific shore/utility/fishing dinghy but it does have some limitations, specifically its freeboard when when it's carrying a heavier load.
If you plan on using a dinghy to go longer distances with a load in water that can be choppy or rough, the Livingston, at least in the smaller sizes, is not a particularly good choice in our opinions.
A far better choice for these conditions is the 10' Bullfrog. It has the floatation of an inflatable or RIB but not the finite life of a fabric-tube boat and it can be powered to be quite fast with a good ride. However they are fairly expensive new, and they are quite heavy for their size.
For utility work in calm or reasonably calm waters a Livingston is nigh on indestructible and it's extremely stable. Ours was made by the original manufacturer here in Washington State. The company has since been sold and Livingstons are now made somewhere on the east coast (I think). I do not know how the boats made today compare with the originals.
The photo shows our friend's 36' lobsterboat with their 10' Bullfrog on custom davits and (rafted outboard) our 36' boat with the 9' Livingston on the swimstep in Weaver Davits. To keep the weight on the swimstep down, we powered our Livingston with a 4hp 4-stroke Yamaha. IIRC, the 9' Livingston is rated for up to 10 hp.