Choosing a hard dinghy

[Ruffryder]

I tow it at 15knots no problem (see pic) except In bigger confused seas where the the dink starts to jerk a little bit. When that occurs, I stow it on davits. (See pic) It has ample flotation and a harder/sharper degree chine than the dyers, so it is a little more stable. Also, the flotation chambers are great. You can pull the plug at the dock and it will only sink up to the flotation chambers.

I redid an old 12 foot dinghy, so might part with this one. Located in NYC. (New dinghy pic below with old evinrude)

Your dinghy is almost big as your boat?

 

[fsarcone]

Whaler 9’ or 11’

If you intend to store it on its side ensure it’s strong enough to do so.

West Marine dingy not recommended for storing on its side.

I’m restoring an old 9’ Boston Whaler now.

 

[rslifkin]

Whaler 9’ or 11’

If you intend to store it on its side ensure it’s strong enough to do so.

West Marine dingy not recommended for storing on its side.

I’m restoring an old 9’ Boston Whaler now.

I've ruled out Whalers, as even the small ones are quite heavy. And no concerns about storing it on its side, as I definitely won't be storing one on Weaver davits or anything like that.

 

[Nickair]

I have wanted a 15' to 18' Whitehall for years. They look like a great rowing and sailing boat.
Has anyone been able to fit one onto a reasonable size mother ship?

My Dad had a Whitehall rowing boat. It handled 4’ waves, had two rowing stations, tracked straight and glided very well with each oar stroke. It looked good too. I wanted to take it on my boat as a tender, but it was too heavy and awkward to hoist on deck and too big for transom. Towing it was an option and I had towed a RHI with good success after a learning curve. I have wanted a Whitehall ever since, but they are too long to be a practical tender on boats under 40’.

14′ Whitehall | Gig Harbor Boat Works

Note: Gig Harbor Boats have a 9.5’ that may fit for a tender and allows a sail kit if desired.

.

 

[Jay N]

NSpy says: I love my Ranger Minto dinghy. I will row it for miles. Sails on it's ear too. Tows fine with a centerboard plug. Looks great too. Bought a new set of Barkley Sound Oars with leathers for it last year.

Doubt he'd find one near Rochester as it is a NW boat.



Here's a pic of my Minto, a 1981 version built in Babylon, New York by Seahawk Marine.

Not sure how many were built in New York, this is hull 3. Also have no idea how it found it's way to PNW.

Sorry about the upside down pic, I reformatted it and rotated/resaved it numerous times, no change in appearance.

 

[Jay N]

This is better!

 

[Northern Spy]

Jay,

My new and old oars.

Mike

 

[firstbase]

This is better!

Looks too heavy to be self-righting but....there you go. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

 

[Wayfarer]

So I may not have the dinghy yet, but I decided last night what to name it. The boat is "Hour Glass", so the dinghy will be "Pint Glass"

Excellent. I was just thinking about my future dinghy, and decided she'll be called Aluminum Falcon. I thought about calling Sylphide by that name, but decided not to change it. It's too good not to use, though. I love it, lol.

 

[rslifkin]

Excellent. I was just thinking about my future dinghy, and decided she'll be called Aluminum Falcon. I thought about calling Sylphide by that name, but decided not to change it. It's too good not to use, though. I love it, lol.

That's a great one too! In my case, the name follows a family tradition of subtly punny boat naming. This boat used to belong to my grandparents. Their previous (wood) boat was "All Hours" (came with the name) with a dinghy named "Wee Hours". When they bought this boat, they settled on the name "Hour Glass" as in "our first fiberglass boat" with a tribute to the spelling of the old name.

 

[Bryant]

Dinghy

You can always get a tube for the Walker Bay to increase carrying capacity... and a sail kit if so inclined.... If you look at my avatar you can see it on the roof of my GW. It was light enough that I could lift it and put it on the roof single handed. One caveat to the WB is that it was tough to clean...

^ He is exactly right. I have a 25 year old Walker Bay 8 on my GB 36. It's practically indestructible, good looking, weighs 86 lbs so it's easy to handle and you can row it or get the sailing kit if you are interested and the tube makes it the cheapest RIB on the market. I have a 2.5 Suzuki motor for it which weighs 27 lbs. I have a dinghy rack on top of my boat which I can use for long passages. I use the boom to lift it aboard. Most of the time I have a system on my swim platform, that I bought from Defender, that allows me to hook it up by it's transom to the swim platform and then lift it out of the water by the bow. Works great. You can't go wrong with a Walker Bay 8, IMO.

 

[Northern Spy]

Completing the thread hijack. Jay N got me motivated to finally get the leather on the oars.

Take the clamps off after a sit overnight, wax them up and give them a try tomorrow evening.

rslifkin, be sure to get a good set of oars with whatever you buy. Makes a noticable difference.

 

[Group9]

Whaler 9’ or 11’

If you intend to store it on its side ensure it’s strong enough to do so.

West Marine dingy not recommended for storing on its side.

I’m restoring an old 9’ Boston Whaler now.

We took our 11 Whaler to the Bahamas twice. It was sure nice, when the inflatable people were freaking out about upturned outboard motors, razor sharp iron shore beaches, and nails sticking out on old wooden piers, to know our Whaler was going to win those battles every time!

We looked for a 9, but as rare as the old 11's are, the 9's are even harder to find, at least one for sale!

 

[Nomad Willy]

Spy,
Love your leather covers.
I have three sets of oars. One a cheapie for the 10’ OB dink. Another cheapie w very fat blades ... probably 1/2” on the edge. Then I also have a pair of Shaw & Tenney oars. Nice ash oars w the blade edges about 1/8” wide. But the ST (Shaw & Tenney) oars are flawed. One oar is curved or warped from age or being stored wrong. These S&T oars came w the 12’ rowboat that bought last fall. It was used as a dinghy/launch for a 140’ barge for hauling fish. I suspect the oars were left in the rowboat, perhaps w something heavy resting on them. But however it happened one oar is not straight. As a result I’m going to pin the oars. By that I mean to install a pin through the oarlocks (bronze) high enough to allow plenty of vertical movement of the oars. Also I need to drill small holes (5/32nd”) in dia at the right place along the oar. Also the holes must be drilled exactly at 90 degrees to the blades.

I don’t like to pin the oars but unless I can straighten the warped oar quickly (which is not the case) I either need to pin the oars or buy a new pair. Since I plan to buy a new pair after the virus issue is over or the economy is stabilized or mostly recovered. Our economical situation is not good now.

So I’m going to pin the oars, finish work on the modified trailer and use them that way for the summer. Trailer is not a galvanized boat trailer and it’s now got lots of plain grade 2 zinc bolts and screws .. even unfinished cedar I brought down from Alaska. Crude in a word. But I’ll be using the boat this summer. Should work fine for even longer than that. Not much though but if I need to I can paint the rowboat and re-fasten the trailer.

 

[gwbullis]

Dinghy use

I would not limit your projected use being ship to shore and back. Get yourself something to be comfortable in when you take those off course exploration rides to find out “what’s over there” and end up around a few nooks and crannies not anticipated. And or with room for a soft sided cooler always comes in handy. You will thank yourself later.

 

[Nomad Willy]

GW,
You’re describing a “launch” or run-about. Dinghy is a shore boat and is powered by oars unless the skipper is handicapped. My definition of dinghy is a rather strict definition but “joy riding” is not the work of a dinghy.

But even if oar powered only I’ve never had a dinghy that I haven’t done some exploring or joy riding with. The names of things trawler including trawler itself is not a black and white line but varying grey space. Just don’t be calling your trawler a cruiser .. haha.

So most things can or often do “change hats” .... I may go to the store in my imaginary sports car.

 

[rslifkin]

I would not limit your projected use being ship to shore and back. Get yourself something to be comfortable in when you take those off course exploration rides to find out “what’s over there” and end up around a few nooks and crannies not anticipated. And or with room for a soft sided cooler always comes in handy. You will thank yourself later.

I would always reserve the option to stick an outboard on any dinghy I buy in case I do find myself in an area where I want to explore further with the dinghy. I just don't want to be forced to carry around the extra weight, fuel, etc. all the time. For the most part, unless we're talking about somewhere very shallow, I can always explore a bit with the big boat on the way in or out of somewhere.

 

[Nomad Willy]

If I had a bigger boat (think 36’) I’d probably have an aluminum boat like a basic Lund. Twelve to 14’. The planing and light hull won’t require much power so one can (w 2 people) carry (after removing the OB) the launch or dinghy up the beach above high tide. If you can’t do that your ship to shore capability is so limited you essentially don’t have a dinghy.

Rslifkin,
“Case”? Case of what .. spark plugs

 

[rbcooper]

Whaly boats

Well I'm surprised no one has mentioned these boats as an alternative.

https://www.whaly.com/en/whaly_2101.html

Ugly as sin but they meet all of the OP's requirements and row as well as any 8 foot dinghy could. Made of a single roto-molded hull. Stable and indestructible. I wouldn't choose one of the outlandish colors but the grey or white hull would match with most boats out there. They carry a heavy load like an inflatable but still have more available interior space than most inflatables. Made in the Netherlands and used around the world. A bit heavier than an aluminium rib but manageable for most davits.

One of our contributors has one (Murray?). Sold in the US by a company in Florida.

RB Cooper

 

[firstbase]

Well I'm surprised no one has mentioned these boats as an alternative.

https://www.whaly.com/en/whaly_2101.html

Ugly as sin but they meet all of the OP's requirements and row as well as any 8 foot dinghy could. Made of a single roto-molded hull. Stable and indestructible. I wouldn't choose one of the outlandish colors but the grey or white hull would match with most boats out there. They carry a heavy load like an inflatable but still have more available interior space than most inflatables. Made in the Netherlands and used around the world. A bit heavier than an aluminium rib but manageable for most davits.

One of our contributors has one (Murray?). Sold in the US by a company in Florida.

RB Cooper

7' version is $1,500. Sold by a company in Sarasota. They have other models as well. I thought about one for a while but still have a Zodiac. Issue was that my wife saw the picture of the Whaly.

 

[Jay N]

Eric.


What the *** happened to the bow fender in your pic in post #104?

Looks like a close encounter with a fish net of some sort!

You need a tire or something up forward.


(Sorry about the thread drift)

 

[Nomad Willy]

Jay N,
It’s a commercial fender made out of old line. Old tug boats have really big ones. It’s kind-of a weave w knots.
I bought the boat from a man that went to Bristol Bay every year. He was the captain of a 140’ barge .. to haul fish I assume. This boat is a Gig Harbor Boat Works boat. 12’ long sold w multiple purposes in mind. The usual rowing, OB power and sails. He bought it new as a rowboat w the dagger board trunk plugged. Fine. Saves me the trouble.
It is a near replica of a boat the was very popular in the vicinity of Tacoma, and more specifically Pt. Defiance. They call it a Pt. defiance. It differs from the old wood boats in that the whole stern was enlarged to better accommodate OB power. The originals were probably more like a double ender. Both new and old boats are known to be very seaworthy.
Here’s a picture of me in the center thus trimmed out. Her wake aft shows a FD hull at “speed”. Shows no tendency to squat. I’m working on the trailer now.

 

[Alisske]

Your dinghy is almost big as your boat?

Lol. Yeah. One day I’ll move up to a trawler.

I’m looking at aN Albin 36 tomorrow. (More boat = more $). I hate having a lot of obligations.

BTW, just lost that 10foot dink tonight. Came back from a nice cruise around Manhattan and when I came back to mooring, it was gone, lmao. Took a nice swim to get back to the dock.

Gonna bring in my 12 footer, so that is exactly one third of my boats length. Gonna look even odder when it’s in the davits, lmao.

 

[rslifkin]

I just got pricing back from Stur-Dee. Looks like a new 10' rowing skiff is just under $4k, so unless I find a good, used one, I'll knock that off the list.

It's looking like the most likely candidate will be a 9' Dyer Dhow. Similar price to the 9.5' and 10' Gig Harbor options new (would be a bit under $3k before shipping), but the Dhow should be a bit more stable and can carry more weight. There are also a lot more used options for them, so if I'm lucky, I'll be able to hunt down a good used one, maybe with the sail rig.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The prices vary quite a bit depending on variables like curled over FG gunwales or Teak and Cedar. Cedar on the inside lam for lightness. My Defiance has that option and I’m grateful. Would’a bought the boat just as fast w/o though. You get a lot of quality w the Gig Harbor boats IMO.

 

[Northern Spy]

Yeah. Best to be on a lookout for a used quality dinghy and be prepared to travel quickly. Set up some alerts and trackers on Craiglist and such.

I bought mine from Victoria sight unseen for $600 with sailing kit. I have been offered four times as much since I restored it.

I can't see myself ever selling it. I'll give it to one of the kids first.

Whitehall offers a new rowing version for $7,000 USD. Yikes.

Be patient and you will find one.

 

[Alisske]

I just got pricing back from Stur-Dee. Looks like a new 10' rowing skiff is just under $4k, so unless I find a good, used one, I'll knock that off the list.

Man! I bought mine for 300$ and it was in good condition with extras. I would have parted with it for 600$. (But alas, it went missing on Friday, and I don’t ever think I’ll see it again. I had my scuba gear in it, so it hurts even more. Lol.

I had to pick up a rush dinghy (did not want to continue to swim to and from boat in the Hudson.)

Just to keep the thread going, I picked up a 10 foot dinghy (no idea of the make) for 200$. I just faired the hull and redoing the gel coat tonight. I will slap in new teak Rubrails, quarter- knees and breast hook on in the AM. (Seats etc... are good enough for now)

Just need something. I think it will be a good rower. It even has a foot rest. (And yes, I am working by headlight light lmao.

 

[rslifkin]

I definitely would have liked that $600 price better, even with a good drive to get it! It seems like worthwhile hard dinghies are in short supply on the used market here. Everything I find is either a 12+ foot row boat, or a jon boat, it seems. Looking down around your area (pretty much my old stomping grounds) opens up more options, but the Dyers seem to be by far the most plentiful (although most have the sail kits, which drives up the price).

 

[CarlF]

I have a Puffin dinghy made in Maine. Considerably less expensive than many of the other premium dinghies. Rows and tows sweetly.

https://www.puffinboatcompany.com/about

Also, a great place to splurge are the oars. The ones from Shaw and Tenney of Maine are simply a joy to use.

https://www.shawandtenney.com/about-shaw-tenney#watch

 

[rslifkin]

I still haven't bought a dinghy, so I think it's time to bring this one back from the dead. The Dyer Dhow is still high on the list, but so far, I've been having trouble finding any that aren't either very expensive, or far away.

So I've had another idea. What's the general thought on building a dinghy? I'm not really sure I want to. I've yet to find a set of plans that I really like, but I haven't looked all that hard.

But especially if I sacrifice sailing ability to keep the build simpler, what's the thought on just doing it from scratch without plans? I'd be intending to build something resembling a rowing skiff, but with a V bottom rather than flat and a little bit of rocker, but not so much that it couldn't potentially plane under power. Target would be about 10 feet long, probably 4 - 4.5 foot beam.

If I did a scratch build, I'd probably do a cold molded fiberglass over plywood construction. From what I can find, keeping the weight under 100 lbs for a 10 footer shouldn't be particularly hard.


On this note, the PT Spear looks to be the ideal build, but it's probably more money than I want to spend for a first build.