Dinghy decision

[Gumbalaya]

I am contemplating Grabner (Austrian make) for a dinghy.
I like their 2018 options as proper combo to row, ride, carry.
Either with e-engine or gas.

Only downside: they are a tad to long to hang them onto the davit.
My boat is 4m wide, the dinghy is 4.50m.

Thoughts about the Grabner and the davit issue?

 

[BruceK]

You had me thinking of the Graben in Vienna.I wonder if the brand is known outside Europe.
Why such a big inflatable at 4.5M? It seems to sit low, I find larger tube diameter is better, giving more freeboard. 3.3M is quite large for an inflatable for your intended use, and it should fit. There are plenty of inflatables on the market to consider.

 

[psneeld]

My hard dingy was as nearly wide as my transom...and I had it on tilt up weaver davits.

I didnt like the arrangement much as it tended to catch things when departing a dock if I turned instead of backing away.

 

[ranger58sb]

Thoughts about the Grabner and the davit issue?

Seems long and skinny.

We carry ours on the stern, and I wouldn't like anything wider than our transom. In fact, about a foot less wide is better, given pivoting during maneuvers around docks and so forth.

Natural rubber? No experience with that. We've had PVC, and it was OK, better when better protected from sunlight. We have Hypalon now, better, even though more expensive.

Inflatables don't usually row well.

-Chris

 

[Bay Pelican]

In addition to the problems of transporting the dinghy as well as docking with a dinghy extending outside of the boat, you have the problem of a 15 ft dinghy being larger than the normal at the dinghy dock.

If you need a large dinghy because you are expecting to travel long distances in unprotected waters a 15 foot dinghy is justified. If your plans are normal usage you may regret the larger dinghy.

 

[tadhana]

For many years I was with Zodiac/Avon of North America. So I have seen quite a few inflatable boats and manufacturers. This is one I've not heard of. It appears to be made with PVC fabric. But I could not tell from the literature. I suspect it is manufactured in China, but I don't know.

It looks to me like the tubes are small in diameter. Tube diameter is essential in having a dry ride. We selected our dinghy on length to fit the beam of our boat, and then bought the 3.1 meter dinghy with the largest diameter tubes.

As others have said, if the dinghy is wider than the boat's transom it will make docking/undocking and backing into a slip challenging. IT has an air floor which does not look to be the typical high pressure air floor. Hope you can keep it pressurized enough We have a 3.1 meter rib on our 14' wide boat. We cruise full time and use the dinghy frequently we often take expeditions 10-15 miles from the anchorage. For us the 3.1 meter dinghy is big enough. I think you will regret having a dinghy as big as this one