Thoughts on dinghies???

[Marin]

This is the Montgomery sailing dinghy that came with our boat. Well, the second shot is. The first shot is off the web but the same dinghy. Ours does not have a leeboard, it has a daggerboard.

Great, fun little boat to sail or row. Nearly worthless as a utility shoreboat which is why we added the Livingston on the stern.

 

[dainisk]

Walker Bay dinks

I've had a Walker Bay 275H now for 3 years - still love it! Previously I've had a couple of Zodiac inflatables - but much prefer the hard bottom dink.
I bought the optional inflatable taubes, which give the dink incredible stability - you can't tip it. It will easily carry 4 adults in a 1+2+1 configuration. With 2 adults on baord, the infalatable tubes are just barely in the water when running level.
I also bough the tube cover, which (hopefully) will shield the Hypalon tubes and make them last longer.
I use it with a 2h.p. Honda, which will push us (with 4 adults on board) guite happily. With just me on board (200lbs), the dink will normally get on plane.
The wooden oars I bought separately and are usually stored apart along the transom - I didn't like the Walker Bay supplied oars as they don't come apart in the right spots and are difficult to store when not in use.
The hard bottom allows the dink to be rowed very easily - try rowing an inflatable - impossible. Rowing also allows for a bit of excercise when at anchor for longer periods.
There is a sailing kit also available, but I didn't buy it so can't speak for how it sails.
When not in use, the dink lives on davits which are custome made. Then my wife made a Sunbrella cover which keeps the dink relatively clean when not in use.
I have had to do a couple of mods: 1) Because the dink has a little wheel at the stern end of the keel, the bung is not in the lowest part of the boat. This always resulted in some water in the bilge that would not drain out. I added another bung in the bottom of the keel. 2) I bought the stainless oar locks, but had to through-bolt them. Sometimes when rowing agressively, the oar locks worked themselves loose. 3) Lastly, I had to use larger lifting rings for the davits.
Adding some nav lights made the whole dink very workable.

 

[markpierce]

Intentionally avoided the added expense and complication of a sailing rig for my 8-foot Trinka. One of these days, I'll put it in the water and row her without needing government licensing, fees, and lettering.

 

[BruceK]

dainisk,I think that`s an Australian built Riviera 34 in your pics, and Walker Bay are sold in OZ. I`ve not seen a timbered look transom before. Are you in Australia, or USA? More info?

 

[dainisk]

Hi Bruce

Yes, it's a Riviera 34 - 1984 vintage. But about the only thing that's '84 is the hull - virtually everything has been upgraded/replaced. Repowered in 2008.
I'm in Perth. The transom is not timber, but just painted maroon - it's the way I got the boat in 1994. A bit worn now and needs repainting.
The boat is otherwise too small to put the dink over the cockpit cover (which many flybridge boats do over here). Getting in on the foredeck is getting harder to do as we get older - so davits seemed the best option. Had them custom made to my design by a local SS welder.

 

[FF]

One of these days, I'll put it in the water and row her without needing government licensing, fees, and lettering.

A launch and recovery system that does not require 2 guys and a dock might be more fun than worring about gov agents checking your oars and float cushions.

 

[JohnP]

I am also giving a hard dinghy a try, getting a new to me Dyer Dhow 9'.

Hope to keep her on my swimplatform like my inflatable. Think I will try rowing her as my 5hp outboard is too big.

 

[FF]

4 peps or 560 lbs , hardly sounds like its built for USA use.

140 lbs per pep? not on aircraft or for the USCG.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Mark,
What in the world do you have against "government licensing, fees, and lettering."? Seems a small inconvenience for greater capabilities.

Looks like you'd need to lift your boom high up to get the end under the center of the dink and then lower it way down to horizontal (approx) to get her far enough over the side to gracefully lower away. How does all that work out?

Re the last pic of Mark's boat .. one of the things I love about the Coot is how low she is .. and looks. Almost has a commercial look about her. Her CG can't possibly be anything but low. Look'in good Mark.

 

[FlyWright]

Here's a 'stolen' pic of the Grumman sailing dinghy.

Mark, my dinghy registration isn't much more than $10 per year. $24 every two years seems to stand out in my mind. I'll try to remember to look it up next time I'm on board. But I understand...it's the principle of it, right?

 

[deckofficer]

Australia, NZ, and SA are way ahead of us on dinghies. Since my next boat will be a down size, so must the dinghy be downsized. The Takacat Lite at 72 lbs will be perfect for me. If you think only RIB's are fast vs inflatable floor, then you haven't seen these new catamaran dinghies. The Lite can plane with 2.5 hp. Another aspect is how easy a swimmer can board from the water without a ladder or ropes. I'm at that age and size that re-entry to the dinghy from the water is a bit of a problem.

HOME - Takacat.com

Inflatable boat tender - getting back in made easy! - YouTube!

Don't try this on a regular dinghy.

 

[MurrayM]

Australia, NZ, and SA are way ahead of us on dinghies. Since my next boat will be a down size, so must the dinghy be downsized. The Takacat Lite at 72 lbs will be perfect for me. If you think only RIB's are fast vs inflatable floor, then you haven't seen these new catamaran dinghies. The Lite can plane with 2.5 hp. Another aspect is how easy a swimmer can board from the water without a ladder or ropes. I'm at that age and size that re-entry to the dinghy from the water is a bit of a problem.

HOME - Takacat.com

I've got my sights on getting a Takacat 410 and making it work somehow with our boat. It would be the sweetest ride for exploring BC's rugged outer coast after anchoring the mothership. They ship by air to Canada, so when I get serious about ordering I'll investigate surface shipping options.

 

[deckofficer]

MurrayM,

Well please keep us posted on the forum as to how you like your Takacat. I've known about this style dinghy for quite awhile, but until Takacat, they were all very high performance offerings by other companies that race at over 70 mph. Now a de-tuned version is available as a yacht tender from some of those companies but Takacat was the first to design and build for our needs. A Torqeedo electric outboard that weighs 30 lbs will push these efficient cat/air entrapment hulls to 18 mph, more than fast enough for me and no longer will need gasoline onboard.

 

[OFB]

I have been in want of a Takacat for years. Watched several perform off Vancouver as a sales stunt. Awesome, there seem to be three of them that play up at the lake and I just stop and watch as they cruise by.

Outa my price range fro sure, plus I don't feel they would be willy proof . The old 12 foot Livingston performs much the same when over powered, in that it kites very well But the FRP is beach fixable and it holds a ton of stuff .

When I grow up maybe I can have one .

 

[deckofficer]

15 hp makes them a real hot rod.

Fast Inflatable Catamarans - www.takacat.com - YouTube

 

[markpierce]

Mark,

Looks like you'd need to lift your boom high up to get the end under the center of the dink and then lower it way down to horizontal (approx) to get her far enough over the side to gracefully lower away. How does all that work out?

The Coot has no boom, Eric. Block and tackle is suspended from a halyard attached to the port backstay. See "Mark's Dinghy."

 

[markpierce]

Mark,
What in the world do you have against "government licensing, fees, and lettering."? Seems a small inconvenience for greater capabilities.

Besides those inconveniences, a manually-powered vessel avoids the hassle, weight, and expense of an engine and fuel.

 

[markpierce]

Re the last pic of Mark's boat .. one of the things I love about the Coot is how low she is .. and looks. Almost has a commercial look about her. Her CG can't possibly be anything but low. Look'in good Mark.

Thanks, Eric. The low profile is a nice contrast to the "cruise-ship" profiles of many motoryachts. The Coot has less interior volume than most designs, but it is quite sufficient for our needs

 

[JohnP]

Besides those inconveniences, a manually-powered vessel avoids the hassle, weight, and expense of an engine and fuel.

I just like the idea of not dealing with gas cans on the boat.

We will see if it works out.

A lot of folks use their dinghies to travel pretty far and or they do not row well so and engine is the only choice for them.

JohnP

 

[Marin]

A lot of folks use their dinghies to travel pretty far and or they do not row well so and engine is the only choice for them.

JohnP

We rowed our Livingston for the better part of a year. It rows okay but not great. But the thing that convinced us to install a motor was the day we were rowing ashore and got caught in a current that was sweeping out of the small bay we were in. I managed to row out of the current flow--- barely--- and had we been swept out of the bay it would not have been a big deal as we could have rowed around to the other entrance, a distance of about half a mile.

But it got us thinking that what if we had some sort of emergency and needed to get somewhere in the dinghy and the current was against us. Up here, with local tidal currents in excess of four knots in places rowing would be fruitless.

So the next weekend we bought a 4hp 4-cycle Yamaha and currents were no longer a threat to getting anywhere in the dinghy.

Rowing is fun and we have an outstanding rowing/sailing dinghy in the Montgomery that came with our boat and is stored in a cradle on top of the aft cabin. But for getting around in the waters up here where currents are always a factor, a motor is the only sure bet. We would never depend on a rowing-only dinghy.

 

[Codger2]

Besides those inconveniences, a manually-powered vessel avoids the hassle, weight, and expense of an engine and fuel.

Atta boy! Kayaks fall into that category. (Not to mention licensing.)

 

[JohnP]

But for getting around in the waters up here where currents are always a factor, a motor is the only sure bet. We would never depend on a rowing-only dinghy.

Our recent interests have focused more on inland cruising. The past few years I had been hard pressed to burn even one tank of gas in our outboard inflatable.

Often I don't even launch it we just head into a dock. The places we anchor are very well protected.








Seems like I just burn the gas up to store the engine off season.

This year the Admiral asked me if I wanted to renew the registration, I said no.

 

[Marin]

If one doesn't have to deal with strong currents and potentially long-ish distances than a motor on a dinghy may not be of much value outside of simply not having to row.

In this state things like dinghies don't have to be registered unless their horsepower equals or exceeds a certain amount. I think it's 10 hp, hence the high popularity of the Honda 9.9 outboard when it came out way back when. So our 9' Livingston with a 4 hp motor is registration and tax free.

We use the Livingston constantly when we're out. As a shoreboat to take the dog and ourselves ashore, for fishing and crabbing, for going in for supplies like block ice and whatnot, and for just mucking about and exploring. So the motor gets a lot of use.

 

[FF]

Seems like I just burn the gas up to store the engine off season.

Dump it in the car,

 

[rjtrane]

Mark Johanssen's 10' Trinka is as pretty a dink as there is (hard) - sails and rows well. Most likely OK with a kicker, too. I was going to mold his hulls years ago when i had my Hen shop in Miami - built a single 8 footer which I still have - never did finish it - saving it for my dotage (which is not too far away).

 

[Nomad Willy]

Marin wrote;

" But for getting around in the waters up here where currents are always a factor, a motor is the only sure bet. We would never depend on a rowing-only dinghy."

That's you personality style Marin. Lots of the opinions you've expressed here on the forum reflect that. You try hard to insure that the things you desire to happen DO happen (Guaranteed basically) and of course the things you want to happen you basically want guaranteed as well.

If your engines quit you won't be happy unless you can continue in the same direction you were going when the engines quit.

In the 70s just north of Tree point in Dixon Entrance we were anchored in Very Inlet (inside Foggy Bay) and ran out of water. I rowed off upstream in the dink to get water and the flood tide current increased and I was unable to row back. Took me 5 hours to get back. Wife was very worried as Very Inlet had lots of Brownies but I didn't see a bear and had a long nap w the dink tied off under a tree. In this situation I would MUCH rather have had positive options to get me back in a timely manner to spare my wife a lot of worry.

The anchor situation is the same. You don't find it acceptable to drag EVER again. So you (after the dragging experience) got what you feel is the world's best anchor (holding power wise) so it would NEVER happen again. And to give even more assurance to not dragging you got a heavier anchor than you probably needed. Many or most of us consider dragging anchor once every few years as not only an acceptable occurrence but one that does and will happen. I've not ever dragged anchor but it's probably been mostly luck and when I do I'll probably not be looking for a better anchor. The now old saying "**** happens" must have been coined by people that think life can have some twists and turns and that's OK.

I intend no criticism Marin ... but understanding is golden. Kinda like the introvert/extrovert thing.

 

[Codger2]

I intend no criticism Marin ... but understanding is golden.

Geez, Eric! You're showing your cranky age lately! (I intended no criticism with that comment.)

 

[Nomad Willy]

No crankiness at all Walt.

If it's really cranky I'll remove it .. still can.

You have some peculiarities too Walt and if I started talk'in bout them would you feel that I was being "cranky"? I've classified "cranky" as undesirable.

My age is no secret and it involves some pain and I suppose a tad bit of crankiness could result from that.

I'm reading a book by Larry McMurtry and that could be influencing me to do psychological rambling. Ever read him? McMurtry is a hoot. Your personality type may not be suited to McMurtry though. He wrote Lonesome Dove.

 

[Northern Spy]

Dinghies are like any boat. They either meet the owners expectations or not. My kayaks and rowing / sailing dink gets more hours on them then my outboard powered inflatable.

 

[Codger2]

You have some peculiarities too Walt and if I started talk'in bout them would you feel that I was being "cranky"?

What? I have peculiarities too? Those words call for a meeting at dawn. Pistols are my weapon of choice and Marin had better not show up as your second! (Peculiarities, indeed!)