Choosing a hard dinghy

[rslifkin]

Rub rail is easy to install that wont harm the mother ship, just pri$y to purchase .

Long term the best seems to be fabric covered 3/4 round heavy black foam that is screwed in place .

Yes, mechanical fastenings are longer to install than glue on but after a few hours in a dink mash they will still be attached. When its really rough they are still there and working.

For the 13ft Boston Whaler a set of 4inch fenders attached to each other & strung all around also works well.


Polyester Gunnel Guard / Dock Guard, Three-quarter Round

Mfr: Taylor Made Products

$324.40 to $341.75


ONLINE ONLY

I expect I'll add something along those lines to pretty much any dinghy I buy. Exact product and placement on the dinghy will probably depend on the boat in question, but the concept is the same.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Calling these aluminum skiffs “rowboats” is totally not correct.
They are skiffs .. and they are planing hulls.
Rowboats all have FD hulls. Most need to be quite loaded before their transom gets wet.

Can you row a skiff, tinny. rubber ducky or rib? I won’t say “sure”. Kinda sorta is closer. They are pigs to try and row.
Most here on TF have probably never had the pleasure of rowing a rowboat.

But most people call any small boat a rowboat. Think old wood boat as a flower box. But ironically most of those were actually rowboats w their rockered bottom.

 

[Medic]

Rigid Boat

There are things about the Rigid Boat that I think are a problem, and I had one. If that is ever a consideration send me a Private Message and I'll elucidate.

 

[Medic]

Actually, "elucidate" was my word for the day. I used it properly although I had always thought it had to do with a "girlfriend before having drinks".

 

[OldDan1943]

Actually, "elucidate" was my word for the day. I used it properly although I had always thought it had to do with a "girlfriend before having drinks".

She has to get drunk or you have to get drunk?

 

[Medic]

Elucidate

With many of my dates back in the day it would likely have needed to be me who needed to do the drinking, or I suppose from her perspective, both of us.

 

[Sealife]

OC tender alternative:

https://www.advancedsailingtechnologies.com/BOATS/ASTender-340/

 

[OldDan1943]

OC tender alternative:

https://www.advancedsailingtechnologies.com/BOATS/ASTender-340/

Big bucks.

 

[Sealife]

Cheaper than OC tender for what looks to be the same. Also Carbon light weight etc. so justifiable. But not for everyone obviously. Nice to see some competition open up though. Prices may reflect that in a few years.

 

[rslifkin]

Cheaper than OC tender for what looks to be the same. Also Carbon light weight etc. so justifiable. But not for everyone obviously. Nice to see some competition open up though. Prices may reflect that in a few years.

Definitely cheaper, but still very expensive. Basically, with a $4000+ budget, there are a ton of nice choices for hard tenders out there. The challenge is around finding something worthwhile that doesn't cost that much, yet has enough capability.

 

[Group9]

Our tenders just keep getting bigger and bigger. We last traded in our 11' Boston Whaler for a Del Quay 13.5 (13 Whaler English knockoff). We used to hoist the 11 foot Whaler on deck, but we don't have a crane (or a good place to set it) on this boat, so we just tow the Del Quay. I know all the arguments (and horror stories) against towing. But, we just really like having a dry and stable tender to use when we go places. Enough to put up with all the trouble.

 

[OldDan1943]

About the Portland Pudgy....
8ft boat $2,995 with oars, oar locks,
Exposure cover, $2275
Lifting straps, special straps to secure it in the davits, $215 plus $135 plus $399
etc..... another $1,000 for misc items associated with the conversion to life boat.
Shipping from Maine $400 from Maine.
The total price was $7384.

For that kind of money, I can buy a lot or RIBs and throw them away.
I really like the idea of this boat and that it USCG qualifies it as a life boat but, hate the price.
They recommend a 2-3hp motor. I have a Honda 6.5hp.... the man assured me, although the motor has too much HP, it should hang safely in the davits.

 

[Simi 60]

cold molded fiberglass over plywood construction. .

What's that?

You mean plywood with a light glass skin surely
So 6mm gabboon pulled into shape, wire tied, coved and glassed in epoxy and 5 oz

I've done quick and easy flat bottom dinghy's the size of a sheet of ply with PVC pipe for edge caps and half PVC pipe for strake in a weekend

Very stable, carried good load and easily driven with a 2hp ob

 

[rslifkin]

What's that?

You mean plywood with a light glass skin surely
So 6mm gabboon pulled into shape, wire tied, coved and glassed in epoxy and 5 oz

I've done quick and easy flat bottom dinghy's the size of a sheet of ply with PVC pipe for edge caps and half PVC pipe for strake in a weekend

Very stable, carried good load and easily driven with a 2hp ob

Yes, basically just plywood formed to shape and glassed over. Either wire tied or built on a temporary jig as needed. And in some cases, multiple thinner layers of plywood laminated together with epoxy (and sometimes a thin layer of glass cloth in between) to handle a sharper bend than a full thickness piece could.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I have a kevlar canoe and know something about how tough and strong they are .. especially if one isn’t fussy about gel coat or paint.

But I’m astonished at how expensive many/most of these polyester dinghies are. Would that be the reason there are very few kevlar dinghies. Seems the perfect hull for a dinghy.

 

[rslifkin]

I have a kevlar canoe and know something about how tough and strong they are .. especially if one isn’t fussy about gel coat or paint.

But I’m astonished at how expensive many/most of these dinghies are. Would that be the reason there are very few kevlar dinghies. Seems the perfect hull for a dinghy.

I'm guessing that yes, cost is a big reason for the lack of kevlar and carbon fiber dinghies. Gig Harbor will build some of theirs in carbon and it does save weight, but it does add cost. And a lot of these dinghies are already priced beyond what many of us are willing or able to spend.

 

[BlueRidge]

dinghy dilemma

My next effort will be to cut a few feet off a Jon boat and try that.

Any other ideas?

pete

Pete, try a 12' Aluminum Lund. My first one lasted 40 years, now on my second one. They make a lightweight version and a standard, heavier, one.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The Lund skiffs are extremely popular in Alaska.
So popular that no other skiff came remotely close in numbers.
I had a 16’ Crestliner there. A bigger and heavier boat .. kind of a freighter skiff.
Other than that I don’t remember seeing many other brands at all.

BR that’s the first I’ve heard of a more heavily built Lund. Probably because they may not have shipped anything else to Alaskan outlets.
There was a special lightweight Lund made in one size only that was about 10-12’. Probably manufactured as a cartop boat for car transport. Car topping very popular outside Alaska. Always kept my eye open for a used one to use as a dinghy on my boat. Most aluminum skiffs are used so hard in Alaska few would be interested in them to be used for anything approaching yachty duty. But a new lightweight 10-12’ probably will make a very good dinghy. Not for rowing .. just OB.

Duroboat made a splash in Alaska but in about two years nobody was buying them. Don’t remember what was wrong w them. The 80’s I think.

Now that I’m thinking about it there was another brand of aluminum skiff that had a bit of a fluted bottom and a clipper bow. The aft end of the sides was/is styled a bit like a 1962 Chrysler product car. These were very good boats but I don’t remember the name. Like the Crestliner they were a heavier duty boat .. welded.

But other than the Lund few lightweight skiffs made it to Alaska.

Pic#1. The most popular boat in Alaska. This is one of a fleet of about 12 Lunds owned and rented out to lodge gusts for sport fishing.
Pic 2. Using our Ctrestliner inn Thorne Bay for freighting goods to one of the lodges in So. Thorne bay.
Pic. 3 On a trip to Edna Bay on the west coast of POW Is.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I'm guessing that yes, cost is a big reason for the lack of kevlar and carbon fiber dinghies. Gig Harbor will build some of theirs in carbon and it does save weight, but it does add cost. And a lot of these dinghies are already priced beyond what many of us are willing or able to spend.

rslifkin,
Yes very expensive.
My 18’ freight canoe may be for sale 1k.
I have a 12’ “Point Defiance” I’d classify it as rather light. Tho it dosn’t look it. The lightness tendency may be in their smaller boats too. Most of the Gig Harbor boats are for sailing. But many like mine are OB powered or/and rowed. My 12’ is totally FD so won’t be going very fast. Well made boats one can be proud of.

 

[rslifkin]

Well, it's a little on the big side, but it'll do. After lots of hunting around on Craigslist (and finding lots of junk, plus missing out on everything good that came up and sold in a couple of hours), I came home with this last night. 1968 Starcraft Super Star 12. 12'1" LOA, 4'9" beam. A little heavy at ~150 lbs, but it's in good shape, the price was right, will carry 600 lbs, should be pretty stable, and it's just within the length requirement for us to carry it in davits (once we install some). And it's got nice looking re-done mahogany seats.

Should be usable as-is for now, and maybe this winter we'll give it a fresh paint job if we're motivated. I'll have to try it out and see how it rows, then we'll consider if we want to investigate other propulsion options.

 

[OldDan1943]

FYI

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2021/portland-pudgy-dinghy-lifeboat-3613989/

 

[MiAmor]

I confess I’m a sailor who joined a trawler group. We have similar issues with dinghy
Jeanneau brought out an amazing retractable davits. Trouble is the leaked water into the aft births.
Was on their 51 and 53. Benniteau their parent company just showed up in a beautiful trawler called the 50 Swift. It has new versions of this tucked away davit
My boat has unique problems. It’s transit folds down to make a massive swim platform. Her twin wheels are off to each side so easy access to the water.
We have retractable davits in the cockpit floor. In a hard following Sea it allows water in but right into cockpit scuppers. Because we sail in Lake Ontario and south the water where we have to anchor makes anything but inflatable dangerous. We replaced our inflatable keel dinghy with an aluminum Zodiac. Canada’s free trade pricing with Europe kick any imports stern about. The optional bench helm front V enclosure great well priced options. I put my old 4hp Yamaha on it year one cause Covid. Now with the helm the new Yamaha 9.9 is a terror We put a lot of hours on the Dinghy. We have a small Boston Whaler fit easy behind our 14’ transom but it’s our at home run about and has a 30hp.
A ding is often caught in rough weather so I’m into speed oddly enough.
Last comment inflatables have a very limited life span. Hard bottoms are heirlooms. .

 

[ofer]

FYI

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2021/portland-pudgy-dinghy-lifeboat-3613989/

Cant show up at the yacht club with that

 

[Peter B]

Sorry, haven't had time to read all posts, so others may well had said similar - (hey, we can't all be wrong, can we..?), but 'for mine', as the Aussie rugby leaguers love to say, having used hard and inflatable dinks. Hard dinks are tippy and have to have special cushioning around the gun'ls or they can damage hulls when they go bump in the night. If I was buying new, I'd go for an appropriately sized RIB. (Bigger boats can handle bigger dinks). Just love the stability for boarding/alighting of the inflatable tubes, and their hull kindliness to hull bumping, and the rigid glass bottom makes for worry free drawing up on the shore, a firmer floor, and better for speed under way via an outboard, which does not have to be huge. They also row much better than full inflatables.

To counter the recent previous comment about durability and life of inflatables, I would just mention that our dinghy, which started life as a Tinker Tramp, sailing inflatable, and owned up until we sold the last boat. It had been our tender through two sail boats, (in NZ) and two power cruisers, (in Aus) and was purchased in 1985, and with the addition of a few puncture repair patches, which didn't add much weight, was still usable - albeit looking a bit ugly - when given away to a berth neighbour with a catamaran in 2017. Just sayin'...

 

[Fish53]

You have lots of good advice and suggestions here so I thought I'd toss in my two cents. If you don't mind the price and a few extra pounds a Maine peapod is about as good a seagoing skiff as can be had. Very seaworthy, a great pulling boat with comfort and good capacity, tows well and looks right on davits (double ended). I had two, one wood and the other fiberglass, I'm looking for another. They're too precious to subject to being beaten to death tied to the town dock just to row to my mooring, but to trailer and row they're a delight. Ram Island Peapod,inner island rowing,peapod,near shore small boat,double ended boat,sailing peapod,13' Ram Island Peapod

 

[rslifkin]

I got a few odds and ends finished up last night (such as a stronger bow eye), so I'll bring the new dinghy down to the boat tonight or tomorrow and test it out. The current plan to avoid it smashing up the hull when it's in the water (until I figure out a good rub strip to put around the gunwales) is to use a couple of small fenders and snug it up tight sideways against the swim platform. That way it should just move in sync with the big boat and not smash anything.

Basically, the plan is to just use it as-is for the rest of this season, then over the winter we might freshen up the paint, decide if we want to change anything else, and hopefully add davits to carry it.

That Maine Peapod skiff looks quite interesting, but I could never carry one in davits. The aluminum boat I picked up is 12'1", which is basically the absolute limit without overhanging the transom corners (beam is 12'6" at deck level at the transom).