Choosing a hard dinghy

[Begorrah]

I would get a RIB with a very small OB next time w/ Weaver davits. Don't want to sail.OB would be electric or propane powered.

 

[Ruffryder]

Walker bay 8 is a good rowing dinghy, just not safe as my Achilles.
It is so light... I can pick it up with one hand!
My kids use it when we're at home with a 3.3 Mercury internal tank weighs about 20 lbs.

https://youtu.be/3X0iQ-MPD-c

 

[Hammond Eve]

carrying capacity

i weigh about 230 lbs. all muscle as you might expect. have tried these 8 foot sailing, rowing whatever and find that any movement causes lurches. in the boat alone,i have to get in the center. a bit off center and the other side skyrockets. the centerboard or dagger is in the center, if it has one, which means you cant get in the center. dont dream of sitting on the seat, its sit on the bottom to reduce the COG. getting comfortable is very difficult. cute as these may be, esp the curvy ones, i find them to be miserable, fit for children. Two adults, a dog, and a cheese sandwich, you must jettison 3 to get a partial solution.

 

[donpjr]

We used a Walker Bay 8 on our Mainship Pilot 30 for 8 years. On the positive side it's light enough for two of us to launch, retrieve and store on the hardtop without davits or other devices. It's a great row boat for one person. However we found it pretty useless as a row boat for two and used is sparingly to go ashore from an anchorage. With two aboard while rowing it's difficult to balance the boat, the rower is in the middle so the second person is either sinking the bow or stern. For two people and a dog I wouldn't recommend it. For us, the light weight was a fair trade off for the not so good performance with two aboard.

 

[Hammond Eve]

cant sit on the seat if sailing, i mean. rowing and motoring is much better.

 

[Niels]

Rowing a dinghy is a romantic idea which soon wears thin. Eventually that imaginary 1/4 mile trip will extend to 4 miles. And then there’s dealing with wake, strong winds, current, the need for multiple trips etc etc. Generally, the more efficient a row boat is, the less stable it will be - Think long skinny canoes, kayaks etc.

Get the smallest lightweight aluminium hull RIB to suit your load carrying needs and put the largest legal sized outboard on it. You will not be disappointed.

 

[CaptRowlands]

Dinghy option

You might consider one of the small rowing models from Chesapeake Light Craft. ( I am a happy customer).

https://www.clcboats.com/shop/rowboats/dinghies/

They have an excellent selection of of kits. Should you not want to build it yourself you may find one used or perhaps find someone to build for you.

 

[Hgsparky]

I guess it depends where you will be using it. We owned a walker bay 8 and got rid of it after 2 seasons. It was tippy, very little free board when loaded with 2 people and small dog and I held my breath every time I got in it and finally refused to get in it. It did row well with 1 person in it. We were not always in flat water and wanted stability in various conditions. We decided on a Portland Pudgy and have never looked back. It’s so stable that it is also rated as a life boat. It may be small, but it has always felt safe with 2 adults and a dog in all conditions. It also has a sailing package available and can take a 2hp long shaft motor. Rowing is easy. It is a little pricy and weighs about 120lbs. We’ve had it for 13 years and still going strong. We carry it on the swim platform.
Good luck.

 

[Porgy]

I guess it all depends on each person. I enjoy rowing and sailing in a shippy little boat with a springy sheer and it doesn’t get old. Many small craft are actually quite stable, primary stability giving way to significant secondary stability. Because getting in out requires some finesse doesn’t mean it’s not stable.

Lin and Larry Pardey rowed their dinghy for their entire cruising career, much of it in a Fatty Knees. Different (paddle) strokes for different folks.

 

[Northern Spy]

I guess it all depends on each person. I enjoy rowing and sailing in a shippy little boat with a springy sheer and it doesn’t get old. Many small craft are actually quite stable, primary stability giving way to significant secondary stability. Because getting in out requires some finesse doesn’t mean it’s not stable.

Lin and Larry Pardey rowed their dinghy for their entire cruising career, much of it in a Fatty Knees. Different (paddle) strokes for different folks.

^ This. Thank you.

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.

A used Fatty Knees would be great.

 

[Muzzy]

Dyer dinghy

We owned a Dyer for about 20 years and can't think of a better dinghy. Rows and tows great. Got us to the boat when the waves were 4 ft and winds were gusting and we were fully loaded. If it's not too rough it'll carry four adults with a motor. What more could you ask of a dinghy.

 

[ben2go]

Just putting this out there. I built a 8ft pram in three weekends or about 60 hours. It was designed to row, sail, or motor. It weighed 65lbs when complete. Set up to row was about 80lbs. It was built out of 6mm/.25 inch mahogany door skins, 1x2s, and 1x3s. Cost was under $500 for the basic boat. The seats were built in and act like flotation tanks if capsized. I put small sealed hatches in so those areas could be used for storage. It's similar to Apple Pie II we've discussed in other threads. I have those plans, but I don't have the plans from the deep pram I built. The closest thing I can find to it it Selway-Fisher's Simplicity 8 or Dudley Dix Argie 10 which is what I am going to build and use for a tender.


Other Dinghies up to 10'


https://www.dixdesign.com/dinghies.htm

 

[Alisske]

I am a big fan of the sturdee dory. I have the 10ft rowboat. See pics below. I have had myself and three others in it several times with no issue.

They have an 8foot that is 80lbs. Great little boats. Row very well.

 

[Northern Spy]

I am a big fan of the sturdee dory. I have the 10ft rowboat. See pics below. I have had myself and three others in it several times with no issue.

They have an 8foot that is 80lbs. Great little boats. Row very well.

Looks like a great option.

 

[Bill Blatchford]

We have used an 11 foot Boston Whaler with a 4 stroke 20 HP Mercury motor. This hangs on a Ross Kelly davit on the transom. We boat in the PNW Seattle to Alaska. Easy to launch and retrieve. So simple. We are on a 42 GB. We have used this for 20 plus years. Very happy. When we go to Alaska we leave the above package at home and tow a 17 Whaler. The water is bigger in Alaska and we do a lot of fishing and crabbing on that trip.

 

[rslifkin]

I am a big fan of the sturdee dory. I have the 10ft rowboat. See pics below. I have had myself and three others in it several times with no issue.

They have an 8foot that is 80lbs. Great little boats. Row very well.

The 10 foot looks a lot like a sightly larger Dyer Dhow, which makes it a very attractive option. I'll have to do some digging tonight on pricing and availability.

For those talking about needing to go 4 miles by dinghy, I can always add an outboard later if that becomes a desire. But it's unlikely to be a real need, as I can always just move the big boat. And the big boat cruises at 17-18 kts, so I don't really need a fast dinghy (it would save some fuel, but I can cover distance just as fast before launching the dinghy). I'm also not cruising full time, so generally (especially if we don't have the dog with us), if the weather gets ugly we can either wait to go ashore or find somewhere to dock the boat rather than dinghying in.

 

[AdkChris]

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?

 

[Cigatoo]

If you love to row you can’t go wrong with a Dyer. Another is a Jarvis Newman. Would be on my short list. Will take a SMALL motor as it’s designed to move at hull speed or less. Truly a classic.
https://ngboats.com/newman-skiffs

 

[rslifkin]

If you love to row you can’t go wrong with a Dyer. Another is a Jarvis Newman. Would be on my short list. Will take a SMALL motor as it’s designed to move at hull speed or less. Truly a classic.
https://ngboats.com/newman-skiffs

Small motor is fine by me. The Honda 2.3 is only about 30 lbs, so if I decide to add one at some point it's easy to hand-lift to install / remove.

 

[Alisske]

The 10 foot looks a lot like a sightly larger Dyer Dhow, which makes it a very attractive option. I'll have to do some digging tonight on pricing and availability.

For those talking about needing to go 4 miles by dinghy, I can always add an outboard later if that becomes a desire. But it's unlikely to be a real need, as I can always just move the big boat. And the big boat cruises at 17-18 kts, so I don't really need a fast dinghy (it would save some fuel, but I can cover distance just as fast before launching the dinghy). I'm also not cruising full time, so generally (especially if we don't have the dog with us), if the weather gets ugly we can either wait to go ashore or find somewhere to dock the boat rather than dinghying in.

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)

 

[firstbase]

For anyone interested, here are the specs for the Fatty Knees. I started looking at them when I bought our trawler and spoke with David Foynes at Fatty Knees about purchasing as I really want a sailing dinghy. I'm still considering one to replace a Zodiac Cadet 9' but haven't gotten that far. I believe that the 9' I was looking at was in the $6,500 range. That was about 2 years ago.

 

[rslifkin]

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)

NYC wouldn't be an unreasonable trip to pick something like that up if you decide to sell it. I haven't been able to find pricing for those new anywhere for an idea of how they compare price-wise to the Dyers. Any idea what they go for?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Rowing boats are short.
And most dinghies don’t have much rocker.
When one says a dinghy dosn’t row well they can’t legitimately be complaining about speed. They are just too short. How they shine as rowboats is only applicable to the ease that they can be rowed at this slow speed. The other thing is directional stability. Do you need to fight to hold a course? If you can establish a course and them ship the oars? Does it go straight as it slows down?
Another quality of a good dinghy/rowboat is the ability to row easily when fully loaded. Considerable rocker will usually be needed to achieve this. And it will be a bit slower. But only a bit and it will still row easily. My 12’ rowboat is a little extreme re the rocker. But I can’t see any downside as a rowboat. If one wants to go 8-10 knots w an OB clamped on the stern one will need to not expect a perfect rowboat. I bought this boat not long ago and intend to row about half of the time but my speed under OB power will be limited to all the limitations of a FD hull. I accept that.

You can clearly see the FD wake in the picture.

 

[Alisske]

I think they are on par with dyers (unfortunately, lol).

I was able to pick this up from an estate sale where they sold it cheap. Otherwise, I would never be able to afford one. They have a website, but no idea of the new cost.

Another high end dinghy is beacon boats out of Rhode Island. That would be a second choice. They have a nice tri hull and Pram. They may be a little heavy though.

 

[Roger Hughes]

Hard dinghy

I have a 10’ Bauer with sail rig, oars and galvanized trailer for sale. Located in central Kentucky with possible delivery to Richmond area mid June. $2500
954-213-9228

 

[Nickair]

I liked this one (RHI) we used for a tender About 20 years ago. Although I did not find a good way secure it to our 32’. We towed it. Got good at towing, marinas, docking with it. Weaver type favors won’t work due to the fixed fuel tank. It was quite heavy being a seafood hard bottom. We sold it after one season of not working out to carry. Needed a bigger main boat

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0L2tfNnvuUVtSwYM4HQi8FHuQ

.

 

[Porgy]

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?

I guess, what’s a reasonable size? Depends on the length of deck space and whether it will be your only tender or if you need room for two. I couldn’t fit one but would love a Whitehall as well. If I lived on land I’m sure I’d have one in the garage along with a Swampscott Dory, a Beetle Cat, Adirondack Guide Boat...

In Maine I’ve seen and lusted over some of these:
https://cottrellboatbuilding.com

And all over New England, these:
https://beetlecat.com

And itching to visit here:
https://lowellsboatshop.com

 

[rslifkin]

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"

 

[tomdove]

Don't overlook the PortaBote, which meets your criteria.

I've had two (one was lost in a storm) and found them quite strong (although flexible), light and easy to row. A 2hp outboard will push the 8-footer easily and a 6-hp motor will plane the 12-footer with two people aboard.

They do feel odd underway at first, as they flex as they go through waves, but they're really very durable.

-- Tom

 

[tekdiver]

I built a 9ft nester many, many moons ago. It was a Spindrift 9N from B and B Yacht Designs.

Full write up attached.

Wow that is a very cool build way outside my skill set. I'm way more a check writer than a boat builder!