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Old 07-18-2020, 06:10 PM   #1
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Dinghy or no dinghy

How many people do the Great Loop without a dinghy?
We’re planning to do the Loop on our 41’ Europa Trawler.
I don’t want a dinghy on the swim platform since we normally board thru the transom door. I’ve got room on the upper deck for a dinghy, but I’d have to install a crane. We plan to anchor out some, but will probably spend most nights at a marina. Are there many moorings along the way, and what about shuttle services to and from the moorings? Don’t want to start out and then wish I had a dinghy, but if I really don’t have have one, I’ll spend the money on dockage.
Thoughts?
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Old 07-18-2020, 06:16 PM   #2
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If you are as go to marina style 100 percent of the time...sure a dingy is not a necessity...it sdoes come in handy for certain emergency situations...but again not necessary.

I cant imagine travelling without one...but I like options.
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Old 07-18-2020, 07:24 PM   #3
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They make storable inflatable dingys that will take a 5hp outboard.
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Old 07-18-2020, 07:39 PM   #4
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You will wish you had a dinghy if you leave home without one. Make it work, you will be happy you did.

Many people travel with a kayak or two hanging from a rail or on deck. Maybe explore that if you are at all fit and can get in and out of one. Honestly, we look like something out of Beverly Hillbillies when we go on vacation. The dink on the back, an outboard mounted on the handrail, two bikes up front and two kayaks hanging off the side

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Old 07-18-2020, 07:41 PM   #5
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I can't remotely imagine not having a dinghy for maybe 2/3 of the Loop. There is so much to explore beyond where the big boat can practically go. And you will very quickly spend all the money otherwise invested in a davit and dinghy by staying at marinas and eating out, and be in the red from there on.
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Old 07-18-2020, 07:47 PM   #6
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It would be like not wearing a watch for me - I would just feel somehow partially naked.
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Old 07-18-2020, 08:04 PM   #7
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Nothing to do with the loop as I doubt I will ever see it but to do without a dinghy is some thing we will never do.

There are holding systems, Weavers, that can hold the dinghy up on the swimgrid and then release one of the arms while you are at a dock so you have an easy path to the dock, either side. It may take a bit of ingenuity to make the best of it.

We spend a lot of time in the dinghy exploring areas that we would not take the big boat.
I don't fish much now but I used to and it was from the dingbat, not the big boat.
Crabbing, prawning, same thing.

Take a tour around your marina to see how others handle the dinghy without a crane.
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Old 07-18-2020, 08:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Propnut View Post
How many people do the Great Loop without a dinghy?
We’re planning to do the Loop on our 41’ Europa Trawler.
I don’t want a dinghy on the swim platform since we normally board thru the transom door. I’ve got room on the upper deck for a dinghy, but I’d have to install a crane. We plan to anchor out some, but will probably spend most nights at a marina. Are there many moorings along the way, and what about shuttle services to and from the moorings? Don’t want to start out and then wish I had a dinghy, but if I really don’t have have one, I’ll spend the money on dockage.
Thoughts?
Look at a davit system called Seawise. It allows the swim platform to be used while the dinghy is up. We put one on a previous boat and just loved it. It isn’t cheap but it is great.
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:44 PM   #9
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Menzies,
I haven’t worn a watch for Over two decades.
Now that i-phones have the time why wear a watch?
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:47 PM   #10
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Like everything else with a boat, the choices that revolve around the dinghy are all compromises. There are pros/cons to every system of storing them, as well as what type of dinghy to get. I completely understand the desire to not have one. No matter where and how you store it, there are disadvantages. I wish we didn't need one at all. We do need it, though. I cannot imagine cruising without it. We use it almost every day we are not in a marina, and some days when we are in a marina we still use it. You may cruise differently, but I would not be without a dinghy.
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Old 07-18-2020, 09:55 PM   #11
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Menzies,
I haven’t worn a watch for Over two decades.
Now that i-phones have the time why wear a watch?
How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?
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Old 07-18-2020, 10:37 PM   #12
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How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?
Velcro works.
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Old 07-18-2020, 10:44 PM   #13
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How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?
Swimmers model, only in merica.

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Old 07-19-2020, 12:57 AM   #14
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I've been asking myself the same question lately. I've effectively been cruising without a dinghy since September, and I've gotten by just fine without it. There have been a few times when I wished I had one, but I've never actually needed it.

If / When I do buy one, I'll go for a brand new 10' AB or Highfield aluminum RIB, with a new outboard that's big enough to plane with my big ass and some groceries aboard. The whole package will probably run 8 boat bucks, which is a lot for something I'm not entirely sure I need.

It sure does sound like fun though...
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Old 07-19-2020, 04:37 AM   #15
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I struggled with this one for years, before coming up with a "workaround" solution.

There are various davit systems designed for the Greenline 33, but I don't want any of that "stuff" hanging out there because it has the potential to get in the way and cause problems while locking, docking, maneuvering in tight places, etc. It also blocks much of an otherwise excellent line of sight from the helm. Furthermore, it increases LOA and therefore dockage costs. I also did not want to go with any of the various solutions to attach the dinghy to the transom, as this strategy would cover the boat name & port and make the flip-down transom/deck extender/swim platform feature next to useless.

I cannot put a dinghy on the cabin top, as it obstructs to much forward view from the helm.

I have a long hard top full of solar panels, but cannot put a dinghy on that, as it kills my solar production.

I ended up buying a medium-low quality inflatable rubber boat ($100-ish) thinking that maybe I'll get a season out of it and that I can use it to estimate how life might be with a real, high-quality, inflatable dinghy that I would try to store on deck in some manner after only partially deflating it.


https://www.amazon.ca/Intex-Seahawk-.../dp/B007OM7SK2


Amazingly, three years later, the $100 workaround is still going strong. I ended up getting a 12v electric pump for it to make life a bit easier. The rubber has turned out to be far more rugged than expected. It folds & rolls up into a nylon bag and is rather compact. I keep it under one of the hatches in the cockpit.


I guess this works for us because we use marinas ~60% of the time, tie the bow to a tree/beach the bow with a stern anchor out ~20% of the time and only truly anchor out the remaining 20% of the time...which is where the dinghy can come in handy, if we choose to go ashore (which is not always).
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Old 07-19-2020, 05:08 AM   #16
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When I did the Loop in 2017, I would guess there were maybe 10% of the boats without a dinghy at the rendezvous. While I couldn't be without one, there were some that viewed travel days as dock to dock. The Loop is about getting off the boat and seeing the sites. For some, the interest is only on land and travel is like being in an RV with each day ending in an RV park with full hookup.

I carried a dinghy and a kayak. Because of what interests me, I used the kayak maybe 4 times as much as the dinghy.

One final thought, the dinghy needs to be quick and easy to deploy and recover. You never want the effort to get it in the water to determine if something is worth seeing or exploring.

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Old 07-19-2020, 05:25 AM   #17
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A dink does have use , even for a M>M adventure (marina to marina).

The simplest way to have a dink is an old used beat up aluminum John boat.

Oars or a DC trolling motor is light , and easy to learn to use.

Seldom stolen , hard to puncture , very low priced. 8-10 ft.

A simple set of blocks can pull the dink to most locations , drape a rug where the dink will contact as its pulled aboard.
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Old 07-19-2020, 06:52 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Propnut View Post
How many people do the Great Loop without a dinghy?
We’re planning to do the Loop on our 41’ Europa Trawler.
I don’t want a dinghy on the swim platform since we normally board thru the transom door. I’ve got room on the upper deck for a dinghy, but I’d have to install a crane. We plan to anchor out some, but will probably spend most nights at a marina. Are there many moorings along the way, and what about shuttle services to and from the moorings? Don’t want to start out and then wish I had a dinghy, but if I really don’t have have one, I’ll spend the money on dockage.
Thoughts?

Transient dockage at the daily rates will be huge over the course of the trip. Not to worry, if that's in your budget, but it'll be a very serious number.

A compromise solution could be something like an air-floor or roll-up inflatable, maybe with a small gas or electric outboard (or not, but they don't row all that great), maybe carried on your foredeck?

-Chris
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Old 07-19-2020, 08:41 AM   #19
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Lots of boats put davits on the upper deck so the dinghy is out of the way of the platform and door.
An alternative to a crane.
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Old 07-19-2020, 08:50 AM   #20
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Does the boat have a life raft?

If not your only choice if you must get off the boat is to swim.


If your not going to have a dinghy you might as well get rid of the anchor and chain, your not going to need it if you dont have a dinghy.


I don't see how you can go anywhere without one, and not be stuck on the boat.


The Admiral uses ours when she needs alone time and has had too much of me... go figure!


HOLLYWOOD
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