ancora
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The Sicilian wants to get away from slat floors and get either a wooden or an aluminum floored dinghy. Any thoughts on which is better?
Lookin' at a new dinghy...
- Thread starter ancora
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What size? I have an Achilles LEX-96 that has a wooden floor. Works for me, but I'd rather have a RIB. OTOH, RIBs are too heavy to easily maneuver onboard without a davit. So I live with my little Achilles. It's rated for up to 8HP.
Duvie
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Brig
Best inflatable I ever had was a (310?) 10'- 10" Hypalon Brig rib. wish I still had it. Got about 20 MPH out of it with an 8hp yamaha 2 stroke. Turned on a dime. Great boat
Best inflatable I ever had was a (310?) 10'- 10" Hypalon Brig rib. wish I still had it. Got about 20 MPH out of it with an 8hp yamaha 2 stroke. Turned on a dime. Great boat
TDunn
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You might consider a compact RIB. I have a West Marine (Zodiac) 3.11 compact RIB. It weighs under 100 lbs. It has most of the performance of a standard RIB without the weight. The compact Rib design has a wood transom that folds down for stowage in a bag that is less than 8" high with the dinghy in it.
I also have a Great Harbor 10 rowing/sailing hard dinghy. Rows like a dream and sails very nicely too.
I also have a Great Harbor 10 rowing/sailing hard dinghy. Rows like a dream and sails very nicely too.
Karlheinz51
Member
a Portland Pudgy - it's only 8' long but the most stable dinghy i've ever used and owned. I can stand on the gunwale (250#) and not bring any water over the side. It really does row and sail easily and was designed to replace a liferaft.
BruceK
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You can get an inflatable "Airdeck" floor, instead of slats. Popular here, easily inflated, it gives an (ahem) "rock hard" floor, I think there is some kind of construction within the floor envelope. My floor has a small opening so I can access a valve to inflate the small inflatable keel of my dinghy.
If one wants a hardshell dingy Livingstons are very good utility/shoreboats. The smaller sizes don't have the freeboard to be heavy load carriers or rough water boats but for basic shoreboat duty they're great,next remedy stable and pretty much indestructible.
I have no idea how available they are now as their manufacture has moved from Washington to the east coast somewhere.
I have no idea how available they are now as their manufacture has moved from Washington to the east coast somewhere.
OP
OP
ancora
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Agree with you BruceK, that's the one we are lookin' at. Watched a video of two young men with backs puttin' together a wood floored dinghy and decided it was beyond the capabilities of this ol' coot.
Heron
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That's what I just got...A Quicksilver with Airdeck floor. I' had a great ownership experience with my last Quicksilver (Mercury) and decided the Airdeck presented the lightest, easiest to handle set-up. Relatively inexpensive too if you buy non-current models through Defender..
Very nice quality..light, Big tubes, great stability.. I'll be mounting some Weaver davits to it soon and pushing it with a 2hp Honda..
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OP
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ancora
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We have the same thing from West Marine and are havin' a tough time inflating it. What do you inflate first? The instructions are somewhat lackin' in details.
