Whaly dinghy

FlyWright said:

I've often thought the same thing. I've looked at them very closely at fishing and boating shows. With a 56 lb OB weight limit, it can restrict your motor choices. If you OK going slow, they represent a great option.

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That is a limitation. A 3 hp with one person will get up on plane and haul. Add a person and a couple of dogs, not so much, but it remains an easy go ashore boat that seems basically impervious to damage and doesn't require a couple of gorillas to pick up. I think the main advantage is its light weight, so you can carry it above the tide line and disappear for a few hours without having to swim out to retrieve your ride on your return, and its ability to avoid the whole davit scene, which IMO is at best a necessary evil for a rigid or inflated tender on a smaller boat. We carried one on a 28' Albin for a few years and just stowed it folded on the cabin top. Takes about 5-10 minutes to set up.

Delfin said:

Probably just a personal preference, but we generally don't anchor intentionally where there are white caps, and exploring an anchorage in a 10' tender in force 5 winds is a fairly rare occurrence. How about you?

But to your specific question, they function pretty much just like any other boat of equivalent size. No better, no worse

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Thanks for the video...pretty sloppy for sure (chop on rollers) but not quite the conditions I had in mind.

We explore from safe anchorages, so may be exposed to rougher conditions on the way home. This area has many long channels and inlets which can get steep & deep waves of short frequency...something the downturned bow of the Porta-Bote might not be able to handle so well.

Just like boats, the best dinghy for one person may not be suitable for another. Glad you're happy with yours.

Ours goes up real quick-like on modified Weaver Snap Davits using a cheap hand winch on the boom.

Delfin said:

...I think the main advantage is its light weight, so you can carry it above the tide line and disappear for a few hours without having to swim out to retrieve your ride on your return...

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A friend has a 50' converted seine boat who tows a large aluminum jet boat. He anchors the aluminum boat below the low tide line and carries a really small canoe to get to shore which he tucks under his arm and stashes in the trees.

Think we'll eventually do something similar. After getting my wife, daughter, the 130 pound bush dog, the two Yorkies and our camera gear ashore, I can anchor the Whaly in deeper water and go back to shore with an Oru Kayak...a little more elegant folding boat solution than a Porta-Bote.

https://www.orukayak.com

I had never heard of a Porta Bote, but have to admit that’s pretty slick. If I get tired of hauling my RIB on and off the PH roof I might consider one.

https://youtu.be/TnUKBWaFo6U

I didn’t buy the bote, but I did buy a 15-hp Suzuki from them for our dinghy. I forget the other brands they offer, but I found them to have very competitive prices on outboards.

That’s where I bought my Suzuki as well!

cardude01 said:

I had never heard of a Porta Bote, but have to admit that’s pretty slick. If I get tired of hauling my RIB on and off the PH roof I might consider one.

https://youtu.be/TnUKBWaFo6U

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When you see one in the flesh, you wonder how it could possibly work out, but they do. We've had two and the current one had been in service for 15 years. They've sold around 100,000 of them over the last 40 years, and I have never met anyone cruising who has one that didn't think it was about the best tender they've owned. I hang ours on the railing like a surf board when not in use, and it is indispensable when going ashore in undeveloped areas. I clean ours with a pressure washer on board to clean it. Just tip it up on its transom, and hose out the sand and gunk.

*UPDATE*

While looking for spec's on our Whaly, I discovered a dealer in Nova Scotia for you sunrise edge Canadians:

https://whalyatlanticcanada.com/index.php

c-sideretreat.com - Home

*UPDATE*

Whaly now has two USA dealers (Wisconsin & Florida)

https://www.whalyboatsusa.com

https://www.nauticalventures.com/inventory-t/makes/Whaly

Whaly 310

I have a Brand New 2020 Whaly 310 for sale. I do not use this as a tender / dingy, but rather as a family boat. Since i have 4 adults and 1 dog in my family, i want to upgrade the size to the Whaly 435 or 455.


My Dingy 310 has been used only 4 times
The MSRP is $2995
The color is the sandy / light brown <matches everything>
Its located in Atlanta
With some patience i probably can delivery anywhere from Orlando to Rochester, NY
It is hull only, no motor no trailer
call or text me at 678 485 6251

Whaley 270

Add 2 adults and a 65lbs K9. Very stabile and durable. I have run 2, 6, and 15 hp outboards. The dog must go to shore so it gets beached on oyster beds, rocks, and all things covered in barnacles. No problem. It is not fast and not designed to plane off easily. The 15 hp will do it but the transom flexes with that much power so I stepped back down to the 6hp. I cut in two rectangular hatches under the bench for access to a ton of additional storage. This required the removal of the ball of injected foam. The dingy was then stood up on the transom and new foam poured in to the “tube” cavity on both sides of the transom. Works great. Would still like something that gets on plane for extended exploring but the compromise is necessary for our needs. We have towed it from the Tennessee river to the keys with no problem. Added a Bimini as well.