Which is the best dinghy ?

9 foot on a ‘01 34 Pilot

This is a picture of my 9 foot dinghy on davits on the back of my ‘01 34 Pilot. Hope this helps. Also had to include pics of my dogs sleeping. Just because.

AusCan said:

A dinghy is a very personal choice. A 10 foot hypalon with a 3hp 2stroke works for me for going to shore, snorkelling and fishing. It might not suit others.

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Personally, I don’t like inflatables because I like to row and I’m cheap. (I can fix anything on a hardshell dinghy and they can last forever.)

That being said, I respect the statement above and would recommend a similar set up. The fact you want to snorkel and board the dinghy in water really only leaves the hard bottom inflatable as a nice choice. And inflatables are stable and can carry good weight etc...

I am a minimal HP guy for dinghies. Especially if your gonna take the engine in and off all the time. A 3-4hp 2stroke is perfect. I run a 1980s evinrude 2 stroke and like the hell out of it. It’s like 35lbs and has forward neutral. Has an internal tank with auxiliary connection. You may not like putting along, but my back thanks me every day, lol.

In any case, any dinghy is good if it floats and does what you need it to. Good Luck.

I had a 2004 Pilot 34 and your right - the swim platform is narrow. We ended up with an inflatable with an inflatable floor. This way I could totally remove and stow it either in cockpit or rolled up right on the swim platform. The easiest part was inflation, which I did right on the transom.

Enjoy!

Using an electric winch might yield more options

Cruising in the PNW, we need a fast dinghy...dinghy is like your car especially up in the Islands.
You can't go wrong with Achilles hypolon, that's the brand we see the most up here.
3 people in a 10' sink with 10 HP will not get on plane, but all depends who's riding.

If you want a RIB On a smaller boat then I suggest opting for an aluminum hull to save substantial weight. 9.9hp 4-strokes weigh between 80lbs and 90lbs so not an easy move and mount for some folks. SeaWise are great but manual models list for over 6k. You don’t specify where you are located. In the PacNW Guyer Boatworks is one of the few dealers that trades in used RIBs and are great to deal with. Craig’s List is also a source. I’m dealing with the same issues as I consider downsizing To 33-35 feet and many times the boats don’t have dinghies.

Dinghy & Sea Wise Lift

rsn48 said:

A 10 foot RIB will handle roughly 1200 pounds, including motor. I don't know if you'll make it on a plane with 3 people and a 9.9 hp motor but I'm betting most of the time it will be you and one other and then the boat will definitely get on plane.

Sea Wise davits are pricey but you don't have to muscle a motor, a massive plus for me at age 72.

I have the manual Sea Wise but you can add an electric motor. I'm thinking I might be able to use a cordless electric drill.

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I use a portable drill on the top of my Sea Wise and it works like a charm. Very fast to lift or lower. Highly recommend it.

Portland Pudgy

We love our pudgy. It’s fastened to boat via weaver davits on the the swim platform. At just over 7’ it’s out of the way of our transom door. The davits mount solidly to the dingy’s hard gunwale.
Only rated for 2hp, so it’s SLOW. It tracks well when rowing due to long keel, and the sailing kit is a blast. Has a netting ladder for climbing in from water, a battery and night nav light (even came with small solar panel), and comes with a night lit compass as it’s designed to double as a life raft when tethered to a drogue. The oars, bailing pump, etc, store in the hull via round access hatches. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but works for us.

I use a portable drill on the top of my Sea Wise and it works like a charm. Very fast to lift or lower. Highly recommend it.

What drill did you use, not necessarily brand but what size? And did you modify the top of the pillar to use the drill? How did you set up the Seawise so you could use the drill?

I can't remember if I commented earlier so I'll add this in and hope I'm not repeating myself.

I bought an aluminum rib for a couple of reasons. 1) Easier to paddle, not like the inflatable bottom dinghies. 2) I bought a 9' 6'' Rib to fit on a transom 10 feet wide. 3) After considering all the options, electric and propane, I opted for the traditional 9.9 Merc. I wanted extra power with the dinghy to assist in a side tow of my boat, should my one and only gas engine decide to conk out on me. Electric may not give me the range and power I wanted over an extended distance. And propane isn't always easy to obtain here in the PNW and Inside Passage area. 4) I didn't want to have the bottom of a soft inflatable dinghy rib up by barnacles of which there are several billion on the West coast.

OldDan1943 said:

Just a minor point. If we obscure the name on the transom, we are supposed to, at least, put the boats name on the bottom of the RIB or dingy or perhaps the side, so your boat can be identified.

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Interestingly enough, NO, nothing else is required, federally, even if totally obscured by your dingy. I'm assuming you are federally documented with the USCG (most states require numbers on both sides of the front half of the boat). This is an excerpt from BoatUS:

Placement & Additional Requirements

• The name and hailing port of a recreational vessel must be marked together on some clearly visible exterior part of the hull.
• Many recreational vessels will place the vessel name and hailing port on the stern, and vessel name on both sides of the bow, which is required for a commercial vessel. Although not required for a recreational vessel, this is an acceptable option.
• When dinghy’s are stored on the swim platform or transom causing the vessel's name and hailing port to be obscured from view, there is no Federal requirement to place the name and hailing port elsewhere. That is a Law Enforcement issue only.
• Stenciling on the bottom of the dinghy is not considered a permanent marking.
• Federal Vessel Documentation is a federal issue and is not open to enforcement or interpretation by the state.

All this being said, it depends where you boat. I wouldn't go out anywhere where state or local water enforcement police prevail, without the name being clearly visible somewhere at all times - including putting the name on the bottom of a dingy when the transom name is obscured (if that's the only place the name is displayed) - even though you don't have to. Trying to explain the law to some local LEOs is like banging your head against a stump. It just pisses them off and gives them more time to write more tickets - not worth it in my opinion. Choose your battles.

Now, I must say, one of my favorite places I boat is in an area where the local water LEOs can be quite reasonable. I only received a verbal warning when I forgot to carry my throw cushion in my dingy, instead of everything being impounded. (My state requires registration of ANY boat with a motor, including dingies, treating them as any full size boat.)

Todd

Dingy to use on Mainship Pilot

I have a Mainship 34 trawler with a Portland Pudgy on the transom. Works great, is under 100 lbs. I use a small pulley system attached to the upper deck to raise and lower it. And you can still open the transom door while it is attached.

No comments on Porta-Bote?

Surprised no one has mentioned Porta-Bote. Very lightweight, no risk of puncture, 4” of draft, virtually indestructible.. You can even get a sail kit for it. Folds up to the size of a surfboard, or use / mount unfolded. I’ve been using these boats in various lengths for years and would never consider anything else. Absolutely love them.

Sailinggod said:

I have a Mainship 34 trawler with a Portland Pudgy on the transom. Works great, is under 100 lbs. I use a small pulley system attached to the upper deck to raise and lower it. And you can still open the transom door while it is attached.

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Really nice set up.

I have a 44 foot marine trader and just dumped my 10 foot dinghy it was the west marine RIB 310 takes up too much room on the Swim platform.

I’m going to buy a portabote something that’s easy to store on my marine trader.

I stand my dinghy up on it’s stern only uses 5 feet of the swim platform
It’s a hard dinghy but you can stand up an inflatable too

Jmarsh203 said:

Was wondering if anyone ever has ever run with a dinghy on stern davits where the dinghy is longer than the stern is wide. I see blow boaters do this a lot since the stern of there boats seem to taper back to be pretty narrow. And other than for docking issues with overhang Which is really more of a control issue for the larger boat I can’t really see any issue why not to go longer. I’m not talking about a much bigger dingy but something maybe a foot overhang on either side Would seem pretty acceptable to me. I’m not seeing much of a downside but quite a bit on the upside. I like the idea of having maybe a 14 foot flats boat since I like fishing quite a bit and it seems a bit more versatile than a 10-12 foot rhib. Thoughts?

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Sailboats don't go fast enough to have spray coming across the stern. On a powerboat I'd be concerned that water kicked up at speed would be a problem. Our EB47 has enough spray that gets kicked up to make it necessary to leave the plug out of our Avon on a lifting platform. And this is with it being narrower than the 15' beam.

That and docking would be a concern. A dinghy's not designed to be a fender and getting it pinched while docking could be an expensive mistake.

At a certain point you can't 'have it all' unless you've got a bigger boat. You're at that point.

Robvald said:

Hi Al, what kind of lifting system do you have? is there a hinged mount on the platform?
Your set up looks compact.

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You should come over and look at it. You're right next door!!

I have a Garhauer 150# rated lifting davit. It's got a 'hitch ball' mount and a stabilizing ring. The davit is removable and foldable and the hitch ball hand screws off its mount.

The dink port tube rests on the swimstep on its handles. Everything else is lines and a boat cushion between the transom and the dink tube. Very easy to lift with the 77# motor off the ~135# loaded dink.

Here are the pics...

Quest for the perfect dinghy

My wife and I had a Mainship 34 trawler that we used to explore the San Juans, the Sunshine Coast and up into Desolation Sound and points beyond. During our ownership we utilized two different davit systems and six different dinghies.
Early on in the sorting process we decided while inflatables were great for harbor cruising they were not well suited for the oyster crusted rocks of BC. Next we purchased a 9 foot Boston Whaler with a rotating motor mount. It had lovely handling and performance characteristics but the cockpit was shallow and uncomfortable sitting with you knees up around your ears. It had the feel of sitting on top of a surfboard rather than in a boat. Next dinghy was an 8 foot Livingston; it lost freeboard rapidly with loading, put up a rooster tail the soaked the operator with a following wind, the tunnel/hump running midline through the hull makes mobility in the boat difficult. Just for grins and hoping for different results we purchased a 10 foot Livingston and it had the same issues. Next in the trials was a a 7 foot Sportcat. It has the wide stable foot print of a cat but no tunnel so when loaded it has the displacement and dynamic lift of a mono hull.
With the Mainship having plenty of room for a ten footer we proceeded to purchase a ten foot Sportcat which we happily cruised for two or years until we found out that a few ten foot Sportcats had been built with 68 inch beam and 28 inch freeboard. Yes we bought yet another dinghy that I absolutely love -- it will carry five or six adults, crabs the Straits of Georgia, moves easily with a 15 hp motor (rated up to 25), stable and dry.
During the dinghy sorting process I put two additional braces on the Mainship swimstep to carry the larger dinghy with ease.

Dinghy

tisho said:

I have a 34' Mainship Pilot Trawler. I believe the beam is 12'3". It has a small dive platform across the back. I am interested in any recommendation of which dinghy would work best for this boat. Any suggestions?

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I would recommend a Walker Bay 10. They are practically indestructible and are probably the most economical dink on the Market. West Marine sells them or you can look at their website. You can also buy an inflatable collar for them which makes them as stable as an inflatable but much more durable.

I have a Walker Bay 8. I have installed pins on it's transom and hooks on the swim platform of my boat. I have a rope and pulley that I hook to my boom and to the painter of the dink. I can easily hoist it up so that it sits, hooked on my swim platform with the bow straight up and it only takes up the width of it's beam which leaves me the rest of the swim platform to use. It rests against my handrail and I bungie it down for travel. Even easier to launch. Only one person needed for both operations. Go to Defender.com and you can see the type of pins and hooks I'm talking about. If I could figure out how to post a picture I would show you.
Figured it out. This is my dink hooked up by the transom to my swim platform getting ready to be hoisted by the bow.

DryGuy said:

During our ownership we utilized two different davit systems and six different dinghies.

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Thanks for that write-up. We may be up to replace our Avon 10' inflatable RHIB after this season. We've got a lifting swim platform that has existing adjustable chocks. But it seems they're not making those SportCats anymore, correct? Anything currently made that steers clear of the shenanigans you had with those others?

Sailinggod said:

I have a Mainship 34 trawler with a Portland Pudgy on the transom. Works great, is under 100 lbs. I use a small pulley system attached to the upper deck to raise and lower it. And you can still open the transom door while it is attached.

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That’s amazing,
I thought the “Pudge” was a real rowboat but not to be.
The bottom is about as flat as it could be. Like a John boat.
And I really liked what I saw before .. but it was just in my mind.

I am not fond of my 8-foot rowing Trinka. My weak ability to balance is not compatible. For me, the worse $5000 boating "investment." Yours for on $1000 if you will take delivery at the Vallejo Municipal Marina.

I had a 8 foot Walker Bay on a previous boat and I certainly concur that they deliver great value and performance per dollar. Pretty darn bullet proof

dinghy davits

Not to steal the thread, but think carefully about how you will carry the dinghy, as that will affect what dinghy you get. We have a 10' Avon with a 4 hp Yamaha 4-stroke. On our GB 36, we started with dinghy storage on the aft cabin roof, and launched it with the boom and block & tackle. It looked great, and was very "shippy". However, it took up valuable space, and the end result was we didn't use the dinghy much due to the work that really required two people and took too much time. We then had the Weaver clips installed and tilted the dinghy up against the transom sans motor, but that meant launching the dinghy, then installing the motor. I only dropped it into the water once. Also, as the dinghy loses air it starts to sag on your swim step. Unsightly. Then I researched until I found the Rothskelly davit system. It also mounts on the swim step, but actually lifts the dinghy out of the water with the motor attached. I just use a three-part block and tackle, and splash and retrieve the dinghy in about 15 seconds by myself. It's a vast improvement over Weaver clips, and very simple.

https://octenders.co.nz/

We seen a few of these running around Roche Harbor last week. They are not cheap when you figure shipping to the PNW. They look well build and light.

I am not sure how much my current set up is, but its darn heavy with a double fiberglass bottom, center counsel seat and 15hp honda, fuel tank, battery. I would really like something much lighter, but that still can get on step with two people, and be towed at 15kt.

We ended up with a little 9' Zodiac aluminum bottom and the last 9.9 2-stoke made.

Cruising in the PNW, we use the tender a lot more than just landing to shore.
Once we're in the Islands, tender becomes like your personal car for island hopping, quick trip to Friday harbor for some ice cream...
Our dinghy is a Oksano F3 fast cat with Honda 50.
40 knots if not too choppy.

Ruffryder said:

Cruising in the PNW, we use the tender a lot more than just landing to shore.
Once we're in the Islands, tender becomes like your personal car for island hopping, quick trip to Friday harbor for some ice cream...
Our dinghy is a Oksano F3 fast cat with Honda 50.

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I like that !

A big part of why we ended up with a 60fter was what we needed the dinghy to be and do.

Decades of cruising with barely adequate dinghy's had us this time choosing the dinghy and then getting the boat that can carry it.

14 ft high sided wide beam alloy dory
30hp electric/pull start 2 stroke Suzuki
Stable enough that two of us can stand on one side
Light enough to be easily lifted on hand cranked davits.
Robust enough to punch 15 miles across the bay in a 20knot chop and return with a months worth of supplies.