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?

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.

They make storable inflatable dingys that will take a 5hp outboard.

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

pete

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.

It would be like not wearing a watch for me - I would just feel somehow partially naked.

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.

Propnut said:

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?

Click to expand...

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.

Menzies,
I haven’t worn a watch for Over two decades.
Now that i-phones have the time why wear a watch?

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.

Nomad Willy said:

Menzies,
I haven’t worn a watch for Over two decades.
Now that i-phones have the time why wear a watch?

Click to expand...

How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?

menzies said:

How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?

Click to expand...

Velcro works.

menzies said:

How the heck do you strap an iPhone to your wrist - especially when swimming and snorkeling?

Click to expand...

Swimmers model, only in merica.

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...

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-Inflatable-68347EP-68624E/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).

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.

Ted

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.

Propnut said:

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?

Click to expand...

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

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.

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

Is the transom door the only way into the boat? How accessible is it from a fixed dock at low tide?

This is neither here nor there, but my brother-in-law and I we’re checking out a launch ramp on the back of Sullivan’s Island, SC and saw a guy paddling his inflatable toward the ramp. He was all duded up in the most stylish fishing regalia and, as he approached, we noticed he had lost a lot of air. He dragged the flaccid dinghy onto the ramp, grabbed his Bowie knife, knelt down and proceeded to stab and slash it savagely. Then, without a look at us (we were slack-jawed and staring), he walked to his car and drove away.

Not sure there’s a moral, except maybe don’t buy a cheap inflatable.

ranger42c said:

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

Click to expand...

hollywood8118 said:

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

Click to expand...

There are going to be places along the Loop where you may choose not to get off the boat. Staying on the boat certainly doesn't prevent you from anchoring out. There are also numerous free docks along the Loop that are either free for some number of hours, daylight hours, or overnight with a one or more day limitation. Stopping on a free dock to sightsee for a half day and then moving off to anchor, certainly doesn't require a dinghy. Lots of free opportunities for Loopers willing to do the research.

Ted

I am in the group that cannot go without a dinghy........and spend enough $ if you purchase one to get quality. My Avon 3.10RIB dinghy was purchased at a boat show in 1987 continues to provide reliable service. It outlasted one 8HP engine that I replaced 12 years ago.

angus99 said:

This is neither here nor there, but my brother-in-law and I we’re checking out a launch ramp on the back of Sullivan’s Island, SC and saw a guy paddling his inflatable toward the ramp. He was all duded up in the most stylish fishing regalia and, as he approached, we noticed he had lost a lot of air. He dragged the flaccid dinghy onto the ramp, grabbed his Bowie knife, knelt down and proceeded to stab and slash it savagely. Then, without a look at us (we were slack-jawed and staring), he walked to his car and drove away.

Not sure there’s a moral, except maybe don’t buy a cheap inflatable.

Click to expand...

I have a very similar story with an inflatable kayak, wherein I am that guy. Involves much slapstick humor, all at my expense. I'll save it for some other thread so as not to derail this one.

I have a roll-up dinghy and a 5 hp Nissan o/b. Used it three times on the Little Loop. Once at moorings in Cape May and NYC and once in Lake Champlain for fun. I used the bicycles more. And I hardly used them at all.

Most of the time you are going to be at locks, docks or marinas.

A car would be more convenient. But then you need a bigger boat and a crane.

Better just stay home.

Nomad Willy said:

Menzies,
I haven’t worn a watch for Over two decades.
Now that i-phones have the time why wear a watch?

Click to expand...

Watch is water proof . . . . i-phones . . . not so much

slowgoesit said:

Watch is water proof . . . . i-phones . . . not so much

Click to expand...

Right on! And accurate time keeping watches with expansion bracelets are found on Ebay for about $5 with free shipping

Hollywood has a good point about life rafts. I do carry a Waypoint 4 person life raft on board, which I religiously have serviced every three years. If I didn't have a life raft, I would certainly have the incentive to buy very best dinghy money could buy...and make the necessary sacrifices for carrying it. As it stands now, I only consider my dinghy to be a "convenience" item...and not terribly essential for the type of cruising we we do most of the time. However, as our cruising grounds change (for example requiring a higher percentage of anchoring out), we may find an increased need for a better dinghy solution.

We don't have a saltwater boat yet, but I bought a lightweight inflatable dingy for our Sprinter van when traveling. It's 12.5' long & only weighs 92 lbs. I've only had it in a large lake, but so far I'm pretty impressed. It will run about 25 mph with a 20 Hp, which also weighs about 94 lbs. It has an air floor instead of aluminum, which seems rigid enough, but I have no idea of how long it will last. My boat is a Mars model from Boatstogo.com It's Chinese made & may be considered crap by most boaters here, but I haven't read anything either way yet. I just wanted to try one & figure I'll upgrade later if doesn't last. It was only about $800 including shipping for Black Friday.