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Alaska planning - buying dinghy
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Aurelia



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 2331
City/Region: Gig Harbor
State or Province: WA
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Free shipping right now from the shop we bought from.

http://www.alpineboats.com/

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Greg, Cindie & Aven
Gig Harbor
Aurelia - 25 Cruiser sold 2012
Ari - 19 Cruiser sold 2023
currently exploring with "Lia", 17 ft Bullfrog Supersport Pilothouse
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BRAZO



Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 650
City/Region: Full-time Travel
State or Province: NV
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Meyer Meyer
Photos: BRAZO
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Greg & Dr. Bob.


Thanks for the link - looks like we'll order thru them with the free shipping. Plus they have the blue color...

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AJF



Joined: 13 Oct 2009
Posts: 72
City/Region: Hamlet of Mt. Lorne near Whitehorse
State or Province: YT
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was reading these posts and initially I wasn't going to post anything. But I guess something bugged me about what most people where thinking as being important about having a dinghy in Alaska. I've been cruising SE Alaska for over 30 years and one of the things I really enjoyed about my time here was at the end of the day dropping anchor in a secluded anchorage and getting into our hard-shell dinghy and going for a long row. After a day at the helm you really do need to get out an stretch your muscles and there is nothing better than rowing a well designed little dinghy. I could never think of having a motor running in the background as I explored the shoreline and I know my wife and dog have experienced so many incredible wildlife scenes by being able to silently move along the shoreline.
I know some will say that having to tow a hard-shell dinghy is a pain. But it really is just learning how to do it properly. Oars don't require much maintenance, you don't have to find space for fuel and an outboard, and you can easily drag the boat on to shore without having to worry about it tearing. And if your a senior like me you can really benefit from the exercise.
My favorite dinghy is the nutshell pram from Wooden Boat. It was fun to build and row.
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm kind of with AJF on this too. I have an Alaskan (fake) by the same manufacture and it took me some time to get used to sitting on the floor and rowing, but having been a paddle boater all my life and enjoying the peace and quiet, I do enjoy that part. Admittedly this is about the least efficient thing I have ever rowed, but it floats, no mater which way the waves are coming from.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon


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BRAZO



Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 650
City/Region: Full-time Travel
State or Province: NV
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Meyer Meyer
Photos: BRAZO
PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

AJF wrote:
After a day at the helm you really do need to get out an stretch your muscles and there is nothing better than rowing a well designed little dinghy.



That is a great idea. We are both runners (a few IronMan's under our belt) and have a hard time going more than a couple days without running. Rowing the dinghy around would be a great way to explore and get in some exercise. We took the View motorhome to Alaska this summer and I had a hard time running sometimes because I'm a bit nervous around bears - had to pick my runs carefully...
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

AJF all excellent and valid points. The nutshell is a great little boat-but hardly good for 3 adults. It also weighs 90 lbs.

If you want to row, the best inflatable boat is going to be the air floor. Agree that there is nothing better than a hard dinghy for rowing. For a number of years I rowed a 16 foot dory 6 miles every morning. We took our nine foot "Fatty Knees" to AK the first summer. Eight foot oars, never had a motor on the boat. Big fore deck, windlass rigged to spinnaker halyard, 3 point bridle and still it was a pain to launch! We didn't take it the next three years--and some of this has to do with my back problems.

On the other hand, an inflatable is more stable, much easier to stow, and you don't have to tow it. I used to like the old Avon's which had the rubber "oar locks" where you could really pull and feather an oar. Most inflatable boats do not have good oar locks or oars. Many river rafting boats use an aluminum frame for the oars. You could make a decent collapsable frame out of PVC pipe and use real oar locks--and oars, if you wanted. Saturn sells NSR frames of aluminum.

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Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
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20dauntless



Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 879
City/Region: Mercer Island and Decatur Island
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Retriever and Nordic Tug 37
Photos: Retriever
PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

BRAZO wrote:
AJF wrote:
After a day at the helm you really do need to get out an stretch your muscles and there is nothing better than rowing a well designed little dinghy.



That is a great idea. We are both runners (a few IronMan's under our belt) and have a hard time going more than a couple days without running. Rowing the dinghy around would be a great way to explore and get in some exercise. We took the View motorhome to Alaska this summer and I had a hard time running sometimes because I'm a bit nervous around bears - had to pick my runs carefully...


Have you considered kayaks? It's not difficult to carry 2 inflatable kayaks on a 22 and they paddle so much better than an inflatable dinghy in my experience. And kayaks are light and easy to haul up and down the beach when you're exploring on shore.

If you're looking to get off the boat and walk around, check out this list of Forest Service cabins. There are often hiking trails around the cabins, up to lakes, etc. I've found the hiking in SE Alaska is wayyyy better than in Northern BC.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/tongass/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=78613&actid=101

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BRAZO



Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 650
City/Region: Full-time Travel
State or Province: NV
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Meyer Meyer
Photos: BRAZO
PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

20dauntless wrote:
If you're looking to get off the boat and walk around, check out this list of Forest Service cabins.



20dauntless wrote:
Have you considered kayaks?


Yeah, we thought about kayaks and almost purchased the Oru Kayak - foldable. But we have two SUP's that we use in warmer water (actually used them as our dinghy that last two years in the Gulf Islands & San Juan's). We enjoyed our dinghy that we had on our Sundowner Tug - so we decided to go that way.

We did purchase the SD230 and Suzuki 2.5hp yesterday - online.

Thanks.


Last edited by BRAZO on Tue Dec 02, 2014 12:36 pm; edited 1 time in total
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williwaw



Joined: 05 Jan 2014
Posts: 148
City/Region: Portland
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: Williwaw
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been looking to upgrade our dinghy and recently went to the Inflatable Boat Center here in Portland. The guy there was familiar with C-Dorys and was a big fan of the Zodiac Cadet 240 Aero with the inflatable floor option. It seems very well made, has an inflatable floor and keel and is about the right size (7'11") for the roof. There's also a 260 size that's a bit bigger.

Our current dinghy is a roll-up donut style and while very light weight and easy to stow (the reasons we bought it), the downsides due to the soft floor and lack of transom turned out to be an issue for us. I also like to row and was told a high pressure floor boat will perform much better.
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