Yet one more dinghy thread

[localboy]

I'm looking for opinions; and yes I know the quote.

That said, on our trip up to the San Juans [after the Bellingham GT] we decided to purchase our own dinghy. We have been borrowing a "donut" dinghy, but I dislike [chancing it] rowing due to weather/current.

We want to be able to get to shore when anchored, move boat to boat and around marinas WITHOUT paddling. Exploring on the dinghy would be limited but we may want to do it.

I'm looking at either a 7'6" or an 8'6" with an inflatable floor (lighter than wood). I will probably power it with a Suzuki 2.5 horse 4 stroke, again, light weight (28 lbs) and so far I love our 150. Primarily it will be Meredith and I, but our grandaughter will accompany us from time to time. I will store it on the roof and lower it by hand with the motor stored out back and also "hand loaded" onto the dinghy. I also don't want the hassle of a seperate gas tank.

I want to hear the pros and cons. I've read through all the posts here but with my limited experience, I need some input. I only want to buy a new motor once. (I'm cheap ).

Is bigger better? 2.5 horse enough to move the larger boat or would a heavier 4 horse be needed? If so, I may consider the 7'6" boat with the smaller motor. I've used a 7'11" inflatable with a 2 stroke 4 horse Johnson and it displaced enough water to move my brother and I at a decent clip, around 350 lbs +/-.

The boats I'm looking at have the following specs:

7'6" boat recommends a 3 horse max HP, 440 lb load capacity
8'6" boat jumps up to a 10 horse max HP, 770 lb load capacity
Both weigh nearly the same @ 68 & 69 lbs respectively. (Although I'm confirming that with the manufacturer as I'm skeptical 1' = only 1 lb.)

Both are made out of "1,100 Dtex plastomer PVC fabric with a polyester support...". I know some like Hypolon better, but that's realistically out of our price range now. I plan on covering it when it's not being used and storing it inside @ home.

That's about all I got. Mahalo for any and all input.

[Tortuga]

I have a West Marine (by Zodiac) RU-260 -- I can't comment on the pros and cons of the other boats, but I will address them to my dink.

In short, I've been very happy with it. It weighs 51 pounds -- is easy to roll up. I can pull it up myself to store on the pilot house (and I'm not a big) relatively comfortably. It will accommodate a 4 hp engine -- and I actually run my Tohatsu 6 hp on it since it is the same engine. For the past several years I have used as Nissan 2.5 hp on it and it pushes it very well.

I actually bought the raft about 10 years ago and it has help up fabulously -- it looks like new. I don't wash it down after saltwater use -- but I do store it inside the boat unless I'm using it -- it'll see a few weeks of daily sun in the summer. It was about $900 when I bought it a decade ago -- it's much cheaper now.

I know it is relatively expensive -- but my feeling is that it is cost-effective in the long run because it lasts a long time -- and it is a safe sturdy boat -- something I'd feel safe stepping into if I had to get off the big boat in a hurry. And, that sturdiness comes in handy when transporting kids, less agile adults, etc across swells or wave lines.

FYI -- it seems to be about 10% off with an online coupon.

Matt

[mcc272]

We have had a series of RIBs and air floors over the years on a variety of boats. For the CD22, we purchased an Achilles LSI 260 (8'6") and it fits nicely on the top of the 22. It slides under the high arch which I have installed wit hthe legs set on pieces of 1" Starboard for slight additional height. Our thought process for the 260 was that even though we often boat with just the 2 of us, if you take friends, even for a day cruise and want to dink ashore or into town, there is often a need for carrying 4 persons. Same holds if you boat with another boat and want to share a dink for exploring. 4 is a more common number and many of the 260 size boats are rated for 3 persons. The LSI 260 carries 4. It also has more room for supplies and gear if it is just the 2 of you. As to motor, we have not purchased it yet but are planning on the Mercury 6hp. This is within the allowable specs for the boat in terms of both weight and HP. It will allow the dinghy to get up and go for longer trips with 2 persons aboard. Finally, while I would like to have a bit more HP for a kicker for the 22, it will allow some use as a kicker solving 2 problems at once. I did not want to be dealing with a bigger (heavier) motor on the dinghy or moving it around either.

As noted, the dinghy stores on the cabin top. As Dr. Bob and several others have done, I bought a Garhauer davit (long arm) and 2 sets of mounts. One mount is in the starboard rear corner of the cockpit with the base on a block epoxied to the floor board and the ring throughbolted with a backing plate in the lazarette and a mounting block on the visible side to make the tube plumb. That will allow the motor to be picked off the dinghy and stowed on a transom bracket.

I added a second mounting base on the cabin top and had a stainless bracket fabricated and welded to the arch. That bracket is braced fore and aft and raises the ring above the arch on a beautiful piece of stainless workmanship. The davit on the arch is rock solid and it is a piece of cake to put the dinghy on the cabin top. To improve safety, I put 2 stripes of black non skid tape on each side of the cabin top (outboard of the center part of the top) as you tend to walk there while dealing with the dinghy and non skid is important. That cabin top is pretty high up when the boat is on the trailer. I envision carrying the dinghy on the highway in the truck and inflating and stowing it on the cabin top before launching. Have not launched yet but have used the set up a bunch of times to put the dinghy on and off the cabin top as the boat was on the trailer. Piece of cake.

Hope that helps.

Jim

[starcrafttom]

Jim do you have any pictures of the davit on the arch??/I would like to see that.

[mcc272]

I do and one of these days, when my work situation quiets down, I will get an album set up and put a variety of the pics of the rebuild in it. In the meantime, PM me with your e-mail address and I will send you some pics. Same offer to anyone else.

Jim

[matt_unique]

I would go with the 7'6" dinghy and 2.5hp engine. You are not going to plane off, but it will be relatively light and easy to transport/store. Lighter is better for the purposes you describe. The 2.5 will provide plenty of power.

I have the Mercury 6'7" PVC 200 Roll Up inflatable with a 3.5 hp two stroke with integrated tank. Believe it or not, with calm water and just me be aboard I can plane off with careful weight distribution. I use it to get from ship to shore and I burn about 2 gallons a summer.

I can tell you first hand the Mercury PVC is tough as nails. I had to puncture my dinghy last summer (something I don't want to talk about ) and it took a lot of effort. I could not physically puncture this thing with a flat head screw driver. I tried several tools with no success until I was finally able to get my smallest allen wrench through the sucker...but just barely. I could not believe how tough this things was. Anyway - I always used solid wood dinghies in the past but it required two people to move and you could not stow it on the roof. My 6'7" dinghy is a little small for really more than 1 person but it fits on the roof of Napoleon perfectly between the radar mount and my all around light.

Here's a link to the Merc boats: http://sites.mercurymarine.com/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/INFLATABLEBOATS/PRODUCTS/ROLLUP-GENERAL.HTML

[Adeline]

I bought an Achilles (hypalon) 230 (7'7") air floor (LSI 77). It's a top quality boat at a top tier price ($1299.00) that will outlive me. That said, if I were to do it over I'd probably go with this .
I think it's a better value. Heck, you could get two and a cover for what I paid for my boat alone !
My motor is a 1999 Johnson 4 horse with twin cylinders (for smoothness). 33#s. I paid just $350.00 for it on Craig's list and it's virtually new.
This was an excellent decision and I'm real happy with it !
I'd guess that it'll push my boat to about 7 or 8 mph. I'm not sure I'd call what it does "planing" but it's plenty fast and sure beats rowing. Especially in any wind and/or current.
Pictures here !
One final thing, the 7'7" length of my boat is a good size for me but if you plan on ferrying two adults and gear/groceries I'd get a 260 (8'8").

[localboy]

Pete, funny that you would mention the Saturn boats. I'm considering these http://www.affordableinflatable.com/estore/index.php?cPath=2&osCsid=c9264749507720745ad8b20bcd599495 which outside of the labeling, look exactly like the Saturns. He sells them on E-Bay for an even lower price.

[Sea Wolf]

I've got the same motor as Pete does, except 3 years older ('91). Love the little water cooled, twin cylinder, 33 lb wonder! Just had it gone through professionally, and anxious to try it on my Avon Rover-280 (9'2") inflatable. No reverse gear, but does have F-N, and you pivot it around 360 degree for reverse or whatever.Dr. Bob's right, you need neutral, at least, for maneuvering around docks, etc. I think it's really smooth for a little dude:

1.565" bore x 1.374 stroke (x2) = 5.29 cubic inches! (86.4 cc)

4 hp @ 5000 rpm....

probably sounds about like one of Jim's Gulf Coast Mosquitoes!

Joe.

[thataway]

Consider a few factors--a 7'6" boat only has about 4.5 feet of usable space inside of it--an 8'6" boat has 5.5 feet--a lot of difference if you have more than two adults (or dogs etc). The Suzuki 2.5 is a tough engine and goes every bit as fast and as much power as the 3.5 hp Merc I own. In the past I was against the 2 hp engines, because they didn't have enough "guts" to push an inflatable against the wind--but the Suzuki has a big enough prop (and is probably closer to some 4 hps in pushing power).

I had a 6' 7" --it was tight. I currently have a 9' 6" hypalon air floor (about 68 lbs) and the two of us can put it on the top of the Tom Cat easily. It can be easily driven, and with a longer water line and better hull form, it will be faster than the smaller boat. That boat is rated for an 8 hp, and I have a 10' 6" hypalon with a vinly slat floor (close to 100 lbs) which is rated for a 15 hp. It also does fine with the 2.5.

If you really want to plane you will need at least 6 HP--and preferably 8hp.
There is a price you pay for that, which is weight of the motor. That can be handled by a Gaurhuer Davit easily if you want to do the set up.

If you are going to keep the dinghy rolled up most of the time, and not encounter sharp objects, the PVC boats are fine. Of course the Hypalon will last much longer. My larger boat is a 1993 and still looks new.

The best outboard I have every owned was a Johnson 4.5 hp 2 stroke. I used it daily for 5 years and never had a lick of trouble. If you can find one of these older gems in good condition it is a "find". Mine was about a 1982 vintage.

[sportner]

I have the 7'-6" Mercury rollup and it works fine, its light and tough, but I think my next one will be a foot longer. I have the 3.5 hp Merc 4 stroke and it weighs 37 lbs, I like it a lot, it sits for 7-8 months and starts on the 1st or 2nd pull every time and has pretty good power, I got mine on sale at West Marine for $800 three years ago. You have seen how I store it in the cockpit and the pictures are in our album. Good luck.

[localboy]

Based on some of your input, I'm leaning more towards the 8.5' boat. When we used the 7'11" boat I mentioned in my first post, it was very tight with three adults aboard. The extra length, width and capacity is a only a plus. I was concerned that the 2.5 would be underpowered on that boat, and was trying to find a balance between weight, size and horsepower. In a perfect world the 4 horse would weigh/cost what the 2.5 does, but... With what Dr Bob wrote about the Suzuki 2.5 I'm still leaning towards that engine vs a 4 horse.

Russ your dinghy/outboard, along with a few others I saw this past weekend up in Bellingham/Sucia, made us realize we needed to make the investment so we could get the most enjoyment/freedom out of the 25. On our previous trips I had never really considered the need due to my lack of mobility. Now it seems a need not a want. THanks for all the input. I appreciate it.

Dr Bob, the engine my brother still owns/uses on his dinghy is also an 80's vintage Johnson 4 horse. He's had that thing forever and it has functioned flawlessly the entire time. A little blue smoke, but it works great and keeps on humming along.

[Sea Wolf]

Those older 2-stroke motors are a lot lighter than the newer 4-strokes mandated by the emission laws.

Like in the rest of the outboards (and even jet skis), the emission control standards have forced manufacturers to make 4-stroke motors for the horsepower models where they used to make 2 strokes, adding a lot of weight and cost to the new motors.

I looked for quite a while before I found my '91 4 hp 33 lb Evinrude. In that same year, they also made a full shift deluxe model 2-stroke at 50 lbs, and the equivalent new 4-stroke 4 hp 4-strokes are about 55 lbs. (e-tech/Bombardier doesn't make small outboards any more, apparently.)

And have you seen the prices? $850 for a 2 hp motor? $1300 for a 4 hp? (I know you can get this down, some by shopping a bit.)

Joe.

[Adeline]

Here is a video I shot of the little gem. The noise you hear is simply the bubbling in the bucket. She's VERY quiet on the inflatable.

[T.R. Bauer]