dinghy's again

[hansonby]

We are new to boating, have a 22' Cruiser, and after a first trip this weekend to the San Juans we think we need a dinghy. I have reviewed previous posts and ask now if there are any recent/new dinghy recommendations. We want a lightweight dinghy chiefly to row from harbor moorage to shore in order to use facilities, e.g. - at Sucia Is. marine park.

West Marine has an ~8' inflatable model coming up on sale for $299. The oars and oar locks do not look too good. I don't mind paying more for sturdiness, lightness, ease of rowing, and ease of storage. I want to avoid buying a cheap dinghy and then immediately feeling a need to upgrade.

Right now I'm thinking no motor, to avoid the motor/gasoline storage problem.

Ideas/comments?

Thanks,

Byron

[C spot swim]

hi hansonby

We too are looking for the right dinghy and I can tell you I have looked at just about 20 different models with prices ranging from $300 to $3000! I really like the Portland Pudgy design but it's too large/heavy for us and it's expensive.

I need a light use dinghy and am leaning toward the Mercury line. As much as Zodiaks are proven and popular in our area, I need a dinghy that is under not longer than 8', preferably ~7'.

When anchoring out, we will continue to grumble/laugh and use our $40.00 coleman raft for ferrying to the beach campsites we make until we find exactly what we want.

Good luck!

Mike

[matt_unique]

I'm curious what dinghy WM will be offering for $300?!? My only concern would be just as you mentioned; be careful about the high end 'toy' type over a heavy duty PVC dinghy. I once bought a high end toy type and there is a huge difference between those and a brand-name PVC for example. Hypalon is probably the best but those are very expensive.

I use a Mercury Roll-up 200. It fits perfectly on the roof of Napoleon between my radar and all-around light.

If you are new to boating, I submit that once you buy a little dinghy engine you would wonder why you ever rowed! Particularly in wind or current of any kind you will LOVE having a little engine. Also, if you don't already have a kicker, the dinghy engine can serve that purpose too.

[localboy]

[matt_unique]

Hi Mark,
Earlier this season I mentioned the wind flipped my dinghy while tied to the mooring. It was a few weeks of rowing while I reconditioned my motor that had been sitting upside down underwater for a few hours

My mooring is right at the mouth of a river. With the tidal shift we get about 3 knots current and that can be a tough row in an inflatable!

If you must row, you need something like a kayak or a solid dinghy. Of course, this presents other challenges including weight, whether you can carry it solo, etc.

[Nan-C]

We recently purchased an 8' Gig Harbor hard dinghy. We have not had a chance to use it yet, but by all reports it is a great rower. While it is our intention to row it -- my wife is adamant -- this thread adds to my suspicion that the small Honda is in our future. The interesting thing about this boat is its weight. Kevlar, 62 lbs.

Regards to all,
Greg

[Aurelia]

I noticed more interest in the Portland Pudgy Dinghy. It is a weighty boat for roof hauling and I am now on the second version of our roof loading system but I can say it does tow great and is self bailing with the plug pulled and up to 30 lbs of gear in the storage compartments. It tows very nice up to 18 knots with my boat and length of tow rope and it would likely go faster if you experimented. I have towed it quite a few times now and purposely hit big wakes at all angles and it just slides right through. The deep keel and significant weight and standard towing bridal are really key features. If your speeds are kept inside the normal cruise speeds for our boats, you could just tow it all the time. If towing into a marina, we just pull the line up short and clip to out canvas rail overhead so the Pudgy is following about 3 ft behind the motors and it works great even while backing.

[patrick and linda]

ok, i'll take exception to capt. mattie. with strong wind and heavy current i was able to row our zodiac 380 deluxe for approximately 5 miles at 15 knots. the only thing that slowed me down was the fire that occurred where the oar meets the pvc.
check out www.boatstogo.com in the past they have offered some very good deals.
best regards
pat

[matt_unique]

[patrick and linda]

ok, just last week, i was visiting with a friend who had just received his dinghy from boatstogo. it was 14', 20" tubes, huge, i know, but looked to be well constructed. he purchased it on ebay including a 2 cycle 40hp outboard. sweet deal.
pat

[localboy]

[journey on]

In the last 28 years, I've owned 3 dinghys: 2 Avons and 1 Achilles. They're made of hypalon, aren't cheap, but are tough. That WM dinghy is polyester, and probably not the best. I had several Sevleyour dinghys like that, and a summer is all you get.

The Achilles, now 5 years old, is still in great condition. It's ideal for a C-Dory, since it has an inflatable floor. This allows it to be deflated and rolled up for a small package. It's a little big (11 ') actually too big, but it did haul 4 people around Yellowstone lake. I would assume that an 8-9 ft would be better for a 22. We tow the dinghy behind the boat, and when we're going a long distance either on the ocean or towing the boat, it's rolled up and stored in the cockpit.

I also bought an electric inflator/deflator. One of the best investments I've ever made. I can turn inflating the boat to the grandkids, since it has an automatic shut-off.

Initially I had a 3 HP outboard, but a 6 HP allows the dinghy to be planed, even with a couple of people. Though not at Yellowstone (8000' altitude.)
You can always slow down with a bigger motor, but a smaller has it's limits.

Boris

[lloyds]

I purchased the West Marine Solstice a couple weeks ago that byron mentioned. $299. I found the same one at Outdoor Wholesale for $279 regular price. I am actually pretty surprised by it. Oarlocks and oars might not be top of the line but for a light use dinghy they are more than adequate. The construction seems to be good. Really couldn't find much wrong with it for a PVC dinghy. Super light for its' size. I rowed it around a small lake and fished out of it with two people and it was fine. Drug it across some rocks without a problem. I would prefer to use my Avon but weight is an issue. They are about the same size but while looking at it the other day I found that it weighed like 89 pounds. No going up on the roof for that thing.

[Swee Pea]

Don't know what your price range is, but I went with a Mercury 270 PVC Air Floor. ($999) The Hypalon was about $300 more, but I'm not going to store it in the elements, so the money I saved went towards a 6hp Nissan.

You can get a Mercury roll up for about $650.

I got it at Buster's Marine www.bustersmarine.com and was treated fairly (others on this site don't like Busters).

Mercurys are high quality boats with a great warranty.

Don't know if its what you're looking for, but at least take a look.

John
Swee Pea

[localboy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/7-5-BALTIK-INFLATABLE-FISHING-SCUBA-DINGHY-DINGY-BOAT-/200488447199?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eae0aecdf
7.5', inflatable floor, free freight...w/ everthing needed except an engine.