Which inflatable dinghy & outboard for a Tom Cat?

[Gene Morris]

Thataway, Thanks so much for all the great info. I will print your reply and use it as a check list when I'm shopping around. My first mates job is a big responsibility and I want to get it right. About "Lubba", does she need a job!?
Thanks again and any other suggestions on this subject or cruising with dogs and the disabled would be greatly appreciated.
Does anyone carry a moped or scooter on board?
Margaret

[thataway]

Lubba was a long time ago--and no idea of where she went--but we had some colorful nannies! Yes, we started our Calif to Europe and back trip with on 80 CC Yamaha motor bike. By the time we reached Maine, it was obvious that the $100 Yahama was on its last legs and that Marie wanted equal time with me as "driver" of the motor bike. We got two 50 cc Yamahoppers. Each bike had a basket plus a rack on the back, with a folding "milk crate"--we could carry quite a load (the most difficult was a 4 x 4 sheet of plywood--and full propane tanks...I had to promise I would "walk" the bike back to the boat before the gas company would fill the LPG tanks. We hoisted the bikes on and off with a davit like the Garhauer I picture in the photo album. We had a hard floor board dinghy, and Marie would ride on the bike, as I drove with the motor going ashore. We also had folding bikes, but those did n't hve the utility as the motor bikes. I don't know about the weight of a disabled scooter,but I would try and keep the weight less than 150 lbs. The problem is getting a bike/scooter off the inflatabel. We would just deflate a pontoon and push it off--or if we had the boat on a dock, we would use the davit to put the motor bike on the dock.

My dogs aboard lecture will have to come later....we had too many "tails--or is it tales?"

[Doryman]

Interesting discussion with many valuable suggestions. Thanks to one and all.

New sub-topic #1: Assuming that the outboard employed is only 2-1/2 hp, is there any reason not to get a donut-style dinghy such as the Achiles which you can see at http://www.achillesinflatables.com/dingdetail.cfm?ID=1 I can understand why one would want a sportboat configuration if one had a bigger outboard but am unclear on the disadvantages, if any, of this type of boat. Seems to me it would be easier to maneuver when stowing, etc.

New sub-topic #2: Other than those already mentioned in this topic, what strategies do you employ to get your dinghy on your cabin top given the lack of a true walk-around deck? Some of us are less agile than others!

Thanks.

[thataway]

My first Avon inflatable in 1961 was a Avon "doughnut" type of boat. It was the only one I have owned of that type. Unless you can put some type of a plywood floor in it, it will be like walking on a water bed! The motor bracket has to be taken on and off each time--not real easy. I think that the transom boats are more stable.--incidently try rowing with a dog--I can guarantee you that dog will be in your face/lap and tangled with the oars. I would also strongly advise you not to buy one of the really cheap boats. Preferably Hypalon--next PVC fabric. The plastics--not worth it--and with dog's claws--dangerous...

Getting the boat up on the top--that is why we have the lightest possiable boat. We slide it up from the side--to the cabin roof. push and pull. I am considering putting a high mounting bracket on the Garhauer davit--probably near the edge of the cabin top--maybe clamped on the hand railing so it can be removed--and enough travel to pick up one end of the boat and put it on the roof, then go for the other end. The outboard goes on a bracket--like Discovery--or the one I should finish in the next couple of days and I will get photos. I would advise against the 2 cyl Evinrude motors-I have owned several--and they have not done as well as the Hondas, Yamahas, Nissan (Merc-Tohatsu). Be sure and get a clutch, usually the 360 degree steering will allow reverse nicely. You want to start in neutral--especailly with the dog--they all will have some time that the water seems irresitable. Ours did it only as a "mistake"--either too many ducks, or there were weeds which looked like it was almost land!!!.
Keep the boat and motor light!

If this bracket works as I think it will, the dinghy outboard can work as a stern thruster, getting the boat off a crowdeddock easily.---again the davit will help get the motor on and off the boat/bracket/dinghy.

Give serious thought to the stability, ease of assembly and ease of getting in for Gene. Marie agrees with me--that you might want to put a third or fourth hand railing--similar to the diving ladder railings on each side of the boat, so Gene can pull up on it.

I hope that you have some places where you can look at boats. Try assembly etc. I don't carry a life raft, so the dinghy serves this function--another reason to have a good quality boat. When on passages we had a small CO2 bottle to fil the inflatable rapidly in an emergncy--neverhad to use it!

[John S]

Several recommendations have talked about inflatable floors. Can these really be stable? Don't you guys get the waterbed effect from these on any model using this type floor? I have a cheap, cheap coleman raft we are using until we figure out which dinghy to buy. It has a two chamber floor. It scares me every time I try to get in and out of it.

Several people have previously recommended the Alaska Series dinghy, also with inflatable floor.

So can we make a generality here or not? If the floor is inflatable, the bottom of the dinghy is not very stable, but it is worth it for the lightness???.

Confused,
John

[SeaSpray]

John,

The inflatable floor you have in your cheap dingy is inflatable like an air mattress. It is not very stiff and you get the water bed feel. That is the same for my little dingy with slats.

The high pressure inflatable floors are much nicer. They are very stiff and are much more solid to step into and out of.

Steve

[thataway]

Agree with Steve. The inflatable floors are almost as stiff as a fiberglass bottom--and are as stable as the articulated vinly floor I have in an older Avon. The slats in the fabric are not as stable--and I would not recommend them for a handicaped person. I stayed away form the inflatable floors, because of our mulitple dogs--this may not have been a really valid reason, but my thoughts are that dogs bring a lot of sand aboard a dinghy in their paws. The sand gets into the area between the floor and fabric, abraiding both. It also happens with the wooden or aluminum floors which are in 3 to 5 pieces. When we had that type of boat and the large dogs, we would take the boat apart every month or so and clean out the sand. With an RIB, this doe not happen, or with the softer bottom boats it does not happen.

Margaret I looked at the West Marine dinghies today when I was in the store. There is a roll up wood system sort of laced with fabric--full width, and each piece touching the next--seemed to be a stable floor. The boat was about $1100. It is 7'10" long, weight 75 lbs and looked to be fairly easy to put inflate. You might want to take a took at the RU3. Although I like Hypalon better than the PVC fabric, the PVC is less expensive, and lighter. This boat is rated for 4 hp and about 525 lbs, with 16" tubes. There are a number of other boats avaialable, which may be as good or better, but this one seemed close to meeting your needs.

[Gene Morris]

Bob, Thanks for looking. I looked at the RU3 online. Looks good. What is the distance between the motors on the 255? Seems like that would be a good place to board if I could pull the dinghy under the step. I have lots of time to shop around as we won't be needing the dinghy until next summer. We just received the first pictures of our new boat today. We are excited to say the least! Of course it is bare. Bottom paint next, electronics and radar arch next. Gene will undoubtedly post the pictures in an album.
Margaret

[thataway]

The Suzuki 150's on our boat are about 40" between engines...but the Hondas may be slightly different. I think that the RU3 did not have the wood slats all of the way foreward, but something could be made to give a stable place there. I can check to see how far a similar dinghy (the bow of our 6'7" West Marine is very similar to the RU3 and this dinghy is still carried under the Bombard label which lists the beam as 3'9" I am not certain if one could get the bow it it between the motors, but I can check in the next few days. (the problem is that the distance between the motors is aft of the swim step). If you or Gene boarded from directly between the engines, the dinghy would have to have be pulled in hard between the engines. You will have to experiment, but my feeling is that a third hand railing; maybe a little shorter fore and aft, could be attatched to the top of the stern railing, and then to the swim step just inboard. That way the dinghy can be brought along side of the boat, and Gene board with something solid to hang onto. Again, we can check that out with the dinghy in the water, if no one else has done it that way.

Another item I would consider is what I call the poor man (or C Dory's) Passerelle (the gangplank used on fancy yachts). This is the "pet step II" We have had one for 4 years and it is great on the C Dory 22--we will be taking it on the TC 255. It is 70" long, folds to 35", weight 18lbs and carries 500 lbs! We don't have the float, but have used fenders to float the end and let some dogs get out of the water. We have used it at least 60 times, with the C Dory22 stern to the beach, motor up and pet step from the swim step to land--it should work the same form the stern of the C Dory, but the C Dory draws more..It would be something to consider for boarding etc. For example if we were bow to a bank, we would put the pet step down for the dog to come up onto the boat over the bow. (we also developed a "pet elevator" with the davit for our dogs as they aged)

Regards,

I would cons

[mikeporterinmd]

[Sea Wolf]

Bob Austin wrote:

"Another item I would consider is what I call the poor man (or C Dory's) Passerelle (the gangplank used on fancy yachts). This is the "pet step II" We have had one for 4 years and it is great on the C Dory 22--we will be taking it on the TC 255. It is 70" long, folds to 35", weight 18lbs and carries 500 lbs!"

BOB-

IS THIS THE PETSTEP II YOU'RE REFERRING TO?


THANKS,

JOE.

[Discovery]

My solution to the problem of where to carry the dingy on Discovery was to build a bracket over the swimstep. We have solar panels on the cabin roof. The bracket is high enough to see under the dingy from the helm, makes backing up easier.

[Pat Anderson]

How about starting another thread on solar power? Maybe some links to some good sources?

[thataway]

Probably a better descripiton from the manufacture:
http://www.petstep.com/

But the item appears to be the same on the link you posted. I hesitate to say it is because sometimes these things are counterfit. My father made our first one for a 125lb lab we sailed Calif. To Europe with. The sides were made of 1/8" high quality plywood, as was the bottom. 1x2, were the railings, and also cross cleats with carpet for the dog's paws. It was narrower, but still wide enough for us to use, and to roll our motor bikes over. We also had a spreader bar from the top of the mizzen mast halyard, and so we had lines on each side--with rollers on the dock end--and lashed to a couple of sail cars on a track on the top of the transom for the deck attatchment--heck it worked!

[Sea Wolf]

Bob-

I love the pop-up video of the black pig on the leash going up the ramp!

Care to sail to Europe with a pig?

Sorry, unfair question.

No answer required.