Alaska planning - buying dinghy

B

BRAZO

New member
We are planning to do the inside passage to Ketchikan, AK this summer and need to purchase a dinghy. We have limited space on our roof with the radar attached at the rear of the roof. From the searching that I've done on c-brats - it looks like the dinghy motor of choice would be the Suzuki 2.5hp - so that is the plan.

I've come down the following dinghy choices - both new around $600:

7' 3" Mercury 240 with slat floor 49lbs 3 person capacity 5yr warranty

or

7' 7" Zodiac 230 Zoom with slat floor 58lbs 2 + 1 capacity 2yr warranty

Any thoughts/experience on these dinghy's? Also, what does the 2+1 capacity mean? Our youngest son is a JR in high school so soon it'll just be 2 of us - but this year (at least) it'll be 3 of us.

Thanks.
 
BRAZO":xl2xnhch said:
We are planning to do the inside passage to Ketchikan, AK this summer and need to purchase a dinghy. We have limited space on our roof with the radar attached at the rear of the roof. From the searching that I've done on c-brats - it looks like the dinghy motor of choice would be the Suzuki 2.5hp - so that is the plan.

I've come down the following dinghy choices - both new around $600:

7' 3" Mercury 240 with slat floor 49lbs 3 person capacity 5yr warranty

or

7' 7" Zodiac 230 Zoom with slat floor 58lbs 2 + 1 capacity 2yr warranty

Any thoughts/experience on these dinghy's? Also, what does the 2+1 capacity mean? Our youngest son is a JR in high school so soon it'll just be 2 of us - but this year (at least) it'll be 3 of us.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The max payload on the Zodiac 230 is 595lbs. I believe 2+1 means it's possible to get a 2 people plus a smaller 3rd person inside. Various sellers refer to the Zodiac as a 3 person boat or 2+1 (ISO). I think the ISO standards are more strict. Bottom line though, on an inflatable that size, 3 people is a bit crowded but doable, especially for short distances in calm water.
 
Thanks Roger.

I noticed that the zodiac has a Aluminum motor clamp plate - will this (aluminum) interfere with the radar? I assume the dinghy can be in front of the radar without problems - is that true?

Thanks.
 
BRAZO":2ocznc35 said:
Thanks Roger.

I noticed that the zodiac has a Aluminum motor clamp plate - will this (aluminum) interfere with the radar? I assume the dinghy can be in front of the radar without problems - is that true?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
It really depends on the size of the aluminum motor clamp. If the reflective metal can be kept below the radar beam, then it won't be an issue. The dinghy itself can be in front of (or on top of) the radar and the radar will shoot right through it.
 
Suzuki makes good motors, but my personal feeling is that a 2.5 hp is too small for general use. With 2 people in there, you're going to be limited in speed, and if there's a wind blowing, that'll slow you down. I had a Johnson 3.5 on a small inflatable and while we made it work, I really appreciated a 6 hp when I snuck that by the CFO.

A Suzuki 4 is 55 lbs vs the 2.5's 30 lbs, but that's the biggest return on 25 lbs you'll ever get. Tohatsu has a 3.5 for 43 lbs. and a 4 (or 6) for ~56 lbs.

Radars work by reflecting energy off metal, so if you put a metal plate in the radar's view, you'll get a reflection, but more importantly, you'll cut out the view beyond the plate. Since radars usually blank out really short (in time) reflections, I'd worry more about the reduction in range/view. If you keep that metal plate in back of the radar, there should be no problem, since you don't really care where you've been.

Does the Mercury have a plastic or metal transom mount?

Boris
 
journey on":1z994xik said:
A Suzuki 4 is 55 lbs vs the 2.5's 30 lbs, but that's the biggest return on 25 lbs you'll ever get. Tohatsu has a 3.5 for 43 lbs. and a 4 (or 6) for ~56 lbs.

Does the Mercury have a plastic or metal transom mount?

Boris
Click to expand...

Thanks Boris.

Good point on the motor size - we had a Sundowner tug with a Rib dinghy and a 5hp. It would push the dinghy but was too slow to go any distance. We finally upgraded to a Mercury 9.9 - and then of course sold the Sundowner the next year. But it was fun with the 9.9hp. I'll see what my options are in regards to the dinghy / max hp.

The Mercury has a plastic transom mount - so that probably is a better choice. The plus's on the Mercury is the 5yr warranty, 8lbs lighter, 4" shorter, and capacity rating a 100lbs more than the zodiac.
 
When we bought our dinghy a fellow boater recommended that we go with and inflatable floor and keel. We went with a Bombard Max 2 Aero. I'm thinking it's too small for three people. We were cautioned by a boater with more experience than I about avoiding slats for whatever reason. The inflatable keel and floor seems to be sturdy enough. We bought an adjustable inflator and deflator as we carry the boat standing on end in the cockpit. There are three different air pressures for the boat, floor, and keel. We don't travel any great distances and only needed a boat for two. Our 2.5 hp Yamaha seems to be nice compromise as I did not want any more weight to have to deal with carrying or lifting the motor to install it on the dink out over the water. At four horsepower in the Yamaha line you no longer have the built in fuel tank requiring a separate fuel tank but you do get reverse instead of just forward and neutral. And it to is another 25 pounds over the 2.5 hp version but you have to figure on the space and weight of the gas tank. You just spin the motor 180 degrees for reverse on our model. Also we store our dinghy in a dock box inside our garage with some spearmint herbal mouse repellant as I think some folks have found out the hard way that they add mouse attractant to the dinghy material. I'm not suggesting you buy the above products but just other points to consider. Enjoy your trip.
D.D.
 
Our experience on using a dingy in Alaska is that we would go at the most, maybe one mile certainly not more than 2 miles from the boat.

We would not cruise with the dingy other than in the bay area where we were anchored for the night. We would not go out into the main channel which we could have easily done but there was no need.

We used the dingy for fishing, working our crab pots and of course going ashore. For the most part we moving at very slow speeds, just looking around.

That Suzuki 2.5 is a nice little motor and would probably do the job. We have used a Yamaha 2.5 for a season and now have a 3.5 Mercury (this motor seems to be a design used by many companies) and its a great little kicker.

If you go with the 4 hp Suzuki then you may as well jump up to the 6 hp they seem to be the same size block.

You might want to consider a larger inflatable, there would be more comfort and probably more utility. We have had a Mercury 310 Air Floor for many years and its been a good boat but we did not have it with us when we were in Alaska.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.
 
Regarding the Suzy 2.5 hp, Robert mentioned it was on his list. I have never run mine over half throttle, to much power!

I just winterized my Suzy and put it away for the winter. It had about 2/3 tank of gas. I could not find a suitable syphon tube and I did not want to turn the engine upside down. So I thought I would just run it in fresh water and burn off the gas. I ran it at fast idle and it took 3hrs 20mins to use that gas up. Hard to believe I know, but it's true.

Martin.
 
Thanks for all the input.

After going back and forth on spending the extra for the larger motor (6hp) which would require larger dinghy - and extra weight - and extra $$$. Now I'm thinking this:

Saturn SD230 with high pressure floor

or Saturn Mini-cat MC290???? http://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable-catamaran-mc290.asp

Suzuki 2.5hp


Our plans are to continue to store the boat in far away places and then take our View to those places and enjoy the boat for 2-3 weeks or so at a time. When our youngest goes off to college in 2016 (plan to sell house/cottage and at least temporarily fulltime in the View/Boat/Condo rental/etc) , then we'll have more time but still only plan at the most 4-8 weeks a year. So, I don't want to over spend (as I normally do) on something that would only be used from time to time.

Anyone have the Saturn SD230 or SD260?

Any thoughts on the Mini-cat MC290 as a dinghy??

Thanks.
 
I guess two people could lift it but it seems forty pounds heavier than a regular mono hulled dinghy. I did not see any motor ratings but they showed the picture of one with a 15HP two stroke. I don't know what the warranty is but I can't figure out why something wiz bang like that is selling so cheap. The idea of lifting a hundred pound dinghy to the roof seems like it's more of the ability to handle the bulkiness of it with out good footing and good handles. Can that thing handle three people?
D.D.
 
Thanks D.D.

Yeah, it shows 4 person capacity - but after laying out the measurements on the floor, it'll be too big and like you said - bulky to lift. Just looks so perfect as we love to run ashore and explore.

Back to the SD230 or the Baltik 7.5.
 
We have owned a couple of Saturn boats and like them a lot. The minicat is rated for 9.9hp and weighs 90lbs with the floor and 8 lbs less with it removed. You could deflate/remove the floor and strap the noses together for more of a V shape when stowed if that was helpful. It does look very roomy but the front edge is lower than the normal tube front of a non-cat so rougher water might result in a wetter ride.

We love our 14ft Kaboat but its bigger in length than most folks want to deal with although it is light.

Greg
 
Dinghy motor: I often say that 2 hp is too little for an inflatable--however, we used the 2.5 HP Suzuki for a month in AK, and it was perfect. We used it on a 6'7" dinghy and an 8'7" dinghy (both slat floor). I consider that Suzuki the equal to a 3.5 hp 2 stroke Merc we have (and like). Go with the 2.5 hp. They hold their value well.

Dinghy--I think that the 7'7" dinghies are going to be really tight for 3. We made a mistake by giving up the 8'6" dinghy with the sale of one of our boats. Currently we have about a 10' air floor--and it is rated for 9.9hp--we use the 3.5 hp Merc--(and the Suzuki 2.5 would do as well). It will semi plane with one person.

For AK--it is more than just going to shore. We spent four 5 month periods in AK with our Cal 46. There we had a 12'6" RIB, and would go many miles with it (15 or 25 hp). We also had a Bombard AX3 as a back up, and guest dinghy--the beauty of the smaller boat was that we could pick it up and carry it ashore.

Even with the C Dory 25 in AK, there were times we went to set crab and shrimp pots, went bear watching, etc and it was more of a trip than a few hundred feet to the beach.

I happen to like the K boat Cat--but the weight is a lot--but it could be put on top as Greg noted. You would end up towing it. They do OK in the chop, but you have to keep the bow up.

The other good option I see is the Saturn SD 260 air floor. Later you can put an 8 hp on it and plane with two. It is 75 lbs which is manageable by two or three people--(about the weight of our current 10 foot boat), and you can bring it to the foredeck and then slide it up on top. I think that the smaller inflatables may not fulfill your needs s couple of years down the line. The comparable Mercury air floor inflatable is gong to cost about $400 more, will be the same weight, but have a bit more carrying capacity

My personal choice would be the 2.5 HP Suzuki with the Saturn SD 260. Down the line, this will be a more practicable boat for your use.
 
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...
 
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.
 
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

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
AJF":cw51n862 said:
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.
Click to expand...


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...
 
Back
Top