I am new to this forum and still fairly ignorant about cruising so I have a newbie question. (We own a 16' drift boat that we use on Oregon rivers and had a 16' Skagit w/50hp outboard that we used for many years to fish/crab in bays and occasionally past the bar.) Why do so many people have a dingy to go along with a C-Dory 22? Can't you beach the boat, or at least tie up in shallow water, if you want to go ashore and explore? I see people commenting that they use their dingy to check crab pots and go fishing, but why do you need a dingy for that? Are there situations where you absolutely need a dingy?
Why have a dingy?
- Thread starter pcg
- Start date
Certainly not every one needs a dinghy. However, many of us have used our boats where dinghies are just about mandatory. Up and down the Inside Passage, for instance. Steep rocky shores in places with 18 foot tide swings are not good for beaching, to say the least. Any extended stay in remote places in the PNW will definitely be easier with a dinghy. Even more civilized places like marinas or state or provincial parks may have no dock space available, so anchoring or mooring on a buoy are the only practical options. Some people consider their dinghy as a make-do life raft.
I'm sure there are lots of other reasons (taking pets ashore, e.g.) for which people find dinghies useful or necessary.
I'm sure there are lots of other reasons (taking pets ashore, e.g.) for which people find dinghies useful or necessary.
PaulNBriannaLynn
New member
Where we live, the tides change so quickly that unless I want to babysit the boat, its safer to just leave it in water and use the dinghy(for us paddleboards). Back when we lived in the north Puget sound the issue was cobblestone beaches that are rough on the gelcoat. We don't alwys need a dinghy but sometimes it opens up more possibilities
For example--at Lake Powell, we usually go stern to the beach--gradual slopes, and often you can step off without getting wet.
We have a dog--and this works well. So why have a dinghy at Lake Powell? Exploring places too narrow or shallow for the C Dory. Landing in some areas, where the C Dory cannot land = rocks and ledges.
I like to read the Wall Street Journal every day--even on vacation--I would take the dinghy out to a point where I could get phone reception and download the WSJ
There was an emergency--the boats were all tied stern to the beach--VHF radio is limited, because of line of sight, as is the cell phone. We took the dinghy to get to a place where we could make cell contact. The ranger went to the wrong part of the cove, and we chased him down with the dinghy--
All sorts of things...
We have always had our dinghy--same with the RV--you out take the 42 foot RV to the hardware store, but instead we tow another smaller vehicle. In larger boats, the dinghy is your exploration tool , and life boat....
We have a dog--and this works well. So why have a dinghy at Lake Powell? Exploring places too narrow or shallow for the C Dory. Landing in some areas, where the C Dory cannot land = rocks and ledges.
I like to read the Wall Street Journal every day--even on vacation--I would take the dinghy out to a point where I could get phone reception and download the WSJ
There was an emergency--the boats were all tied stern to the beach--VHF radio is limited, because of line of sight, as is the cell phone. We took the dinghy to get to a place where we could make cell contact. The ranger went to the wrong part of the cove, and we chased him down with the dinghy--
All sorts of things...
We have always had our dinghy--same with the RV--you out take the 42 foot RV to the hardware store, but instead we tow another smaller vehicle. In larger boats, the dinghy is your exploration tool , and life boat....
gulfcoast john
New member
Hi PCG!
You have obviously figured out that you don't need a dinghy on your 16 foot boat, and you may or may not want one if you buy a 22 ft C-Dory, depending on how and where you boat, if you need to go ashore on your own or not, etc.
My respected mentor Bob (who has forgotten more about boating than I will ever know) described many reasons why one would want a dinghy on a 22 ft boat.
I would suggest that perhaps you would not need one on a C-Dory 22 IF:
...you never go ashore in Oregan on rocky beaches with a big tide change
...you always use a marina mooring ball or marina for overnight stays
....you don't have a dog or other loved crewmember who needs to go ashore to pee
....you move to Florida, where the tide change is never more than 2ft and all beaches are soft sand
....a deflated inflatable takes up a lot of room on a 22, so if you don't need one don't take one is my advice...I am against the tide, here, yet again, as usual.
...Hope you eventually buy a C-dory 22, which is a Great Boat, and enjoy it as much as most C-Brats have!
Cheers!
John
You have obviously figured out that you don't need a dinghy on your 16 foot boat, and you may or may not want one if you buy a 22 ft C-Dory, depending on how and where you boat, if you need to go ashore on your own or not, etc.
My respected mentor Bob (who has forgotten more about boating than I will ever know) described many reasons why one would want a dinghy on a 22 ft boat.
I would suggest that perhaps you would not need one on a C-Dory 22 IF:
...you never go ashore in Oregan on rocky beaches with a big tide change
...you always use a marina mooring ball or marina for overnight stays
....you don't have a dog or other loved crewmember who needs to go ashore to pee
....you move to Florida, where the tide change is never more than 2ft and all beaches are soft sand
....a deflated inflatable takes up a lot of room on a 22, so if you don't need one don't take one is my advice...I am against the tide, here, yet again, as usual.
...Hope you eventually buy a C-dory 22, which is a Great Boat, and enjoy it as much as most C-Brats have!
Cheers!
John
Wandering Sagebrush
Free Range Human
My 2¢ worth...
What Dr. Bob said!
What Dr. Bob said!
colbysmith
Active member
I went back and forth about a dinghy, with my 22. The majority of my boating is on fresh water lakes and rivers. As I hope to get to Alaska next summer, I started thinking more of survival if anything were to happen to my 22. Realizing chances are slim of anything happening, I started looking at where I've been and where I'm going. To be honest, in a lot of years boating, I can probably count on my hand's how many times I really wish I would have had a dinghy. Thinking about how nice it would be to have a "taxi" to land when we anchor out, but also about having access to really shallow and back channels and other areas where one really wouldn't want a motor, I finally settled on a Kayak. I don't do any long distance runs from my boat. And with the idea of Kayaks, my wife wanted her own, as opposed to a tandem. I ended up with a Hobbie Pedal inflatable Kayak, and my wife ended up with a whitewater capable Inflatable Kayak. (That was due more to our size, than the idea of Kayaking in whitewater!) So far, I've been very happy with my selection. We also have some local rivers and streams where I can take the Kayaks, that our boat wouldn't be able to go. Back to the original question. I lived with out a dinghy for quite a few years. Where I boat, I usually can beach the boat, or find a dock. I don't travel with pets that need an occasional run to shore. And other than the need for more exercise and the enjoyment of peddling or paddling a Kayak, the C-Dory can get into a lot of places larger boats can't. Having the Kayaks or Dinghy isn't a need, but rather a want. Colby
I single hand almost exclusively, anchor out frequently, have spent up to 7 days totally on the boat, no dock or beaching and boat almost exclusively on Washington and BC coasts (rough rocky beaches, and big tides (6-8 ft average).
I have enjoyed paddling and rowing all my life, but when I started looking for a dingy, I put the priority on not being mobile but being safe. That led me to a "doughnut" boat, with the inflated tube surrounding the inflated floor. I can
leave the boat and paddle around but it is certainly not the most efficient vessel. The choice was based on what I wanted to be in if I was half way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the boat went "away".
I can get into the inflatable, and lay on the floor and (taking my ditchbag) survive almost anything for a very long time. There was a time when almost every C-Dory that had a dingy was carrying an Alaskan inflatable. Not so much now, but they are still around, tough enough for our rocky beaches, and light enough to get up and down without generating a hernia every time.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
I have enjoyed paddling and rowing all my life, but when I started looking for a dingy, I put the priority on not being mobile but being safe. That led me to a "doughnut" boat, with the inflated tube surrounding the inflated floor. I can
leave the boat and paddle around but it is certainly not the most efficient vessel. The choice was based on what I wanted to be in if I was half way across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the boat went "away".
I can get into the inflatable, and lay on the floor and (taking my ditchbag) survive almost anything for a very long time. There was a time when almost every C-Dory that had a dingy was carrying an Alaskan inflatable. Not so much now, but they are still around, tough enough for our rocky beaches, and light enough to get up and down without generating a hernia every time.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
One of the biggest reason factors in the dingy debate is the ability to bring the dingy on board. Towing a dingy has got us into more trouble than any thing else. Like my wife says " It's all fine until it all goes horribly wrong." The advantages are many ,but the hassle is great as well. We rarely leave the dock without at least one paddleboard.
If you're on the salt and you plan to spend more than about six hours on land (about 1/4 of a semi-diurnal tide), and you don't have access to a dock, then you're going to need some way to get back and forth to your anchored boat (unless you want to tend it at the water line 24/7. And that's assuming you have a soft beach and no waves.