The Dinghy Thread

[JT48348]

Urban Assualt Landing Craft!

I can't wait....

[Pedro]

I'm still without a dinghy for my 28te, still deciding which type to buy, Planning on clearing the pilot house roof of the obstructions.Considering a 8'-6" rib or solid floor inflatable.The admiral and the princess were not interested in swimming it in from Watch Hill, So next year we need something for sure,
I've been talking to fellow boaters at the club and most agree the lighter the better, but most wish they had a rib,
Has anyone been able to live with rib on the 28te on the roof, I fish a lot and I wouldn't want to store on the swim platform. I'd love to see pictures of the ways you store the motor/dinghy,

[DCatSea]

Has anyone any experience with the Sun Dolphin Water Tender 9.4. It seems to meet my needs for a dinghy to sling on to the back of a 27FC doing the ditch in 2016, as follows:

1) Large enough for 2 adults, groceries and a couple of 10-gallon cans of diesel.
2) Capable of handling a 3hp OB.
3) Stable and rowable
4) Claims to be made in the USA
5) Relatively teen proof
AND
6) Cheap enough to get stolen.

All comments will be read and taken to heart. We really don't want to put an inflatable or RIB out there.

Thanks to all AOGers, who have been an amazing source of information so far.

Doug

[Sprig1]

That looks like a pretty nice dingy for $599.00 from Home Depot

[DCatSea]

Just got it for $419.00 from West Marine who matched Walmart's $449.00 and let me use $30 worth of reward certificates - plus $9.00 tax.

[JT48348]

1) Large enough for 2 adults, groceries and a couple of 10-gallon cans of diesel.
2) Capable of handling a 3hp OB.

When you get a chance I'd love to hear some real world feedback on this one. I looked at these and Walker Bays for their light weight and relative low cost. I really liked them but I'm on the fence.

For me I could never get over the listed carry capacity: 480lbs? That's barely two adults, a load of groceries/water and an engine.

Two adults is 350-400lbs
Two 10gal cans of diesel is 140lbs
A Honda 2hp (lightest outboard) is 25lbs
Groceries?? I need more than a Slim Jim and a Coke!

[Beta Don]

I'm *guessing* he actually meant a couple of 5 gallon cans of diesel - 10 gallon cans aren't the norm for fuel and a 70 pound can would be a bit much to deal with, in and out of the dink and off and on the boat. I know 35 pounds is about all I like to mess with

If so, subtract 70 pounds from your total and that leaves plenty of room for groceries

A Tohatsu 3.5 hp four stroke would be a good fit for that dink and at only 41 pounds, it should be manageable to handle and store

Don

[DCatSea]

It arrives on or around Dec 5 so I'll post an initial (pre-splash) note once I've had a chance to see the actual thing. The WT9.4s get good reviews from all over, so it'll be interesting to see if they are deserved. Note: One user in the northern states claims 2 adults, outboard, gas tank and a golden lab.

Yes, I did mean 2 x 5 gallon cans I too have enough trouble slinging a 5gall can into the filler hole. (Pig-mats play an important role my refueling exercises)

Ref - slim jims and coke = the breakfast of champions.

[DesertAlbin736]

.The admiral and the princess were not interested in swimming it in from Watch Hill...

Pedro,

Your mention of Watch Hill caught my eye. A little off the subject of dinghies, but I had my A25 out there last summer after trailering it all the way from Phoenix. Didn't get to do a lot of cruising in Rhode Island since we were spending the week at a friend's beach house in Weekapaug. Had plans to continue on down to the Chesapeake, so Rhode Island was not the main event of our summer cruise. But we did dock for the week at Norwest Marina on the Pawcatuck and did two day trips, one over to New London, and the other running East along the Rhode Island shore past Watch Hill & Miscquamicut, 3 miles short of Weekapaug Point.

[Steam Flyer]

Has anyone any experience with the Sun Dolphin Water Tender 9.4. It seems to meet my needs for a dinghy to sling on to the back of a 27FC doing the ditch in 2016, as follows:

1) Large enough for 2 adults, groceries and a couple of 10-gallon cans of diesel.
2) Capable of handling a 3hp OB.
3) Stable and rowable
4) Claims to be made in the USA
5) Relatively teen proof
AND
6) Cheap enough to get stolen.

All comments will be read and taken to heart. We really don't want to put an inflatable or RIB out there.

Thanks to all AOGers, who have been an amazing source of information so far.

Doug

Wow, you don't want much. But say "inexpensive" because who really wants something that is cheap?

To carry a large load, you need a bigger boat. Bigger boats are heavier and more expensive, but they are also (generally) more stable and faster too.

Rowable? Relatively few cruisers have any experience rowing nowadays. Do want a boat that you could reasonably get ashore/return under oar power, in wind/chop/current, when the landing is perhaps 1/2 away? If so then that will entail some comromises, among others it will rule out anything inflatable because yes some of them have "oars" but trying to actually get anywhere by rowing will be a heartbreaking frustration.

Here I am (this is about a decade ago) rowing our sea-dog ashore.



This is a dinghy I designed and built in foam-core fiberglass, it is 9' and can carry about 800lbs while it only weighs ~35lbs itself. As you can see it is quite stable ... the dog weighs twice as much as the boat, and he is crazy enough to leap about inside the dinghy (or into it, or out of it) with no thought of what's going to happen next... and it rows quite well. We used this dinghy for years while cruising in our previous vessel, a 36' non-Albin (boo! hiss!) trawler, and I still have it. Still row it for pleasure once in a while, too.

IMHO it is quite practical to use a hard dinghy and no outboard- you have to develop the skill of rowing, you have to buy good equipment for it, and you have to be a little more patient. But you don't need to fuss with an outboard and all the expense, smell, pollution, noise, and unreliability.

The way most people use their dinghies, the RIB or the hard-floor inflatable with an outboard is the best option.

-Doug
Albin 31te Sugar Magnolia

[Neil]

We just bought our Albin and haven't used it yet. We have a Jackson Kayak "big tuna" that we previously used for fishing and spearfishing, it's kind of big, but we were going to use that as our dingy for the first year and see how it went. .......... Insert guffaws and laughter here.....
I know it might look a bit rediculous and unsea- manlike
But we know we can use it to spear off of in the shallows of Block and it has a live well. So when you see the dumbasses with the kayak on their roof, that's us!

[Jeremyvmd]

II mounting my versaboards on top of my a28. Nothing wrong with that! Lol

[kerrye]

We use a Cobra tandem sit on top kayak as a dinghy. (we don't have an Albin yet but use it on our F-24. ) Easy to paddle and unsinkable unlike a standard kayak. Bought it used with paddles for about $200. We were sailing with a group once and a towed open standard tandem kayak flipped and filled with water. Not a good experience for those folks.

[DCatSea]

The Water Tender 9.4 arrived on Friday, and fit easily into a U-Haul standard pickup when I picked it up from West Marine. Got it for a great price - $419.00.
It was well wrapped in some kind of uber-heavy saran wrap, and in excellent condition. Boat is made by Sun Dolphin in Michigan.

Haven't had it in the water yet, (next Spring, I guess), but the boat seems well built, and quite sound. There is plenty of room for 2 adults, a neat little dry-bag sort of thing in the aft thwart, and a decent foredeck. Most importantly - there are at least 2 drink holders. At 114 lbs (no motor yet) she is very handy to lift with 2 people, and I guess I wouldn't have too much difficulty getting her in and out of the water single-handed. Lifting her on board might need davits, and I'm looking to attach Weavers on the swim platform. Thinking about it, I should be able to fit carrying handles, to make lifting even easier.

Have already sussed out a Bimini to fit, so by Spring I should have a useful and stable tender to Mazboot.

I know some have balked at the 480lb capacity, but there are just 2 of us, no dogs, cats or parrots. When grands visit we have kayaks for when they get antsy.

I'll keep AOG informed when I splash her and run her around Deale for a bit.

Doug

[DCatSea]

Steam Flyer Doug

Thanks for your great comments and the pic of your lovely dink. You should add 25% (at least) and start selling them. Also, great-looking dog - Ridgeback?

Regarding the use of "cheap" to describe a dinghy, that's for when it gets stolen. "Inexpensive" is a fine word for when I'm selling it, and goes well with "practical".

I agree that rowing (a useful skill I learned in school, and refined in the Navy) is far superior to OBs for normal ship to shore use. All reviews say that the WT9.4 rows true, but I'd like to put a Seagull Fourty or similar on it, for when I do a spot of trolling.

Watch this space for pix in the Spring.

Doug