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Rubber dinghy?


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I am starting to realize my trusty old dingy is beyond repair. It is a Norwegian, thermoplastic thing I use to get to my mooring. I bought it used for very little money many, many years ago. Its demise was not welcome but no surprise.

 

I don't seem to have the same luck with the second hand dinghy market this time around. Yesterday evening I started pondering the possibility of a rubber dinghy. Are they worth considering? How do I tell good from bad quality-wise?

 

/Martin

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depends on the use. If you want to stow on deck/tramp an inflateable is great. Also kind on the topsides. But if all you use it for is to get to the mooring and back a hard dinghy can function just as well. I have two inflateables, both car-toppable, a small tube 2.6 great for stowing on deck, and a 2.8 RIB, which I use otherwise - its much dryer in a chop :-).

 

Quality? depends largely on where they come from. Lots of cheap Chinese ones here, and some of them aren't bad. In Europe, get a Zodiac or Avon??

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Valliant in the U.K. might be worth a look for inflatables.

 

I don't know about the small sizes but their midsize RIBs are very good.

 

Well built and handle beautifully.

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I'll put a plug in for our very own Southern Inflatables Puffin roll ups. Don't know I they sell in Europe but they should. Our last one survived 13 years on the dock at Westhaven - new one has a far more charmed storage life. When I was researching I found them very light for the payload capacity - easily motor with wife and kids out to the boat in 15kts - if a little wet. I lift it easily over the aft beam and manoeuvre position it on deck for sailing. Don't even bother with the hard dinghy - last time I used that was when I took the 8hp from Euphoria up the river to Ballistic when I first bought her.

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