Dinghy types - Pros & Cons

[Psyche 626]

16 minutes ago, Jon said:

I agree you can have only two of the three

10kgs lighter than the Ali rib, rows just as well as the Ali rib, same length more room. And dry storage within

I think the OC has a lot to offer, I like it but not practical for my application but it comes down to personal preferences and obviously budget. At the upper end its close to 15k for a tender? Its not cheap but then again  even my small setup was nearly 6k.

[Fogg 427]

My priorities are (in order)

1. Weight (ideally <40kg)

2. Length (3m)

3. Price (ideally <$5k)

This list of reqs is what led me towards Truekit because it scores 32kg / 3m / $3,600 (with the options I added of wheels, seat pockets, mobile phone holder and 2x rod holders). But I admit I’d prefer the durability of an AL floor RIB but they spike in weight. The closest I’ve found so far was Seafarer 3m which weighs in at 38kg (or 42kg with false / flat floor). Although it will be on davits I’d prefer to avoid adding 10kg weight but I might live to regret going for a soft floor especially with 2 young kids…

[waikiore 398]

I like visiting friends ashore and on other boats and detest getting a wet derriere so its a ply dinghy for me with the benefit of being great for fishing and sailing and towing with minimal drag plus i can carry it a reasonable distance myself and transport the whole crew. But biggest of all I like rowing and no rubber duck will do it for me.

[Fogg 427]

On the wet bum thing my previous dinghy (which I sold to Booboo) had chaps / covers which were great. I don’t know what material but they seemed to dry out v fast after getting wet and were far more comfy than sitting on bare tubes.

Who makes similar in NZ?

[marinheiro 352]

32 minutes ago, Fogg said:

On the wet bum thing my previous dinghy (which I sold to Booboo) had chaps / covers which were great. I don’t know what material but they seemed to dry out v fast after getting wet and were far more comfy than sitting on bare tubes.

Who makes similar in NZ?

looks like Sunbrella. any of the cover guys eg Bill B could make one

[Jon 360]

My old rib has a strake on the outside of the pontoon which keeps you really dry by turning away any wake

Im keeping it as well at this stage, will be interesting to know which one gets the most use this coming summer 

anyone know of a new or near as 6 to 10 hp two stroke OB

[Fogg 427]

Sorry I missed what your other / new dinghy is Jon? And why the change / addition?

[Jon 360]

OCTender  300

not keen to rely on deflatable offshore, even though the highfield has been really good, it’s now 6years old and being upto 3 couples plus grandkids two dinghies gives everyone space to do things without everyone else being stuck on board or everyone needing to do everything together 

with wheels, rod holder cover and graphics $11.5k not cheap but actually not to bad considering the way it’s made and it should last me out. Lifespan of ribs seems to be ten years plus or minus 

at 3% of the valve of the mothership it feels a good fit, but time will tell

[Jon 360]

I may yet build a 3m stitch and glue ply dinghy that can be motored rowed and sailed and ditch the inflatable.

ordered the OC at the end of summer hoping to be able to take it to the islands

if you order a OC now you won’t see it this year now, Russ and Karen have built over 400 in the last 6 years since they come home from 7 years cruising. At first glance you may think why would you but when you look into it and actually crunch the numbers it became a why not.

 

[Fogg 427]

1 hour ago, Jon said:

OCTender  300

not keen to rely on deflatable offshore, even though the highfield has been really good, it’s now 6years old and being upto 3 couples plus grandkids two dinghies gives everyone space to do things without everyone else being stuck on board or everyone needing to do everything together 

with wheels, rod holder cover and graphics $11.5k not cheap but actually not to bad considering the way it’s made and it should last me out. Lifespan of ribs seems to be ten years plus or minus 

at 3% of the valve of the mothership it feels a good fit, but time will tell

Did you get the carbon hull (seems to be 8kg lighter)?

[Adrianp 119]

We've moved away from inflatables after slicing open our Southern Pacific 340 on Coral at the Minerva Reef on the way to Tonga. We realized how dumb an inflatable is for offshore sailing in the tropics, where everything is razor sharp (coral, rusty wharfs, etc). It took days and 3 attempts to repair a 300mm long gash, all the time we had to use paddle boards to go shore, or worse - tie up to rat infested docks!

We tried a second hand Delta dinghy (3m long, hard chine, sailing and rowing) hoping it would be a poor mans OC tender but it's not even close. It's awesome as a rowing and  sailing dinghy but not a replacement for our old inflatable dinghy. Its not stable enough, can't carry a decent sized outboard and wrong hull shape to be a RIB replacement. 

We then found a unicorn - a second hand OC 300 Tender. It's awesome. Stable, light, tough and can carry a huge load. Its light enough to walk up the beach or ramp, yet can carry 4-5 people and all our gear out to the mooring. In fact I've accidently ended up with 7 adults in it once with no issue. It does feel like the las dinghy I'll every need to buy, except for maybe the larger version on day! The amount of bags you can stuff under the sides/front is crazy. 

We still carry the Delta as well for summer sailing and rowing fun, but the OC tender is the workhorse, especially when our mooring is 600m out in the middle of the Auckland Harbour. 

[Jon 360]

No

I hoist onto foredeck with electric winch

[ex Elly 197]

Good article about the OCD tenders in the latest BoatingNZ magazine (August issue).

https://boatingnz.co.nz/offshore-cruising-tenders

Are these the most expensive dinghies in the world?

 

[marinheiro 352]

On 1/08/2021 at 10:33 AM, mcp said:

I will be getting a new dinghy set up in the near future, and I am currently thinking of a 3 metre-ish hard alloy dinghy with a 10hp motor, a foam collar to stop it from damaging the mothership when it hits it a hundred times or more per day, but no one seems to have this type of dinghy? I like the idea of no tubes to puncture, likely to be quite fast with a small motor (?), easy to row, lightweight. 
I'm not 100% sold on this setup yet...
What are the pros and cons of the different dinghy types you have owned? Also, how often in practice have the Pros and the Cons been of use or an actual hindrance? What are the possible workarounds if you don't have one of these Pros and Cons?

so with all of the combined "expertise " here, have you been able to narrow down your choice?

[mcp 32]

On 1/08/2021 at 5:00 PM, Fish said:

mcp, what do you want to use the dinghy for? Are you in a marina, or on a mooring? Do you want to row short trips in a Bay from anchor to beach, or go on epic missions to supermarkets and back?

 

It will be my car once the sebatical from land starts, so all of the above except not a lot of marina. I also want to spend time in higher latitudes and more remote areas,  so it must be robust.

 

On 2/08/2021 at 3:30 PM, Adrianp said:

We've moved away from inflatables after slicing open our Southern Pacific 340 on Coral at the Minerva Reef on the way to Tonga. We realized how dumb an inflatable is for offshore sailing in the tropics, where everything is razor sharp (coral, rusty wharfs, etc). It took days and 3 attempts to repair a 300mm long gash, all the time we had to use paddle boards to go shore, or worse - tie up to rat infested docks!

Sharp objects was a big factor in why I started looking at a hard aluminuim dinghy,  coral, oysters, rocks, seals, old wharfs, if I go to australia....things with teeth.

 

On 4/08/2021 at 9:57 AM, marinheiro said:

so with all of the combined "expertise " here, have you been able to narrow down your choice?

I don't think I have made my mind up completely,  but I am still weighing heavily on the Ally Dink idea.   Stability is the biggest con I think I have with this type of dinghy,  as getting in and out does not look as straight forward, and infact I have never tried it on any thing but an inflatable.   I guess you get a ladder of something for the stern or bow?

 

[mcp 32]

On 1/08/2021 at 9:57 PM, Priscilla II said:

 

Very nice,   there are some cold stoney beaches in my future as well I hope.   

What sort of Dingy is that and what have you used for fendering off the mothership?

 

[marinheiro 352]

45 minutes ago, mcp said:

 

Very nice,   there are some cold stoney beaches in my future as well I hope.   

What sort of Dingy is that and what have you used for fendering off the mothership?

 

That is Peter Smith's Kiwi Roa in the background and the dinghy is a 12' Fyran he purchased before leaving NZ in 2008 (Priscilla is not Pete). Next time I talk to Pete I will ask where he got the fendering

https://www.petersmith.net.nz/

[marinheiro 352]

1 hour ago, mcp said:

It will be my car once the sebatical from land starts, so all of the above except not a lot of marina. I also want to spend time in higher latitudes and more remote areas,  so it must be robust.

 

Sharp objects was a big factor in why I started looking at a hard aluminuim dinghy,  coral, oysters, rocks, seals, old wharfs, if I go to australia....things with teeth.

 

I don't think I have made my mind up completely,  but I am still weighing heavily on the Ally Dink idea.   Stability is the biggest con I think I have with this type of dinghy,  as getting in and out does not look as straight forward, and infact I have never tried it on any thing but an inflatable.   I guess you get a ladder of something for the stern or bow?

 

Just FYI, this is what a Naiad looks like sans tubes

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/boats-marine/dinghies-rowboats/aluminium/listing/3194582202?bof=lz0pcWTE

You could keep an eye on Trademe for a 10 or 12' Fyran and buy one to see if ally works for you.

Other options not previously mentioned here, but starting to have weight issues, are 

Mac Boat in Polyethylene:  https://macboats.co.nz/mac-270-dinghy/

or an Aluminium pontoon dinghy, nothing under 3.4m in NZ, but found this in Australia eg http://www.oceancraft.com.au/2900pkg1.htm

 

[Fish 0]

2 hours ago, mcp said:

It will be my car once the sebatical from land starts, so all of the above except not a lot of marina. I also want to spend time in higher latitudes and more remote areas,  so it must be robust.

Well, that changes the spec substantially, and safely excludes the cheap Chinese deflatable options a lot of us go with.

If you are looking at a rugged alloy option, I would also through into the mix a stitch and glue option. Plywood, and for your application you would give it a glass skin for strength and robustness. Easily repaired in the middle of no where (epoxy resin and what ever wood you have lieing about, example of a cruiser T-bonned in the Marquesuas, and had the dinghy fixed on the beach).

The big advantage is you can come up with the exact attributes you want in stability, handling, performance, size etc. You can even have nesting if you want. They are stiff and good weight for strength. You can make them as light or as strong as you want. A large number of examples around in the long term cruising fleets.

The main issue is that you would have to build one. Technically this is very straight forward. Slice up some plywood, hold the shape together with cable ties (or copper wire, far easier), spread epoxy resin paste along the seams, cover in a sheet of fibreglass and resin. The time is in painting / finishing. I would budget 120 hours go to whoa, including painting. Budget is 3 or maybe 4 sheets of ply, 2-4 l epoxy resin, 10 m of tape and some cloth, and paint to your liking.

Loads of established designs on the net. Esp with the attributes you are after, stable workhorse, robust, planning (a lot are rowing / displacement, as they can handle rough better) but every combination you could want. If you are happy to build one, the world is your oyster.

[DoT 31]

2 hours ago, mcp said:

I don't think I have made my mind up completely,  but I am still weighing heavily on the Ally Dink idea.   Stability is the biggest con I think I have with this type of dinghy,  as getting in and out does not look as straight forward, and infact I have never tried it on any thing but an inflatable.   I guess you get a ladder of something for the stern or bow?

 

Getting into a hard dinghy (ply or alloy) is not difficult, just don't stand on the gunwhale.

Step as far to the middle of the dinghy as you can, while holding on to a stanchion of pushpit with one hand. Then get your weight low as you let go of the stanchion.

Getting out is the same. Get a hold on on the rail as you stand, then step out.

It can be easier from a ladder than a from a stern platform. There's often nothing to hold onto around the stern platform/scoop, or you have to reach too far.

The key is having something sturdy to hold onto (with one hand) at around chest level while you are standing reasonably centred in the dinghy.