Dinghy recommendation?

C

ciaran

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Joined
Oct 23, 2024
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18
Hoping to end up with a 2010 R25SC. We are looking at an inflatable dingy stowable in the “coffin” berth under the port side dinette. Almost always we will run 2 folks ( 320ish Lbs total) But might run 3 folks ( 540-580) occasionally. Thinking I’ll row for now but might grab a propane 5 hp OB later. Any solid recommendations? We won’t use it a huge amount but might tie up at anchorages or mooring buoys half dozen times seasonally. We seek a value solution that won’t compromise safety. Thank you in advance.
 
Here in the PNW, an inflatable floor dinghy isn't going to last more than a few landings.

It depends what kind of shorelines you'll need to navigate. I guess the boat doesn't have davits on the swimgrid for carrying something that doesn't fold up?
 
4umfreak said:
Here in the PNW, an inflatable floor dinghy isn't going to last more than a few landings.

It depends what kind of shorelines you'll need to navigate. I guess the boat doesn't have davits on the swimgrid for carrying something that doesn't fold up?
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Good point on the landings. So a rigid floor then. We’re in the North Sound so plenty of gravelly beaches with shells. No davits. A rigid floor might make interior stowage impossible . Thanks for the insight.
 
ciaran said:
Good point on the landings. So a rigid floor then. We’re in the North Sound so plenty of gravelly beaches with shells. No davits. A rigid floor might make interior stowage impossible . Thanks for the insight.
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I have an inflatable floor zodiac and deal with rocky beaches by having detachable transom wheels for the dinghy. Worth considering.
 
JMarshallR25 said:
I have an inflatable floor zodiac and deal with rocky beaches by having detachable transom wheels for the dinghy. Worth considering.
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What a great idea! I’m a newbie so any and all of the experiences of the Tugnut brain trust are priceless
 
We’ve been using an inflatable dinghy with an inflatable floor in the San Juans for about 3–5 weeks each summer over the last four years, and it has worked very well for us. We have an Achilles 8-foot dinghy, and I run an EP Paddle electric motor on it. I know inflatable floors get a lot of criticism, but we’ve had absolutely no trouble with ours.

The big thing is how you land it. You don’t want to run it up onto the beach. Like others have mentioned, that’s how people end up damaging or losing the floor. What we do is simple: when we’re about to reach shore, the first person steps out while the boat is still floating, then the second person steps out, and we carry the dinghy up the beach. That keeps it off sharp shells, rocks, and barnacles.

The dinghy weighs about 56 pounds, and we store it on davits on the swim platform. It won’t fit in an 2015 R25SC locker. That may partly be because Achilles builds a pretty solid inflatable,it’s not a thin plastic inflatable. You might be able to store it on the cabin top, but 56 pounds is still a fair bit of weight to lift.

I deliberately chose not to go with a fiberglass bottom because of the added weight. I don’t like putting more weight on the stern of the boat if I can avoid it.
 
This is what I've been looking for rheimb1. Real experience in the Puget Sound using prudent landing practices.

I suppose the downside to this is in winter; you're pretty much committed to either finding a landing thats free of sharp materials, or you're getting your feet wet at an less than ideal time of year. Can't quite get my head around that tricky bit...
 
YouTube is full of comparisons and recommendations. Here is one for the Zodiac brand.
 
The sharp rocks and barnacles in the NW salt are a problem for a rigid hull as well, especially if you have the boat name on the dinghy bottom as we do. Our solution to the rocky beaches is to use an Anchor Buddy and a stern line to anchor the dinghy off the shore a bit. The Anchor Buddy is essentially a super long bungee that stretches to 50 feet. Toss the dinghy anchor when you are around 25 feet from shore, paddle to the shore and grab the stern line as you step out and the dinghy springs back to the anchor. We have a screw type beach anchor to tie the stern line to. This method is invaluable if you have a heavy dinghy motor (6hp) making it impossible to lift the dinghy up the beach.

Could also be a good solution for protecting an inflatable floor dinghy.
 
Red Raven said:
The sharp rocks and barnacles in the NW salt are a problem for a rigid hull as well, especially if you have the boat name on the dinghy bottom as we do. Our solution to the rocky beaches is to use an Anchor Buddy and a stern line to anchor the dinghy off the shore a bit. The Anchor Buddy is essentially a super long bungee that stretches to 50 feet. Toss the dinghy anchor when you are around 25 feet from shore, paddle to the shore and grab the stern line as you step out and the dinghy springs back to the anchor. We have a screw type beach anchor to tie the stern line to. This method is invaluable if you have a heavy dinghy motor (6hp) making it impossible to lift the dinghy up the beach.

Could also be a good solution for protecting an inflatable floor dinghy.
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Curt, you always come up with great ideas!
 
rheimb1 said:
Curt, you always come up with great ideas!
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Thanks Rod! Love our Anchor Buddy dinghy system!

One other bit of advice on this system. If you will be ashore for a long enough time for the water to rise or retreat more than 50 feet there are a few things to consider. For a rising tide be sure to have a long enough stern line to accommodate and use an anchor sized to release with a strong pull from shore. I use a 1kg (2.2lb) claw anchor with 3ft of chain which has worked well in mud, sand, and gravel. On a falling tide it’s a bit more difficult. I usually let passengers off first and then set further out and wade to shore or go back to reset after a few hours. Overall it’s a lot better than letting it rock in the waves on the beach. Alternatively you could string two or more Anchor buddy’s together.

Curt
 
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rheimb1 said:
We’ve been using an inflatable dinghy with an inflatable floor in the San Juans for about 3–5 weeks each summer over the last four years, and it has worked very well for us. We have an Achilles 8-foot dinghy, and I run an EP Paddle electric motor on it. I know inflatable floors get a lot of criticism, but we’ve had absolutely no trouble with ours.

The big thing is how you land it. You don’t want to run it up onto the beach. Like others have mentioned, that’s how people end up damaging or losing the floor. What we do is simple: when we’re about to reach shore, the first person steps out while the boat is still floating, then the second person steps out, and we carry the dinghy up the beach. That keeps it off sharp shells, rocks, and barnacles.

The dinghy weighs about 56 pounds, and we store it on davits on the swim platform. It won’t fit in an 2015 R25SC locker. That may partly be because Achilles builds a pretty solid inflatable,it’s not a thin plastic inflatable. You might be able to store it on the cabin top, but 56 pounds is still a fair bit of weight to lift.

I deliberately chose not to go with a fiberglass bottom because of the added weight. I don’t like putting more weight on the stern of the boat if I can avoid it.
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This looks like the direction I’m going. Getting our feet wet shouldn’t be an issue in the summer cruising season.
 
Just a couple things I learned along the way that might help.

One thing to think about is choosing a dinghy that’s narrower than your boat. That way you can actually see behind you and it’s less likely to scrape other boats, pilings, or lock walls when maneuvering. I also tried to get the largest tubes I could find. Tube size makes a big difference for both stability and keeping wave splash out, especially since these 8-foot dinghies are pretty small to begin with.

If you haven’t settled on a motor yet, weight still becomes factor. You’ll need to store or mount it somewhere at the stern. And again hanging a lot of weight on the back is not a good idea. The lightest gas motor I found was the Suzuki 2.5 HP Outboard, which is about 29 lbs. That led me to look at electric motors. I ended up with the EP Paddle, mainly because it was the lightest option I could find at about 21 lbs including the battery, and the battery floats. Another advantage is you can remove it, bag it and store it inside the cave.

The only thing I don’t love is the tiller handle is a bit long, although they may offer shorter versions now. One nice feature is when you come into shore you can easily pull the motor up. With it’s microprocessor shutoff helps prevent prop damage the motor if it hits something solid, so damaging the prop is pretty unlikely, which is plastic. When I asked the designer about spare props, he said he had only seen one replacement needed, and that was from someone leaving the motor down in shallow rocky water and walking off.

Just a few things to think about as you decide what works best for your setup. There are always pros and cons.
 
rheimb1 said:
Just a couple things I learned along the way that might help.

One thing to think about is choosing a dinghy that’s narrower than your boat. That way you can actually see behind you and it’s less likely to scrape other boats, pilings, or lock walls when maneuvering. I also tried to get the largest tubes I could find. Tube size makes a big difference for both stability and keeping wave splash out, especially since these 8-foot dinghies are pretty small to begin with.

If you haven’t settled on a motor yet, weight still becomes factor. You’ll need to store or mount it somewhere at the stern. And again hanging a lot of weight on the back is not a good idea. The lightest gas motor I found was the Suzuki 2.5 HP Outboard, which is about 29 lbs. That led me to look at electric motors. I ended up with the EP Paddle, mainly because it was the lightest option I could find at about 21 lbs including the battery, and the battery floats. Another advantage is you can remove it, bag it and store it inside the cave.

The only thing I don’t love is the tiller handle is a bit long, although they may offer shorter versions now. One nice feature is when you come into shore you can easily pull the motor up. With it’s microprocessor shutoff helps prevent prop damage the motor if it hits something solid, so damaging the prop is pretty unlikely, which is plastic. When I asked the designer about spare props, he said he had only seen one replacement needed, and that was from someone leaving the motor down in shallow rocky water and walking off.

Just a few things to think about as you decide what works best for your setup. There are always pros and cons.
Click to expand...
Great perspective. Thank you. Yes, 8’ max and an electric OB look optimal. What dinghy did you end up with ?
 
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