2019 R27 Dinghy Options

[guestrin]

We just got a 2019 R27 and we are trying to figure out how to manage our 8’ inflatable bottom dinghy (about 70 pounds dry). How do you all manage your dinghy?

A few options:
- Can I get the new lift system and install it on the 2019? How hard is that?
- Have folks put a dinghy on top of the sunshade? Is it strong enough? If so, how do you get it up and down?
- Any other ideas?

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[TomHall]

I use a hard dinghy and it pulls up sideways on my swim platform and ride up there nicely.

Fro your inflatable, this might be worth a try - weaver snap davit - https://www.weaverindustries.com/

 

[Maggie Anne]

We have a 2018 R27OB and a West Marine PHP 310 dinghy, 10' long and 5' wide, also about 70 lbs. We carry it on the sunshade, it overlaps a bit on the solar panels, which have sharp edges, so I found some furniture corner protectors and glued those on the the solar panel to prevent any cuts. It is inconvenient to put up, but the procedure we use is to first get it onto the sink/grill pedestal (sideways). Then I take a rope attached to the bow of the dinghy and run it up along the roof to my wife who is standing on the front of the tug to help pull the dinghy forward. Then I lift the dinghy's bow up and over the edge of the sunshade and with tension from my wife pulling on the rope I get it wrangled onto the roof.

Launching the dinghy is relatively painless, just sliding it off the side and dropping into the water. We use a Torqeedo Travel 1103 to power the dinghy.

I talked to Kenny Marrs about installing a dinghy lift on my boat (one of the earliest models) and his reply was: The lift is $5,000 plus the installation cost. You will also have to install additional stiffening because the swim step on your boat was not designed to accommodate the lift. The biggest problem is the kicker motor on your boat. The tiller handle will hit the lift, so that will need to be removed and a binnacle throttle installed in the cockpit. Unfortunately, not a simple install. Let me know how you’d like to proceed.

 

[Submariner]

We just got a 2019 R27 and we are trying to figure out how to manage our 8’ inflatable bottom dinghy (about 70 pounds dry). How do you all manage your dinghy?

A few options:
- Can I get the new lift system and install it on the 2019? How hard is that?
- Have folks put a dinghy on top of the sunshade? Is it strong enough? If so, how do you get it up and down?
- Any other ideas?

We published a video about how we use our dinghy.
We have an inflatable dinghy, from SportsBoats 8.8 Dolphin is what we went with.
A good portable air pump (ours is AC, 120volt, ran off the inverter onboard).

For propulsion, it comes with oars. But we mostly use it with a 2.5hp Yamaha outboard. We went with the 2.5 Yamaha because it's 35 lbs (easy to lift and move around). It's also self-contained, (oil and gas). It can be laid down flat in the cockpit and oil and gas will not drip out of it. (It has a fuel shutoff valve as well as an air valve for the gas tank that can be opened or closed).

Check out our inflatable dinghy on our Ranger Tug R27OB "Channel Surfing"
https://youtu.be/3QAILsuZMgU

An inflatable dinghy is not ideal. It's a compromise. Our dinghy is about 60 lbs by itself. We choose to not put it above on the roof rack, mainly because we didn't want to work that hard lifting it up, and we put 400 watts of solar panel up there that we don't want covered by shade. So we either carry the dinghy around deflated in the cockpit, or we drag it behind us, or we carry it via the T bar on the ski pole, or in the vertical position on the starboard side in the transom walkway.

To deflate the dinghy, we also use the portable AC powered air pump to suck the air out of it. Without doing this, it won't fit back into the bag folded up.

 

[Jimbo]

As someone new to this kind of boating (former freshwater lake boater, no cruising really), who is thinking about ordering a R27 OB, is it possible to do without a dinghy?

I have done a few trips around the gulf islands and I see people zipping around in dinghys, and I get it, but I didn't see much need for one myself.

Could I manage with a good kayak, which I will have regardless?

The idea of loading and unloading a dinghy and attaching even a small outboard seems like so much trouble. I realize climbing into a kayak is not all that easy, but I am used to it.

I will be cruising alone about 90% of the time.

The easy answer is 'you need a dinghy'. Anyone think differently?

 

[Bruce Moore]

Bumping reply delayed in moderation queue.

 

[Submariner]

As someone new to this kind of boating (former freshwater lake boater, no cruising really), who is thinking about ordering a R27 OB, is it possible to do without a dinghy?

I will be cruising alone about 90% of the time.

The easy answer is 'you need a dinghy'. Anyone think differently?

If it's just you, I dunno why an inflatable kayak wouldn't suffice. It all depends on what you want out of it.
Some folks use their dinghy to explore, thus they want a fast dinghy that'll cover some ground. Others want the dinghy to get the dogs to shore from a calm anchorage (short distances). If it's just you, a kayak would get you to shore in a calm anchorage.

We use our dinghy for 3 adults and 3 dogs to get to shore from a calm anchorage. Which is why we went with the 2.5HP Yamaha and an 8 foot inflatable dinghy. If it were just me, all by myself, I'd go with a Hobie.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm thinking a dinghy might be a necessity, even if rarely used. In which case an inflatable would be the obvious choice. I watched your video on how you use and store yours, that's probably the route I will go. I don't need a large one.

An inflatable kayak might be an option as well. I was thinking I'd like a proper glass kayak, but still thinking it all over.