Dinghies

B

Boatdreamer

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
266
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Non-Fluid Motion Model
17 Keywest
Vessel Name
Gratitude
We are looking at moving up to a hard bottom dinghy for our R 27. We have a 9'6" Achilles soft bottom that weighs about 78 lbs. Our neighbor is selling a Caribe L10 hard bottom that weighs about 130 lbs. My question is, will the extra weight make our boat handle much different? He's selling it with a 5 hp Mercury, is that large enough to push it? Thanks

Tim
Gratitude
 
I can tell you that we had a walker bay that weighed about 120 pounds without the motor on our 29. Really was not happy with it at all. the dink was great, but flipping it up on the davits was a chore, we have the factory set up weaver davits, and the dink did collect a lot of water when underway. It was an 8'9 walker bay rib. Gave it all up, bought an older 13 whaler with a 30 hp and just tow it.
 
I think it all depends on your use. I only use the dinghy to take the dogs ashore or very short trips to a dinghy dock. I find for these limited uses an 8' 6" air deck inflatable is adequate. It only weighs 75 lbs or so. I mount it on the swim deck with the 4" elevated davits. I never have never had water enter the dinghy while underway. I lift it out of the water by a line attached to the outside tube of the dinghy and I will say it would be a chore to lift anything heavier by hand to overcome the water surface tension let alone the weight. Of course one can use a mechanical or hydraulic lift but that just adds more to the swim deck. It is all about tradeoffs on a boat!

Lee Shobe
R-31
 
Lee and others,

I always have standing water in my dinghy after running. I have the factory dinghy, set up there and it travels in the standard position most do, using the 4 inch davits. The water stands in the area between the floor and the lower tube which is parallel to the swim step. I keep meaning to ask what others do about that water which takes quite a while to evaporate. It seems to be there whether the dinghy is fully inflated or needing air. Is this something others are concerned about :?:

Tim,

I wonder if you might want to consider whether others who boat with you will be able to maneuver such a heavy boat up to its traveling position? It seems like it could be very challenging for someone not as strong. I use the factory-supplied winch system and that works. I am not confident I could handle more weight 🙁
 
If you leave the water in the boat to evaporate, then the water will stain the rubberized fabric and also leave scum. Either of which will be difficult to remove. If you leave the dinghy uncovered, then eventually the sun UV will deteriorate the fabric and the tape. I have seen dinghies fall apart and had to be re-taped (expensive). I would recommend emptying the boat and rinse it with fresh water. Then use a cover to protect it from sun and rain. Those little boats are outrageously expensive and you want to protect them to protect your investment.
 
We mount our soft bottom Achilles 7'8" dinghy up onto a Hurley Davit system. Our dinghy sits about 4" off of the swimplatform and we rarely get water in the dinghy. The Hurley system ( http://www.hurleymarine.com ) might not be right for everyone but it works for us by letting us keep the outboard on the dinghy and by sitting on the swim platform we do not loose visibility. We went with a soft bottom because we just thought the additional weight of a hard bottom/larger outboard would add to much additional weight. What we saved in dinghy weight Lisa made up for in other stuff!

Jim F
 
This Hurley system looks pretty neat, how much $$ will it set me back? Where is it sold?

Alan
 
Thanks for all the great advice. I think we'll stick with what we have for all the reasons giving by everyone. We have a 9'6" Achilles soft bottom now with the Weaver davit 4up/4out and it works great. Like Lee, I use it to get the dogs ashore and not much else. I pull it up the same way he does too. Guess this time I'm going to let the bigger-better-deal go. Good thought Anne, I never thought about what would happen if I couldn't pull it back up by myself for some reason. Jim, how much does you davit system weigh? I really like the idea of leaving the engine on the dinghy while on the boat. I can toss the 5hp Honda around now, but someday that won't be happening.
On another note. We are coming to the Cape Haze rendenvous in February. Due to work interfering with our boating, we will be trailer Gratitude over. Are there any boat ramps nearby? Does anyone know of a place to store our truck and trailer for a couple of days? Thanks in advance.
Tim
Gratitude
 
Tim,
Palm Island has a lift. There is also a public ramp about 2 miles or so south of Palm Island. You should speak to Palm Island about trailer storage. They were accommodating last year, but I was there for six weeks.
 
Alan, you asked how much the Hurley Davit system is and where to purchase. The prices start at $889 and goes up from there, depending on the system, support braces, extension arms, etc. If you have not looked go to http://www.hurleymarine.com where they have the prices listed. We bought ours directly from Todd Hurley at Hurley Marine, so I'd suggest calling him at the # listed on the web sight. If you have specific questions please feel free to PM me.

Jim
 
The Hurley Marine Davit looks great.

Do you notice any degradation in boat handling, or increase in fuel consumption, with the additional weight that far aft?
 
On our R27 we have not noticed any change in boat handling with the Hurley Davit system holding our dinghy. And as far as change in fuel economy no change either. Keep in mind we towed our dinghy before so if anything our handling and fuel economy probably improved slightly, but not that noticeable. One last note is that we have a 7'8" inflatable soft bottom with keep and only a 5HP 4 stroke outboard.

Jim F
 
I have a "Portland Pudgy" which I keep vertically on the swim platform of my 25SC. It is a heavier boat at 148# but it rides great and if necessary, it comes with a harness so it can be towed. They claim you can tow it at 20 knots? To tilt the dinghy up, I use a block and tackle system which I attach to a line stretched between my two rear cockpit cleats. I raise the pudgy by my self with ease. The system I made myself using 1" blocks and snap shackles. It doesn't take up much room. The Weaver Davits I purchased with the "Pudgy" are a bit short for my tug and bind on the swim platform fenders. At the NW Rendezvous, Ranger had some that would work better than what I have.

The "Pudgy" can be rowed, powered and sailed, which is why I bought it. They are expensive and somewhat heavy but I love mine. The next time I have the dinghy on the boat, I will take some pictures of how I raise it.

Andy G
Keep on Tuggin
 
I can attest to what Andy G said - I just installed Weaver Davits on our R27 and I find the dinghy does try to bind on the rear fenders (I let some air out which helped). I tried lifting it up, but it was more than I felt was reasonable so intend to grab a block off my old sailboat and use it to aid the process. Both the Pudgy and Weaver make great products.
 
I looked at a great number of dinges and found that Mercury makes a 8'4" rib with a seat and only weighs 65 lbs. I used it all year with a Merc. 3.5 and found it was about all I could pull up with a rope from the opposite side of the dingy. Rides and handles great. My wife and two dogs [ doxies ] really enjoyed it. It was about $1400 for the dingy and $1050 for the motor. I installed Weaver davits on the swim step. Was out in some really rough stuff and it stayed fine.
 
A 4:1 pulley system will lift most dinghies that weigh as much as 200 lbs without much more effort than a 20 lb effort on the line.

I use a 4:1 pulley system to lift up/out my Portland Pudgy from the water and find my effort is minimal. It must weigh in at close to 180 lbs with its various bits and pieces in it.

It never has collected water while under way nor when docked in rainy situations.
 
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