Dinghy for the R-25

I have noticed the king board dive platform is sagging a little from the weight of the dingy. The weight right on the edge of the dive platform when the sun is warming it up must soften the stuff. Next summer I will add stiffeners to the edge.
Never noticed that on the Mis Dee. I think the Pudgy weighs in at about 129 lbs.
captd
 
Hi all, I have a Dyer 8' for my R25. I attaches to the swim platform with waver davits. I had to add the rings for the davits to the Dyer. The one I have is a 1961 model and wasn't in very good shape when I got it so I rebuilt it-replaced all of the wood, Painted the hull and put bottom paint on it. It's a motor or sailing dinghy, nice strong little boat and it's a hoot to sail.
Go to http://www.dyerboats.com/dyer_midget.html
 
Captd, I am surprised to hear about your swim step bowing. Our Endurance RIB probably only weights 80 pounds and it rests on two davits on the edge of the Swim Step without a problem and we spent 90 days in the inland rivers at temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees.

I have had King Starboard that was 3/8" thick bend and bow over time and learned that it needs a fair amount of support. But the thicker stuff should be no problem.
 
Thank you, all, for posting these suggestions. I have read the thread completely 2 or 3 times now.
Having never owned any boat that needed a second boat, i.e., a dinghy, or "tender" boat, this subject is new to me. Because of the wide array of choices, and costs, so far I do not have a dinghy, with 170 hours on the boat's engine. But, now I am going to attempt Puget Sound and North, and everyone says you have to have a dinghy. Here's how it looks to me, and I would like suggestions different from the ones already listed, if possible:
1. In colder waters, man overboard in a lifejacket will die from hypothermia fairly quickly, hence need for a dinghy #1
2. Having a small outboard engine on board to push the R-25, as noted above, probably will only work in calm waters.
3. I was told when buying the boat, to put on the Emergency Brake, that is, the Anchor, and wait for help....right?
4. How many of you have totally lost power and had your inboard diesel fail you, while otherwise operating properly, in other words, what the percentage risk that we are talking about, needing a dinghy with outboard to save the R-25?
5. I would love to row ashore, especially when at anchor or at a mooring buoy, but a smaller dinghy would do that..
6. I don't like the idea of an inflated or rigid dinghy on the roof rack or the foredeck, so it's either cockpit or swim deck.
7. Seems to me that a small dinghy, inflated, could ride down the highway roped down in the cockpit, when trailering.
8. Attaching davits to the Tug and the dinghy is something I'd like to avoid, so maybe just a good inflatible is the way.
9. Does anyone know of a sturdy, lightweight (fairly), inflatible dinghy that fits these parameters?
Or, am I wacko, and I should just get a bigger, rigid hull dinghy with davits and an outboard motor???
THANKS, Charles
 
Good summary - here's my two cents -
1) In 45-50 degree water, without any sort of protective equipment, people drown in the first minute from the "gasp" response. If you make it past that, you have ~ 10 minutes that you can function - doing useful things like ignite a flare, talk on your handheld VHF, swim to stay afloat or climb back on your boat. Without a lifejacket on, that's about as long as you last 'cause you won't be able to swim to stay afloat. If you have a lifejacket on, you'll be fine for an hour or more.
So, as far as needing a dinghy for a liferaft, that would only come into play if your boat sank unexpectantly while you were on board and underway, far from land. Possible surely, but likely?

2) having your anchor ready is correct when you lose your engine (right after putting your life jacket on)

3) My engine has not stopped unexpectantly once it was running. Did get close once when I almost ran out of fuel, but I knew it was coming.

4) I have an LT-2 Achilles dinghy - pretty heavy duty, doesn't tow, can row, and is stable. Pictures are in my album. It was too heavy for me to put on the cabin top on a routine basis, but it isn't hard to inflate when needed.

5) I don't know of many inflatables that can be towed - unless they have a hard bottom / keel. Most don't. I don't think you need a motor, unless you anchor far from shore...

6) I would think you could deflate the dinghy when trailering....

mac
 
Pretty good summary of the main points. My additions are:

1. You can trailer down the freeway with either a hard bottom dinghy (ours is fiberglass with an inflatable collar and weighs 70 pounds) or one has floorboards that are removable (ours was a flatbottom Zodiac with an inflatable collar and weighed about 50 pounds). Both sit on the swimstep. But the distance of the trailering is a factor: 60 miles-yes; 100 or more miles-no, it goes in the truck.

2. Putting a davit on the swim step is not only easy, it is safe and does not compromise the structural integrity of the swim step. These are easily fitted onto the outward edge of the starboard material and through bolted down.

3. With the Yanmar, it has stalled once going from wide open throttle to an emergency idle speed ("should have seen that dead head before I did") It took two attempts to get in started again.

4. My notion of an outboard that can push the Ranger 25 is only my attempt to handle past events. My previous 24 foot gas powered boat had only one engine and it failed-but my little outboard could keep me off the rocks until it was secured safely. I have also lost outboards on two sail boats (but I wind as a backup plan). My view of managing risk is: if it is predictable, it is preventable. If I can predict that something is likely to happen than I can prevent it. This week's example is raw water pump impeller-Yanmar says to replace every year, I forgot last year and so this impeller is finishing its second year. I can predict that it will fail, so I am preventing it by replacing now-before we do our cruising this season.
 
Charles, read my post on page 1 of this category. I've decided on Sea Eagle (seaeagle.com) 8.10 Tender. When I posted I was thinking of 5hp motor. Now I'm thinking of oars only. Check it out. Let me know what you find that is better.

Norb
 
Hi Charles,

We carry an inflatable in our 26' boat, sitting in the cockpit deflated most of the time. I can pump it up and launch it easily in 10 minutes with the supplied foot pump, and deflate and roll up in much less time. It would be nice to have one we could launch without inflating first, but after many years cruising with this setup, it seems to me inflating and deflating is no big deal, and it saves a ton of space and clutter to keep it deflated. Particularly since we're fond of fishing.

It's an Avon Redcrest, a really tough, durable, and seaworthy hypalon boat. It weighs 40 lb, and deflates to a rolled-up cylindrical package maybe 3+ feet long and 2 feet in diameter. Ours is 11 years old, has seen quite a few barnacle-covered beaches, and yet is still good as new. I've had to patch small holes twice - both my fault (fishhooks).

You can put a little fiberglass motor mount on the stern (it's rounded - no hard transom) and use a 2-4hp outboard. Ours is a 2hp Yamaha that weighs only 22 lb. With two on board, it goes maybe 5 miles at 3 knots on the quart of gas in its built-in tank.

I like rowing, so I bought a good set of one-piece 6.5 foot oars made by Sawyer, to replace the little take-downs that come standard. They make a huge difference in efficiency, speed, and pleasure of rowing. With just me and dog aboard, the Redcrest moves right along and is very maneuverable. It's a little slower and more effort with two of us, but still works well. It'll carry four people in a pinch (900 lbs max). You can get it with a roll-up slatted floor, or go simple without the slats, saving weight and space, as we did. We keep the oars velcro'd to the handrails along one side on the cabin roof.

If you want an inflatable that will last, I highly recommend the Redcrest. There's a picture in my album.
 
Thank You, all, for the recent suggestions. I looked up an Avon Redcrest and the Sea Eagle 8.10, probably the Avon is more durably constructed, but the Sea Eagle 8.10 currently has a full package, incl. shipping, for $999., whereas the various Avons in the 8-9 foot range are more like $1700, plus accessories and tax and shipping.
What I'm thinking, is that I may only use this inflatible dinghy somewhat rarely, that is, when on a mooring buoy or anchor for more than one night. I don't have any dog that needs to immediatley get to shore, and I have no crew to ferry, either, at this time. Until now, I've done just fine without any tender whatsoever, and the dinghy may stay in its carrying sack most of the time.
Anyone else know a great inflatible in the 7-9 foot range, good for rowing?
 
If the main thing you don't like about the Redcrest is the price, Defender has one with floor for $1599, with an additional $150 to be taken off at checkout. Go to their site and search for Avon Redcrest. http://www.defender.com

I don't know if they sell them without the floor slats any more, but if so that would take maybe $200-300 off the price. Two years ago the Seattle boat show price with floor was $1200.

Still might be overkill if you'll use it very infrequently. Have you considered inflatable kayaks? Much less money will get you a decent one.
 
Today it was 81 degrees in the California Delta, so Blue Bayou and I were out all afternoon. I measured the cockpit with a tape, and, really, it's about 4 X 7 feet. How does one inflate a 9 foot dighy in that space, while bobbing at anchor in a cove? Or de-flate for that matter? I have this vision of wrestling with a huge gray mass bigger than myself, catching it on the Bimini support poles, getting water all over, and finally getting it into its bag.
It that what you do with an inflatible? Or, do you inflate it on a dock somewhere, and then have it glued on your swim platform, vertically, until you (ultimately, days later) reach another dock, where you can easily de-flate it?
If that's the case, the it's really not so easy to inflate in 10 minutes-----unless you're in the perfect spot-----and you really don't have the simple option of choosing when you need a dinghy and quickly inflating it.
I've come across a smallish dinghy made by Achilles that is 7' 7" long and still looks sturdy. Here's their website......
about $1100.
http://www.achillesboats.com/boatmodels ... ex/LEX-77/
 
I have a new RU-260 inflatable with slat floor from West Marine, about $750. I am making a sunbrella carry bag for the slats, oar locks, pump etc and will store that in the aft berth (a.k.a. Closet). The boat rolls up and has a storage bag which we plan on throwing on the roof and tying onto the sport racks. The thing weighs 51 lbs which is well within the capability of two persons to get onto the roof. It can also be tied up there inflated, but I would not do that for long term.

For times when easy transport and frequent use is required, I just purchased something called the "Dinghy Sling" for $245 that looks like a fishing net, and will tie off to the swimstep and rails, no glueing, no drilling. Will report back how well it works when it gets here and the rain stops......ark anyone? If I don't like it on the swim step, this sling would also be useful as a tie-down net for the inflated boat on the sport rack.

Our 8 ft Walker Bay with RIB tubes and sail kit will travel with us infrequently, mostly to drive out to a nice spot, drop anchor on the Tug, and go for a sail around the mother ship. The Walker Bay is within the sling's weight rating.

Sparky
 
For those who are going through the dinghy trauma, i urge you to go to the C Dory site called "C -Brats" and then look in the bottom left corner for : El and Bill Halcyon Days.

These are two people, now in their 70's who have literally travelled all over the Us with their 22' C Dory..living aboard..in all waters, all climates, even abroad..and they are very cool, and seaworthy people.

Their dinghy is a Sevylor! And they have used it in Alaska, Lake Powell, California, Columbia River...etc. Their message: If you need more, get more...if not, transportation.
 
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