Dinghy Solutions on R25 OB

W

wabislander

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Jan 11, 2021
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Fluid Motion Model
R-21 EC
Non-Fluid Motion Model
17' wilker
Vessel Name
river time
Interested to hear/see solutions R25OB users have come up in regards to dinghy management. Love the new R27OB mounting system but not available on the 25.
 
Remember the R27OB dinghy mount is only available if ordered from the factory before the build. Not available as a retro fit. There’s a significant amount of extra structural work done to support the dinghy mount.
Some of the dinghy solutions I have heard for the R25OB:
1. No dinghy
2. Inflatable dinghy with air or slat floor that’s inflated/deflated each anchorage
3. Kayak(s)
4. Takecat (sp?)
5. Dinghy on the roof of the cabin using hoist
6. Tow a dinghy using rigid or elastic harness

I’m sure others will pipe in with additional solutions.
 
When we are cruising we’ve often left our dinghy in the water for extended weeks at a time, pulling it behind the boat....unless we’re heading out into wide open waters. With that said, for the 25 OB, I think this could work if the dinghy had a blow up floor where one could deflat the entire unit, when not in use and store away in a roof mounted cargo box, such as a Yakama or Thule. Where could the outboard be stored or mounted?

Jim F
 
On the Kaboat 12’, it looks like a lot of boat for the money. How long have you had it? How has it held up? Any particular problems? Does it come with a storage bag?

Jim F
 
We had an inflatable floor Zodiac that was a good little boat but preferred using our inflatable kayaks so often left it at home in the garage. Innova makes a nice self draining kayak (model is Safari) so you can use it on whitewater too, but you might get a little wet, but very lightweight and easy to throw up on the roof. We also have a Paddle North kayak that inflates solid like an inflatable paddle boards. I find this one the preferred method to take our 73 lb labradoodle to shore, although she is happy riding the inflatable paddle board too.
 
I do not have an R25OB but looking at the new design of the swim step it looks like the standard Weaver brackets may work to hold a dinghy on the swim step like on the IB boats. I.e., horizontally behind the outboard. The dinghy would have to be removed when the engine is tilted up but perhaps there would be room to store the dinghy elsewhere when at the home slip/moorage. Just a thought.
 
Curt,
Great observation! With the engine down the std. Weaver Davits might work. Definitely not with the engine tilted up though. The 4” extended or 4” raised or even the Up-Set (4” up and 4” out) Weaver Davits might make this more practical as well. You would need really long stand off brackets (60” is the longest available) to reach the transom.
My Weaver davits are only 34” apart (center to center) so the engine cut out on the swim platform might be too wide to get the davits mounted in a way that there’s a usable place for the pad and yoke placement. Someone with a R25OB might be able to measure the width of the engine cut out to give us more info on that point.
 
Thanks for all of the great feedback to-date!
 
We pick up our new R25 OB in the spring, so this is our plan. After looking for solutions as you are, we decided on a 3D Tender Superlight 270, for some of the reasons previously stated - lightweight, inflatable, stowable when deflated (center cockpit locker), and capacity (up to 3.5 passenger). We also got a Suzuki 2.5 hp outboard. Lightest outboard and many recommendations across various boating sites.
 
Takacats seem to be a very popular solution. Inflatable so they can be stored away but also light enough you can put them up top on the rack.
 
The Takacat do look interesting. For those of you with engines, are you getting a rail bracket to hold the motor?
 
We use a dingy from plasticboats.com also Backwater boats. Only 7.5 feet long and I made mounts on the back of my C24 that mounts it upside down. The two mounts go in the two rod holders on the back of the boat. It only weighs 52 pounds and is easy for my wife and I to handle. If I knew how to include photos I would.
KKRCRACE
 
The TakaCat and others with inflatable floors should do well on the east coast, Florida and for rivers and lakes with sandy or dirt shores. We had a super light slat bottom dinghy but replaced it with a significantly heavier fiberglass bottom RIB once we saw that the shores in BC tended to be “infested” with razor sharp oyster shell encrusted rocks. Everything is a trade off.
 
scross":3jzgz1jm said:
The TakaCat and others with inflatable floors should do well on the east coast, Florida and for rivers and lakes with sandy or dirt shores. We had a super light slat bottom dinghy but replaced it with a significantly heavier fiberglass bottom RIB once we saw that the shores in BC tended to be “infested” with razor sharp oyster shell encrusted rocks. Everything is a trade off.
Click to expand...


Good point. What dingy did you end up with. We've been thinking of a 3d super light,but your post make me wonder about the floor.
 
We have the R25OB and I was designing a bracketed davit system like the R27 however I found a sling davit system and should have it next week. This should be able to lift up to the back grab bars and tilt up with the motor. We have a Newport Vessel Seascape which is a 9’ air floor and a ePropulsion Spirit Plus 1.0 electric motor (3.5 hp). This combined weighs about 125 lbs with the motor and the sling handles 400 lbs. I will post images as soon as it is installed.
Cheers
Matt


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