The question of how important and what type of dinghy to carry is a very personal choice, much like choosing the type/size/style of your vessel itself. Often this comes down to how one uses their boat. If you moor your boat, and rarely anchor, there may be very little need for a dinghy at all. For us, our assortment of dinghy(s), kayaks, and SUP board are a vital aspect to our overall boating experience. The R27 Classic is set up exceptionally well to maximize carrying so many different types of dinghy's or paddle craft, especially for a trailerable boat.
Some complain that a dinghy on Weaver-style davits hanging off the swimstep is problematic as it limits visibility. This is true, especially if you moor or visit marinas a lot. For us, given that we trailer rather than moor, and rarely enter marinas, this is a non-issue. Yes, visibility is somewhat impaired looking aft when underway, but a pair of relatively inexpensive rear-view mirrors strategically placed on both port and starboard railings mitigates 90% of this issue.
The added advantage - especially if primarily cruising to seek solitude on anchor - is a very simple, quick, and easy-to-deploy dinghy. When we anchor, which is 90% of the time, within the first 5 minutes of cutting the engine we have our dinghy deployed. Often, a trip ashore is our first task (dog duty); but we spend a lot of time relaxing in the cockpit and we like the unobstructed view with the dinghy "deployed" (afloat, but still attached to the Weaver snap davits). An added bonus is with the dinghy thus deployed, it "extends" our swimstep and cockpit area to provide more "back porch" space. This can serve to reduce clutter in the cockpit while providing space to assemble gear like crab pots, stow kayak paddles in between excursions, assemble other water toys such as a sailing rig (we alternate between the typical Ranger Tug RIB and a Walker Bay Sailing RID) or even a slide-seat rowing rig I can attach to the Stand-Up Paddleboard. On hot days, our Golden Retriever, Moxie, enjoys laying in the dinghy absorbing the coolness of the water on this floating “back porch”.
We cherish time aboard Seaquel, but even more, we love the exploring that our Ranger Tug affords and often the adventure is just beginning when we attain our targeted destination. When the anchor is secure, the adventuring continues via dinghy (or other paddle craft). And we love the exercise that these additional watercraft provide. Although we carry a small Yamaha 2.5hp outboard for the dinghy(s), we rarely use it because the inflatable dinghy with fiberglass V-hull rows surprisingly well; and the Walker Bay rows exceptionally well. And while we use (and even prefer) the kayak or SUP as a means of exploring, a dinghy provides more secure and comfortable transport in rough conditions, makes stern-tying much easier, while also providing a serviceable life raft in an emergency.
Some say there are two types of boaters: those with dogs; and those without. We are the former, and it truly changes the way we boat, encouraging us to get off the boat more. But you could also divide boaters into two other camps: those who use dinghy’s and those who don’t. And, not coincidentally, those two groups would likely be aligned along similar lines.
