R-23 dinghy mounting

[Cmjansen]

I am receiving delivery of an R-23 this spring. Has anyone mounted a dinghy to their R-23? If so I would be interested in mounting ideas.

 

[sleepyboat]

I just downsized to a 23 from a 27. Up front I will say I did love my 27 but will not be able to do the long distance adventures that others are lucky enough to do.
I also had a 10ft skiff that I would drag around on my short journeys and it was a pain to have need for a small boat to transport my troupe to the beach from my larger boat. As it turns out I lost my slip space for the skiff shortly after ordering my 23.
But I wasn’t going to need it because I can now just (softly) land on the beach or sandbar and tilt the engine up as I approach.
So my question is, would you need a skiff if you had purchased a 23 foot center console?

If you really need a skiff, consider a small roll up inflatable and an electric or propane outboard. Then it can be stored in the empty engine bay below deck, out of site.
John
On Sallison 2

 

[Cmjansen]

A dinghy is beneficial for stearn tie anchoring. I bought a 7'6" dinghy that fits perfectly on the roof rack.

 

[jagizzi]

Hi Cmjansen,

We just took delivery of our R23 and the dinghy issue is one that I have yet to resolve. What 7'6" dinghy did you go with? Do you also have the solar panel, and if so, how do you handle that part of it?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[baz]

At this time my thoughts are to have an inflatable and have it stowed in its bag on board or to starboard side of the F300 Yamaha engine on the platform. This area can accommodate 2'x3'x some height for the inflatable's bag. If the inflatable has solid bottom then those pieces can be stowed elsewhere in center cockpit hold or in the cave.

The issue will be when it comes time to inflate the dinghy. I'm thinking I can do this fairly easily in and across the cockpit with the dinghy straddling from port to starboard on the gunwales. In this position I can inflate the dinghy and then push it overboard and tie up to stern platform cleat.

This method is going to be something for me to explore with and will practice this while docked to see how well it pans out.

The challenge for me is to figure out what size dinghy to purchase. If its too big that could be difficult so I'm favoring the smallest dinghy I can get away with for holding 2 adults, or 1 adult + 2 kids. I will use oars to start off with and then may consider a small electric motor such as the Torqeedo. I had a Torqeedo previously to power a Portland Pudgy and it did a good job, and there's no issue having to carry gasoline tank onboard.... just the Torqeedo battery. The Torqeedo breaks down to three pieces (Tiller arm, shaft/prop and battery) that are real easy to stow away and in total weighs no more than around 22 lbs.

In all honesty, I've never liked the idea of hanging a dingy on the stern platform. It's not only the worst place to add weight, blocks/obstructs rear viewing, can and will act as an aerodynamic drag shoot which would be even worse running at speed, IMO looks ugly and awkward sitting way back there and really spoils the look of the boat with such a large ungainly looking object sitting there.... plus I like to look to stern as the boat runs while sitting in the cockpit. If I could mount a dinghy on the foredeck that would be my best choice.... but of course that's not going to happen for obvious reasons.

 

[Cmjansen]

I went with a Saturn dinghy. I am looking at putting on a solar panel. I was thinking of going with the flexible type and put it on the back sunshade.

 

[baz]

I went with a Saturn dinghy. I am looking at putting on a solar panel. I was thinking of going with the flexible type and put it on the back sunshade.

Now that/this Saturn dinghy SD230 seems to be just the ticket for me. It's a very reasonable price at $699 and packs/folds down into a bag 41" x 24" x 12" and weighs in at just under 70 lbs. This bag will fit on my new 2018 R-27's stern platform to starboard of the Yamaha F300 and up against the hand rail with room to spare. The foot print for this platform area is a generous 24" x 36". So placing the bag's end of 24" x 12" on the platform with the 41" in the air should be AOK and be slightly higher than the transom door and would not be in the way of the F300's movement.

I like the idea of having the Digital High-Pressure Electric pump for $189 as well to make inflating the dinghy a piece of cake. It's a bit spendy, but probably worth it for its convienience.

I'm also thinking about the electric trolling motor ($369 Model OS55RC- 55 lbs Remote Control Electric Trolling Motor 12v) with its remote control. It seems to be out of stock at BoatsToGo.com though, Amazon sells it for $389. However, the reviews on the remote control are rather disappointing saying it fails at times and when it does fail there's no way to control the direction or speed of the motor. 😱 🙁 Maybe I'll play it safe and just go for a manual operated motor and save some brass.

Thus total outlay would be $699 + $189 + $369 + a Battery for maybe $60 = $1317. This is a lot of value for the money IMO and in addition meets my requirements...

• Small bag
  Reasonable weight - light enough for 1 person to carry
  Holds 2+1
  Oars if battery fails
  Fits on stern platform or in cockpit's center locker
  Can be left ashore if not needed
  Should be easy/quick to inflate with electric 12v pump in or on the cockpit when needed
  No need to install on top of cabin roof
  Reasonable cost compared to all other choices I've considered
  Electric motor is light, convenient to use with Remote Control and stows easily... or maybe ignore the Remote Control for manual operation
  Not too unwieldy for kids to use on their own