Like all boats, it is a big compromise. I have never owned a hard dink, but we have friends that do. They love the ruggedness of it, but have a heck of a time getting back in safely when they are snorkeling. It takes a careful choreography between them to make it work.

The Walker Bays with the inflatable tubes on the gunwales seems like a good compromise to me.

We have friends who have a Walker Bay RIB, when it was 2 years old the rubber went all gummy on it, but Walker Bay replaced all the rubber parts without charge even though it was out of warranty. So that's good they stood behind it but bad that it happened.

[QUOTE=deising;9860]The Walker Bays with the inflatable tubes on the gunwales seems like a good compromise to me.[/QUOTE]

I would second that. They have the enhanced rowing ability and tracking of a hard bottom along with the easier entry of an inflatable. They won't mark up your boat if you bump into it and are less likely to become a deadly projectile when towed in a rough following sea.

Mike

The West Marine Advisors have a very good write up on this most basic of all dinghy choice questions.

Much has to do with how you intend to use your dinghy.

With all due respect to those who favor the very simple cruising life afforded by concepts like 'no refrigeration and small rowing dinghies,' I have a quick story to tell.

Our good friends spent many years prepping their older boat for long term cruising and the lady of the couple insisted on very simple systems, including a rowing-only hard dink. Guess what, they could hardly ever use the thing with the currents, wind, and chop they experienced. They were frequently stuck on the boat or mainland unless some passing motorized dinghy offered them a tow.

This isn't Glenn's problem, but for new cruisers, how you initially 'think' you will use a dinghy and how you 'actually need to use it' are often very different.

Duane, that's a very good point. In answering many of these "what's the right dinghy for me" questions over the years, we usually ask the OP how he intends to use it. He may not know! :) Yet...

What we can do is share our experiences. In the late 80s and early 90s we had a Catalina 25 with a West Marine 8'-4" red plywood floor dinghy with a 1.2 Johnson "starts in forward gear" egg beater engine. Loved that rig, 'cuz I didn't need a Garhauer motor lift for the engine (I was a tad younger then, too :)) and when we had to go to the store for ice from our favorite anchorage, it was an hour trip each way, requiring a backup fuel can to refill the 0.37 gallon built-in tank halfway there! We enjoyed the journey...

When we bought our C34 in 1998, we sold that rig (drats, maybe shoulda kept it as backup for shorter shoreside trips) and bought a 10'-2" Zodiac high pressure airfloor and a used 9.9 hp 1990 Evinrude 2 stroke. The rig planes easily with three adults, and we can go places we never dreamed of in the old rig. Just last week we did the same trip from that anchorage to the store in well under half the time. And if I wanted to dawdle I very well could have done so. We protect the airfloor with outdoor carpeting, a great trick we learned from a cruiser.

We had friends with us last week with the same sized dinghy but only 3.5 hp outboards. One had been to Mexico with his rig and said he'd wished he'd gotten a bigger engine to use for exploring more. The other skipper was content to make reasonable speed but not haste with the same engine. Each has a Garhauer motor lift for their smaller engines.

Alternatively, we have friends in Chicago who have an 8' Walker Bay and love it. But, and here's the but, they have wheels on it and only use it to get from their dock to their moored boat in the harbor. And they row. Don't take it on trips, rarely anchor out (if they do they depend on others to ferry them to shore) and stay in marinas on trips, using docks which they do not have at their home port.

I'm very pleased with our newer rig. Sometimes bigger is better.

There's also the Hypalon vs. PVC discussion. If you're planning on USING the dinghy a lot, stay away from PVC. Some have gone the less expensive PVC route, but have had to take incredibly perfect care of their boats to make them last more than a few seasons. And then there's the West Marine Zodiac vs "real" Zodiac discussion...

Towing? I used to think the second wave theory had merit, but lately am convinced that closer is better. Never tow with the eninge on unless in really protected waters.

Thanks, Stu. I was merely expanding on your excellent suggestion - it depends HOW you are going to use it.

FWIW, we started with a (used) small 8' wood-floor inflatable and 4 HP engine. It was fast enough for many purposes in our earlier cruising days but far too wet due to its short length and small tubes.

We then got the same model (used) in a 10' version using the same engine and it was better. We later added a 9.9 HP 2-stroke and it was a great rig until we beat it up pretty badly in the Bahamas with all the coral beach sand.

I very stupidly bought a used PVC 9' inflatable which literally fell apart shortly after I bought it when we tried to use it for the first time on a cruise.

We now own an Achilles Hypalon 9'+ RIB with large tubes, and nice flare at the bow to keep it much drier, a waterproof bow locker, and a 9.9 HP 4-stroke engine. We LOVE the entire rig, although it weighs about 250 lbs. I installed very hefty Garhauer davits on our boat and carry the dink/engine together with no problem in moderate weather. For anything where I might get some nasty weather, I take the engine off using the Garhauer engine lift since it weight 90 lbs.

If I were to make a passage of more than 36 hours or so, I would likely strap the dink upside down on the foredeck, where the PO has some sturdy folding padeyes.

Some believe that 4-strokes have no place on a small dinghy and they have their valid points. For me, I love not having to worry about mixing oil with the gas, very little in the way of exhaust fumes, very quiet, and I go a long way on little fuel. Fuel economy is not important for the monetary savings since you are not putting thousands of hours on your dink, BUT it is nice to know that 4 gallons of fuel will take you a LONG way.

One last comment. I could (almost) justify my cheap approach of buying used engines and dinghies at the time, but now that I have wasted thousands of dollars on rigs that didn't usually serve the purpose well enough, I wish I had bought something like our current rig 7 years ago!

Just MHO.

We have West Marine roll up inflatable that I'd guess is at least 6 years old, maybe older. Bought it to replace our ancient Achilles which managed to escape one day while out sailing. I store it on the foredeck when at the dock, but ALWAYS under a cover. As far as I'm aware, PVC does not like the sun, so the cover was mandatory.

I have an early 80's 2hp Evinrude, probably the same as Stu's old Johnson (the were the same engine). It works great for running the dog to shore, etc. It does not row well at all; with any sort of wind where you have to put your back into it, the oars pop out of their 'locks'. Tows OK but I had it spinning in the wind and turn upside down when caught in strong winds, something to be avoided.

I plan on keeping it until it expires, but I think I'm going to build one of these this winter, so I can sail it, row it, and generally admire it. It actually doesn't weigh much more than the inflatable.

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