Best Dinghy for '52 DB?

[BeeBoating]

We are in contract on a 2006 52' DB with factory hydraulic lift. Boat is in Canada - we'll be moving it to Florida eventually. This will be our first dinghy and trying to make sure we get the right one. Looking in the 10-12' range, Hypalon. A few questions for the experience/experts - especially from 50/52DB owners.

- The lift is roughly 11' wide, hull is 15' wide but tapers quite a bit towards the stern - maybe 13.5' at the stern? I'd like a 11-12' dingy, but am concerned about it hanging over the side of the lift. Thoughts on it hanging over the lift a few inches on either side, but being narrower than the hull?

- I had been thinking tiller style with about 20HP. Where the boat is now it appears most have 11-13' dinghies with 40HP and consoles. Feels like the tiller model should provide the same utility at much less weight? What are the pros/cons of tiller vs. console?

- I've seen Highfield & Flexboat models in person. They aren't the most recognized names. Any experience/thoughts? The Highfield is aluminum (powder coated) with significant weight savings. Any problems with aluminum hull in saltwater?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[FootballFan]

We have a Zodiac YL340 on a 47DB. LOA 11'2".

Most of the time we have 2 adults, but at times have 4 adults on the dinghy. We carry the dinghy on the hydraulic platform when cruising, but store inside on a rack when in home port and not at the boat.

Not sure how the beam measurements compare between the two boats, would have to go back to the SR site to compare.

Fits and works great.

Mark

 

[tc410]

+1 on the Zodiac YL340. We have that on our 500DB (same boat you're buying) and it is great. The thing rides and handles like a small boat as opposed to tiller driven RIB. With the 40hp Yamaha she jumps up on plane easily with two-three adults on board and needs a little coaxing with four (leaning weight forward till on plane). Great little boats and perfect for your 52DB!!

 

[CougarCruiser]

You really need to think about how you plan to use it, and what your budget might be. A console dinghy is hard to beat. They are more expensive than an open boat with a tiller outboard.

You can probably fit a 12' no problem. 13 might leave the motor sticking out a bit. There is probably a sweet spot in between that point. Get the biggest you can or you will wish you had later.

 

[rbsunchaser]

I have a 2006 52 DB. Doesn't have the hydraulic lift but a davit. Do you have the same or a lift? I am concerned about dinghy taking up too much space on swim platform. I would welcome your comments and pictures if possible.

 

[La Maddalena]

We have a 10 ft Zodiac with 15 HP Honda with tiller, and are getting ready to move up to a console dinghy. If I had the factory lift like you do it would be a no brainier for me to get a console. The outboard w tiller is fine but always feels like your "roughing it" compared to a console. Most of our boat club friends have larger boats with consoles so I've had plenty of opportunities to compare. With the tiller you can't have a couple sitting side by side, you sit on the tube instead of a seat, your arm gets tired after a while holding and steering, and for me the twist action for throttle plus the back and forth of steering is counterintuitive. Seems like every time I turn the boat I either speed up or slow down because my hand twists the the tiller when I steer. First world problems

 

[cod]

We have a 12 AB hard bottom inflatable with 40 hp. We love it. Very dry boat with the curved front pontoons and it allows us to do great exploring everywhere we go.....The fun and memories we have with the dinghy far exceed sacrificing the swim platform space. We typically drop it in the water upon arrival and leave it in the water until we depart so, we end up having the platform space anyway.....

 

[sandydlc]

We have a 12 AB hard bottom inflatable with 40 hp. We love it. Very dry boat with the curved front pontoons and it allows us to do great exploring everywhere we go.....The fun and memories we have with the dinghy far exceed sacrificing the swim platform space. We typically drop it in the water upon arrival and leave it in the water until we depart so, we end up having the platform space anyway.....

How much does your setup weigh? We have a hydraulic swim platform that will accommodate up to 650 pounds but I'm aiming for around 450. Which model zodiac is that one? Thanks!

 

[sandydlc]

We have a 10 ft Zodiac with 15 HP Honda with tiller, and are getting ready to move up to a console dinghy. If I had the factory lift like you do it would be a no brainier for me to get a console. The outboard w tiller is fine but always feels like your "roughing it" compared to a console. Most of our boat club friends have larger boats with consoles so I've had plenty of opportunities to compare. With the tiller you can't have a couple sitting side by side, you sit on the tube instead of a seat, your arm gets tired after a while holding and steering, and for me the twist action for throttle plus the back and forth of steering is counterintuitive. Seems like every time I turn the boat I either speed up or slow down because my hand twists the the tiller when I steer. First world problems

I agree with your comments about an outboard with a tiller. Our previous dinghy (that we sold with our Chaparral), was that style and there were a few times where I slowed down when I wanted to speed up because I twisted the tiller the wrong way! We probably want to stick to a dinghy that is no longer than 10' or 10'6" but would like to get a console dinghy with a rigid bottom. Larry - which dinghies are you looking at? Our boats are a similar size so I'll be curious to see what you end up with. I see you're at Elliott Bay Marina - we're at Fisherman's Terminal, right around the corner!

Sandy

 

[La Maddalena]

Hi Sandy: I thought I gave all of our new dinghy info to you in another post but it must have been to someone else! I read all or most of your posts since our boats are so similar except for the Zeus drives. Our boat came with a Seawise davit and we bought a new Apex E-11 dinghy with 20 HP Tohatsu outboard from NW Inflatables (Portland) at the Seattle Boat Show. It was just installed about 2 weeks ago, fits the boat perfectly, and we love it. I will post some pictures after I re-learn how to do that, or sign up as a sponsor to make the process easier.

 

[sandydlc]

Hi Sandy: I thought I gave all of our new dinghy info to you in another post but it must have been to someone else! I read all or most of your posts since our boats are so similar except for the Zeus drives. Our boat came with a Seawise davit and we bought a new Apex E-11 dinghy with 20 HP Tohatsu outboard from NW Inflatables (Portland) at the Seattle Boat Show. It was just installed about 2 weeks ago, fits the boat perfectly, and we love it. I will post some pictures after I re-learn how to do that, or sign up as a sponsor to make the process easier.

Thank you for the information! Do you know the total weight of the dinghy fully rigged? We definitely want to keep our dinghy on the low end of the spectrum even though our TNT lift can accommodate up to 650 pounds, I don't want to lose the ability to easily get up on a plane.

Thanks!!

 

[La Maddalena]

According to the NW Inflatables website, our dinghy fully rigged (20 HP, fuel, battery) is 434 lbs plus another 15 lbs +/- for the misc stainless pieces for the davit. Got your message and look forward to meeting you and your husband.