dinghy for family of 5

[tdschafer]

Hi Guys,
I am looking for an inflatable that can handle 5 people. My kids are now 3,5 & 7. I may be doing some mooring this summer for the first time. I don't want to have to leave someone on the boat while I ferry others to the beach. I am not comfortable with this.
I also have an 11'6" beam and have read the many threads here about the overall length of the boat not exceeding this number.
I want something that is light enough to toss on the bow for when I run over to Fire Island , but will also be getting some thing to mount it on the platform. Naughtley davits possibly?
I have read previous threads on Baltic's and they seem to be at a price point that if it dies in a few years I won't be weeping over my loss.:smt089
Any and all comments are welcome! Thanks!!:smt001

 

[mmcguire2002]

Not sure on size, but I can comment on the Baltics. I have owned 2. If covered, they will easily last you several years. If not covered, like most inflatables, the sun will deteriorate the dinghy. I bought both of mine on eBay and negotiated offline with them. I have note been able to find any other comparable dinghy for the near the same price. It is basically a knockoff brand made in Korea (I believe).

 

[Dancin Dave]

I have had a Mercury 310 with inflatable floor for years(Airdeck). It is 10'2". I'm moving on to the same model 310 however in a rib. I have a 12 and 16 year old and we have always taken an additional child to the beach etc. You can use up to a 15hp on the 310 airdeck. You can also deflate and roll up as well for storage. A high quality sound tender.

 

[MarkD]

i think the minimum size you'd need is a 10' inflatible. You need to check capacities since some are less than others. You will also will need to look at motors. The 15-25 HP ones are heavy! 100+ lbs. If you are taking the motor on/off alot, you might want to think about a small one. Its just easier, but will be a slug when you want get-up-and-go! I have a 11'2" Avon hard bottom w 25HP and it is fast. 30+ mph and is rated for 5 people. But, my rig is heavy... maybe 310+ lbs. You probably dont need that unless you want to go exploring miles away with the dink. We traveled alot so wanted it for that reason... Oh yeah, the hard bottoms are more stable when tracking on plane. The airdecks/air keels will be less stable. As for the brand.. there are tons out there. Saturn, Mercury, Caribe, Avon, Zodiac, blah blah blah... I think most are good, just depends on how much you want to spend for quality. I have friends with Saturns and they swear by them and are cheap to buy. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Bugsy24]

Hey Todd, I think it all comes down to 3 things
1) Weight of the Dink. (you mentioned you would like to store it up forward) My dink weigh's 80lb's and it's rated for 3.5 people!
2) Weight of the OB. I just bought a 2.5 and it weighs under 30lb's (That ain't pushing a family of 5)
3) Your probably looking at a "Mounting System" on the swim platform for that size Dink. Just from the weight !!!!!!!

 

[Dancin Dave]

I have a 9.9 merc 2 stroke I don't know how much it weighs,(maybe 65lbs)but I can handle putting it on and off. The 9.9 will plane the air deck with the 4 of us if air is full. I think for functionality a 5 hp will serve you well.

 

[tdschafer]

:grin:Thanks guys, All great points. The PO of my boat used an 8'6" West Marine but, I think that may be too small??:huh:
I like that the air floors are versatile when it comes to storage. I am primarily planning on using it for a very few anchorages, putting around the marina with kids & hugging the shore of the bay over to Davis Park from Watch Hill about 1 mile!!
I'm not sure if 10' may be too big on my transom.....not sure of the dimensions there.
I agree Bugsy, that a platform mounting system will be in order, Naughtley or Weaver as I plod through the literature on them:smt024. I like Naughtley because the motor stays on but the boat sticks out a bit. The Weaver is nice and tight to transom but, the motor needs to be removed each time!:smt021
Dave, I was thinking around a 6 hp motor. I think this will move a light boat, not sure of planing though. Plus when the kids are a little older it will limit how fast they can go hopefully limiting the trouble they can get in! The 6 I looked at has the internal tank and isn't too heavy. The 2 strokes are definitely lighter hp to hp.
Thanks again for taking the time to respond and keep the comments coming!

 

[tdschafer]

Not sure on size, but I can comment on the Baltics. I have owned 2. If covered, they will easily last you several years. If not covered, like most inflatables, the sun will deteriorate the dinghy. I bought both of mine on eBay and negotiated offline with them. I have note been able to find any other comparable dinghy for the near the same price. It is basically a knockoff brand made in Korea (I believe).

Michael,
How were you able to negotiate offline? I figured once you bid -you pay?:huh:

 

[andy k]

Michael,
How were you able to negotiate offline? I figured once you bid -you pay?:huh:

Ebay fees for the dealer are very expensive. For the company I work at we sell a few thousand items a year on ebay it requires an average fee of about 15% The catch is the majority of the ebay fees only need to be paid when the item sells. so if someone calls we can knock off 10% by ordering it over the phone. I do not work in the Ebay dept at work so the numbers might be off slightly, but you get the point.

 

[Alex F]

Hey Todd, I think it all comes down to 3 things
1) Weight of the Dink. (you mentioned you would like to store it up forward) My dink weigh's 80lb's and it's rated for 3.5 people!
2) Weight of the OB. I just bought a 2.5 and it weighs under 30lb's (That ain't pushing a family of 5)
3) Your probably looking at a "Mounting System" on the swim platform for that size Dink. Just from the weight !!!!!!!

Todd,

Bugsy started of with good points, so I'll just add some to this list:

4) Besides weight dinghy dimension will affect your docking. Thus, it's important to find the "happy medium" but make sure it doesn't go beyond comfortable limits. From my experience (my dinghy travels with us all summer long), docking is very different since I don't have luxury to even touch a piling with my swim platform. It's not very "convenient" with side winds, but you just have to learn and develop better docking skills.

5) Getting the dink from the storage to the mathership. Inflatable floor model makes it easier since you can roll it over and drop it in your regular mid size SUV. Hard bottom ones will make this process harder and you may have to get a trailer.

6) Outboard - 2stroke or 4stroke, you need to determine if you like cleaner (less to no smoke) engine and don't deal with mixing gas with oil. Do you want to deal with external tank or not. I don't know if this is a standard but Tohatsu and Mercury has (if I recall correctly) 4hp as the last model with internal tank with ability to attach external tank, if needed. Any more HPs and you have to use external tank.

7) There're lots of different choices in regards to davits, so you need to understand what provides the best use for you. The cost ranges from $400-$2,000 or more.

It sounds like it's your first dinghy, so take your time to do the homework. Here're few tips from my experience. I tried to purchase Mercury model dink, but it didn't work out. So, I decided to give Baltik a try (this was back when I had my 240DA). I got 6.5' model with inflatble floor. I've used it for 4-5 years and sold it in like new condition (I didn't even have cover for it). I didn't have outboard for it, so I had it just laying flat on the swim platform.

When I got my 320DA I knew we needed larger one and once again I purchased Baltik 8.6' model (this time with cover). I didn't want 2 troke and didn't want to deal with external tank, so I picked Tohatsu 4hp model. The combination works pretty well. However, if I had to do it over I would pick 5-6hp model only b/c I want to get on plane easier when I'm alone or pulling my 6y/o son on his knee board. But, even my 4hp flies after I get the boat on plane. The BA85 model is rated for 3 adults and max 10HP motor. As for deciding if this rig will work for you, I would say that most likelly yes, but it depends on how you plan to use the dink. If you only want to use it as a tender to get your crew to/from shore it'll do just fine. I can have 7 people (4 adults and 3 kids) on mine without any concerns. We've done number of nice and easy shore explorations while spending a night on the hook.

As for davits, I just couldn't justify spending $800-$1000 for two pieces that make up the ramps. So, I went with DIY approach. I was planning to do a detailed write up, but never found the time. So, here's the short version in form of pictures:

All in all, I'm very happy with the final result as the complete rig (including davits) cost me about $1300-$1350. You just can't beat the perfromance of the rig for the price. The davits worked like a charm and travelled for hundreds of miles in the ocean. So, they're "bullet prove".

Hope this gives you better idea. Let me know if you have more questions.

Good luck with the search,
Alex.

 

[skibum]

I'd like to see a video of you loading the dinghy, Alex. I just never saw anyone do it before. I was also thinking of building a set of "Dom's". I have a BA85 too. I was thinking about getting a 2.5 HP just because of the light weight. Ya got me wondernig now.

Hmmm... Was just thinkin'... Wanna sell the 4HP so you can get the 5?

 

[tdschafer]

Alex,
Thanks for the added points.

I do have another question.....Can you make me a set of those davits?? :lol:

I'm trying to get this stuff in order now as I would like to try Shelter Island with you in August.:smt038

Now when docking the boat, how do you get the dink off the platform once you are in your the slip? I was thinking you dump it off before docking and tie it off a bow cleat. That's one reason I want to be able to toss it on the bow. I can just toss it in the water from there.

 

[rondds]

Todd: a few years ago I bought a hypalon Achilles dink. Great boat, 9'4", aluminum roll up floor, inflatable keel. My plan was to take it everywhere by "throwing it up on the bow." WRONG! Too heavy for a single person to handle and get up there. I wound up selling it after the second season b/c it was basically unused.

I was insistant on Hypalon b/c of their better resale value and longer lifespan, but it's just too darn heavy. Go with PVC - and it's likely not worth overspending on a "brand name" like WM or zodiac. Besides, why would anyone want to buy something from the French? The korean versions seem to get good reviews in the several threads I've read on this site and it's predecessor over the years.

Probably mentioned above (I was too lazy to read all the posts) but you won't be able to see where you are going with it on the bow. Wasn't a problem for me, from where I sit at the helm!

Oh yeah - you won't find a small 2 cycle outboard unless you buy used. The people who are responsible for saving us from ourselves banned 2 cycle smaller outboards about 2 years ago. 2 cycle can be stored sideways without problems while 4 cycle needs to be upright to prevent the oil from leaving the reservoir (I think).

 

[bmac]

Todd

I've had two dinks over the course of the last 7 seasons, both of them Mercury Air Decks. The first was a 270 PVC with a 6hp Mercury 2 stroke. It was fine for the kids while they were young. It would get up on plane with me and 2 of them in it and was very reliable. I tended to take the engine off at the end of the weekend and throw the dink on the bow or clean it and roll it up. As the kids got older they used it less and less. I sold that set up for 75% of what I paid for it after 4 seasons. I took two season off and had no dink the first two years we had the 44 and honestly, I didn't miss it. My wife insisted I get a new last year one so she didn't have to take the "Mosquito lunch" walk to Davis Park. I bought a new, leftover 340 Hypaoln Air Deck from Defender and a new 15 HP 4 Stroke. The 4 stroke was a bad idea. It weighed 125 lbs. and was just too heavy to take on and off the dink regularly and I really didn't want to add davits or a hydraulic platform. Traded the 4 stroke for a 15 HP Yamaha 2 stroke that was a new, leftover 2009 (that was an expensive physics lesson). It weighs 74 lbs. and can be handled easily from the dink to the dock, which I do most every weekend. That way I can do a fresh water flush and the engine fits in my stern locker (something I couldn't do with the 4 stroke). The 340 Hypalon weighs 111 lbs. I know Ron said he couldn't haul his 310 up but my wife and I can get the 340 up and over my bow rails, flip it over and tie it down. It's even easier getting it back in the water. There is a trick to this. We hold the dink by its bow and side ropes, push the dink stern tubes in and out of the water and on the third up swing....voila, up it comes with enough momentum to get it over the bow rail. That's pretty much how we travel with it. I have to be honest though, given a choice, I would prefer a hydraulic platform with a center console rib. Maybe if I move up. For your use, I'd look to buy a used set up and figure out what you like and don't, dispose of it if necessary and get what will really serve your needs. Craigslist will be loaded with used dinks in the next month or two. Good luck.

 

[rondds]

Brian

I had an Achilles LSR 96 (it was actually 9'6"), which was hypalon. I think all Mercs are PVC. There's about a 30lb difference btwn similarly sized pvc and hypalon dinks. Doesn't sound like much but that 30 lbs is a killer. I've carried a WM slung over my shoulder up to the bow from the dock. It takes two men to do that with the Achilles.

I had a 3.5hp Nissan 2 cycle. It would plane with just me shifted forward as the human trim tab. One other person it was displacement speed and painful!

Good point on the weight diff btwn 2 and 4 cycle.

 

[bmac]

Brian

I had an Achilles LSR 96 (it was actually 9'6"), which was hypalon. I think all Mercs are PVC. There's about a 30lb difference btwn similarly sized pvc and hypalon dinks. Doesn't sound like much but that 30 lbs is a killer. I've carried a WM slung over my shoulder up to the bow from the dock. It takes two men to do that with the Achilles.

I had a 3.5hp Nissan 2 cycle. It would plane with just me shifted forward as the human trim tab. One other person it was displacement speed and painful!

Good point on the weight diff btwn 2 and 4 cycle.

Ron

You're right on the 30 lb. difference, but Mercury does indeed make a Hypalon Air Deck. If I remember the 340 PVC weighs 84 lbs. and the 340 Hypalon weighs 111 lbs. and as you said, it is a big difference. The 50 lb. difference on the outboards was much greater than it sounds since it's an awkward piece to lift vertically. My 340 with the 15HP Yamaha flys with two 250 lb. alcohol laden men in it (or so it seemed, maybe it was us that were flying). I remember well playing the role of human trim tab with the 6 HP.:smt043

 

[Alex F]

I'd like to see a video of you loading the dinghy, Alex.....

Sorry, at this point it's not possible since I no longer own the 320 :grin:. But, it's really not a big deal as the whole rig weights only about 130lbs. I always pulled up and unloaded alone. Just ware something on your feet to avoid slippage.

....I was also thinking of building a set of "Dom's". I have a BA85 too. I was thinking about getting a 2.5 HP just because of the light weight. Ya got me wondernig now....

I took the project on based on Dom's ramps, but the uniqueness of my davits are the mounts, which positioned vertically creating ZERO toe stubbers. I wanted to call the rig "Dom's ramps and Alex's mounts":lol:.

2.5hp Honda is very good engine, but it all depends on how you plan to use your dink. One of my criterias was being able to run fast when I'm alone to get from point A to point B. I think mine does about 15MPH or even more, but it just takes an effort to get it on plane.

....Hmmm... Was just thinkin'... Wanna sell the 4HP so you can get the 5?

In the next year or two I'll be selling it to get the "real" dinghy with center console and about 30hp kicker, so no 5hp on my radar :grin:.

.....Can you make me a set of those davits?? :lol: ...

Todd,
It actually took me a bit longer than I thought since I don't have fency cutting tools. But, it's no big deal at all, if you're handy. I used jigsaw and a set of files.

...Now when docking the boat, how do you get the dink off the platform once you are in your the slip? I was thinking you dump it off before docking and tie it off a bow cleat. That's one reason I want to be able to toss it on the bow. I can just toss it in the water from there.

Yeah, this is something different I've learned in LI last year. We don't have this problem in NJ as most of the marinas have finger pears allowing side exit from the swim platform. If you look closely, you'll see how the extra elevated step on my 320 makes a perfect pass thru across the platform with the dinghy on. So, when we were in LI we had to unload the dink prior docking stern in. I would pick a spot where I could idle and admiral would take the helm to keep us away from being pushed in to other boats or objects while I tie the dink off the bow (with the motor on of course) by using only two lines. It's not a big deal for transients, but if this was my home area it wouldn't be acceptable to me (I like things simple with minimum overhead). So far the best resolution to the issue I saw was the gangway ramp, which would allow the dinghy to remain on the platform. Actually, I have this on my list of things to do since I'll be visting more and more places without finger pears. As for which ramp to get or build is yet to be determined.

 

[mmcguire2002]

Michael,
How were you able to negotiate offline? I figured once you bid -you pay?:huh:

I would look at the prices on the auction and them email them directly and let them know I was prepared to pay "x" amount today. They have plenty of inventory, so they don't really care if they move it via eBay or direct. Their distributor is here in SoCal, so I drove to the guys house and picked it up. If you get serious, let me know and I can probably find what it was I paid for mine and give you a ballpark to negotiate from...

 

[Bugsy24]

Todd, I own but haven't used yet a Seamax, their prices are very reasonable. The have 3 basic designs and three sizes in each depending on the options you want. The product is made in China (I Know China) but is distributed by a Canadian Company. Canada has tougher laws with just about everything except IMMIGRATION! I bought a Suzuki 2.5 four stroke cause it's just 30lb's. and was cheap!!! Their dinks have an extended rear conicle tube which aides in stability and the dink cme with all sorts of extra's like a padded seat and a storage bag that attaches to it etc., etc!

 

[BillG72340]

Todd

We had a Mercury Airdeck 310 on our 330 Dancer. It would handle 5 adults at idle speed and would plane with 2 adults and 2-3 kids with a 9.8 Tohatsu 2 cycle. The davits make it easy to board and mount/remove the engine. Folded up it rode solid at speed with the 24" standoffs. It was a little wider than the swim platform but less than the beam. We never had any problems catching a wave or a dock/piling. The air floor is easy to install/remove and comfortable to sit on however it has more flex at speed than a solid floor.