Dinghy Search is On!

BillinPA

Member
Oct 14, 2020
105
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2005
Engines
8.1
Last year was my first with a boat big enough for a dinghy.
We moved up to a 99 340 and I would love to be able to dink the wife in for dinner.
I thought about the WM 250, but that’s probably too small. Maybe 8’ 6” which I’ll tie on the platform or put on top. Not interested in Davits yet, just something small, lite and under $1k.

what would work for 3 people at most?

Bill.
 
Last year was my first with a boat big enough for a dinghy.
We moved up to a 99 340 and I would love to be able to dink the wife in for dinner.
I thought about the WM 250, but that’s probably too small. Maybe 8’ 6” which I’ll tie on the platform or put on top. Not interested in Davits yet, just something small, lite and under $1k.

what would work for 3 people at most?

Bill.

you could pull off a 10’ (usually called 310) on a 340. I think Minimum is the 9’6” (called 290 I believe) for 3 people. That will be tight though.
 
Bill,
Do you want a toy or just get ashore?
Where do you plan to go ashore?
I had in the past a 7.5 zodiac with a 2 cycle 2hp that got wife, 2 kids, me ashore just fine.
Current dinghy is a 7.5’ with a 2.6hp 4 stroke that while a little tight easily transports 4 adults ashore 1500+ feet from anchorage to shore in a protected area.
You don’t need a lot if you just want to putt to shore.
At secure anchorages like Fairlee, Annapolis harbor, St Michael’s.
 
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Last year was my first with a boat big enough for a dinghy.
We moved up to a 99 340 and I would love to be able to dink the wife in for dinner.
I thought about the WM 250, but that’s probably too small. Maybe 8’ 6” which I’ll tie on the platform or put on top. Not interested in Davits yet, just something small, lite and under $1k.

what would work for 3 people at most?

Bill.
Another thought, what are your propulsion intentions?
My 2.6 is 43#. Easy peasy right. Until you are moving it from cockpit to swim platform to zodiac while each is gyrating in a different direction and your trying not to drop it overboard.
Plan ahead.
 
I forget what size it was, not very big, but we kept a West Marine one on our 1995 330DA. It was an inflatable roll up with a foot pump. Pumping it up every time we wanted to use it got old very fast. I kept it inflated and would leave it in the cockpit when we left the boat and for cruises since it was just the two of us. Once we got to our destination I tied it off the stern of the boat. I put the engine in the forward cabin during cruises. It was light enough to carry back and forth. I can't recall the size of the engine, it pushed it along pretty well but not a racer.
 
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9DADF470-D48F-4CCD-A0E4-F4549A55AFC3.jpeg
I may have showed this before but this was our 7.5 zodiac with a 2hp Mariner back when my boy was little. He is 33 now. Engine weighed 17#, now my 2.6 weighs 43#, and I swear it don’t make same power.
And if anyone recognizes it, that tree line is just inside the cut at Fairlee as we were heading to Great Oak Landing.
 
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I have the bris linked above. It’s less than a year old so I can’t comment on longevity. I got it because I wasn’t sure if we would like a dinghy. Turns out, it gets used more than any other boat we have had. If this goes bad in a year or two, I’ll invest in a better one. I just added a Bimini top and purchased a trailer for it so I could pull it out of the water and clean it more often.
 
That BRIS is hard to beat for the price. Its similar to my Newport Vessels, which there are a few of in my marina (as are BRIS).

My advice - if you're not sure on the size you want, get an air floor, inflatable keel model. Look on FB marketplace and craigslist. It's amazing how many good condition dinghies are for sale on there. I lucked out an got a 10' Newport Vessels, new in box, that was an Amazon return for pennies on the dollar.

The bigger issue will be finding an outboard. New, they are in short supply and used is a crap shoot.

I have a similar size boat as you and we use the dinghy more than the big boat (it helps a boat only beach is a 7 minute dinghy ride from our slip). Davits would be a worthwhile investment and many are removeable with no toe snubbers remaining once removed.
 
you could pull off a 10’ (usually called 310) on a 340. I think Minimum is the 9’6” (called 290 I believe) for 3 people. That will be tight though.

I have a West Marine 310 inflatable. I carried in on the platform of my prior 320da. No davits, we just strapped it underneath to the cleats. It fit fine. It would fit well on a 340. Somewhere around here I have an unused dinghy sling (google it). I love the thing but never used it (!). Nice way to carry a dinghy without davits. I never used it because I went to a 400db that had a davit system.
 

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