Highfield… any regrets?

I will counter that point with we like that you sit lower in the hull but still have a flat floor 90% of the places your feet end up. Our daughter was two when he bought ours, and up until this year she could touch the water with her hands if her feet were on the floor. The AB floor was 3-4" taller.

Any of the names thrown out in this thread all make great RIB's, its truly personal preference.

 

I have a Highfield that’s pretty much about end of life after 9 years. It’s hypalon and looked fairly good when I bought it used at three years old. But I didn’t cover (my first ever dingy and I basically neglected the tubes) it in coastal weather and it oxidized like a Carvers gelcoat. Not much of the color left. I’ve had to put three patches on it. Two of them because of my stupidity. Also the inner air compartment separators for the three air partitions seem to have failed. One inlet will fill the entire thing. So, keep it covered when not in use and don’t ignore the tubes like I did.

 

I’ve had the H30, Highfield Model OM 390, Honda Engine 40HP for five years was just under a year old when I bought used. I was told it was to big for the PO’s boat which just happened to be a 52 DB which I did not know when I bought it. I was also told it was a OM 350 which when I went to register I found out differently. I’ve had chaps made in KW in winter of 2017 for $700 which provides protection for the tubes. It’s been to KW and all over the Chesapeake Bay with no problems so fat. Having an inflatable is a miss statement as they all should be called deflatables because I’ve never seen one yet that couldn’t use a little air on a cool morning. The 40 Honda with the aluminum hull will skat pretty dam well with one to four people on board.

I’m also under covered roof for 4-6 months a year that helps as well.

 

Love my 310 Highfield and the SeaLift was the best upgrade ever!

 

Man, I love your boat!!!! Someday we will have a 52DB. Gotta go with one more DA before we transition to the DB.

 

call when you’re ready as it want be long for the next one as always looking for her!

 

Two pics and the engine can be up or down. I run 98% with her down. I’ve had no problem winching her as you’ve got the entire cockpit area to swing around with. The beam of the 52’ is over a foot wider than the stern of the boat. She’s been to KW three times which totals in excess of 7500 km & headed South again on the 12th for the winter!

 

I purchased a Highfield CL340 in may of 2020.
Best purchase I ever made
It has the console and 25 HP Suzuki.
It can pull 3 of my grand children on a tube with no problem.
It is a great dinghy. I hauled it on my 97 370 DA on a Hurley H3 with no problem. I sold the boat and will be mounting the H3 on my new Boat so that we can take the dinghy with us when we travel.
You will love the Highfield. The performance is great.

 

Since this thread is full the knowledgeable dingy owners, any opinions on the Brig 330 center console with 20hp Honda?

 

We have had the Brig 360HT for three seasons and love it. Seems well built, it’s fast and the price is right.

 

2015 Brig Falcon 330T w 20hp Merc

Does fine. Not the fastest and 2nd person needs to sit up front to get on plane. BUT.... priced right and does the job.. For now.
It's definitely the right size for my platform/lift.

 

We've got friends with the 330. It's a slick dinghy. The only notable item (to me) was that the Brig seems to run a bit narrower than the Walker Bay's and Highfields. I may have that wrong but it certainly seemed that way in real life...

 

Finally, only 7 months late from promised delivery and 11 months after ordering picked up my new tender. Can't wait to take it for a spin.

 

Damn that’s patience, nice rig.

 

We bought the highfield 340 with the euro helm, 20hp Yamaha just like in your pic. We love it. We can cruise with 4 people on plane no problem.

 

Appreciate everyone's input on the BRIG 330. It sold so picked up a 2016 Grand G340 instead. In my area there is not much to choose from so this was the best option. It came from up north so its freshwater and shows very little use. Looking for a stock cover but not found much online for a center console RIB. Since this is pretty close in size to the other RIBS in this string anyone have cover recommendations/suggestions? Looking for a cover for storage primarily.

 

My two cents - the kind of cover that attaches to your rub rail and does NOT go over the outboard is approximately 1800% easier to deploy, thus more likely to actually get used. Have one custom made from a local canvas shop.

I have a full-cover cover (that has to be the right term??) that goes all the way over the tubes and over the outboard. Watching me try to deploy this cover is substantially entertaining, even sober. As a result of the pain and suffering involved...it never gets used.