Which Inflatable Dinghy and Where?

Alex F

Alex F

Well-Known Member
Nov 14, 2006
9,166
Miami / Ft Lauderdale
Boat Info
2005 420DB with AB 11 DLX Tender, Raymarine Electronics (2x12" MFDs) with Vesper AIS
Engines
Cummins 450Cs, 9KW Onan Generator, 40HP Yamaha for tender.
Even though my boat isn't that big we still found a need for an Inflatable Dinghy. I've tried cheap inflatable boat, but it lasted only one trip. Which inexpensive Inflatable Dinghy would you guys recommend and where can I get it? My other conserns are storing it when in the slip and storing while under way. I've herd abput Davits system, but it looks like a good system for larger boats. Is there a simpler version that performs similar functions?

Thanks,
Alex.
 
I'm not a big dinghy user but do keep one on board when we know we will be anchoring out, say in the North Channel of Canada where there are no towns. We have a small "bag boat" by Zodiac. It's about 6 feet long, has an inflatable keel and soft floor. We use a 3HP Johnson to power it. It is just a method of getting to shore for us. It also stores in a floor locker so we don't have to look at it except when it's floating off our swim platform.
 
We bought a barely used 8' Achilles with removable wood floor. It has an inflatable floor/keel and 2 chambers for the hull. When rolled up it fits into it's "bag". We keep it either in the back of the cockpit or tied down on the bow. The reason we went with an 8' dinghy was that I did not want it to extend beyond either side of the boat when kept on the davit - at the time I was considering Weaver snap davits...

Btw., I used to power it with a 2 hp Johnson, but hated dealing with the potential mess of the oil and/or gas required. Now I use a saltwater series Minkota electric trolling motor w/40# thrust. Definitely NOT a speed deamon, but it beats rowing any day and allways gets us to shore or to the neighbor's boat - NO MAINTENANCE to speak of! It allways starts! :grin:

Btw., I advise against the purchase of an inflatable made out of PVC - almost impossible to fix and deteriorates relatively quickly in the sun! Hypalon is the way to go!
 
I purchased a Mercury 240 air deck (7'11"). Mine is pvc but I keep it covered if I leave it on the boat for more than a few days. I bought this model in hopes of inflating it only when I need it and generally that holds true. I ended up going with the weaver davits with the quick disconnects and they are sweet. I use a merc 4 hp 2 stroke and it works fine. When solo, the boat will plane. Below are the pics of it mounted to my 270 DA and if fits nicely on the swim platform. I made a special bracket to attach to my stern rail and the oar mounting screw to avoid drilling more holes. There is a company called "defender" who usually has great deals on these dingys. My local dealer actually meet their price and merc offered a $75 rebate last year. :thumbsup: I did a lot of research and while older mercs had bad reviews, newer ones did not seem to have as bad of a wrap.

Good luck.
 

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Hey boatrboy,

Where do you store the 4 hp merc??

This will be my first year with the sea ray. I have an 8' WM infatable with a 3.5 hp johnson.

-Charlie
 
Charlie - I just lay the motor down on a blanket, wrap the prop with it, and slide the prop under the rear seat. The actual motor does not fit under the seat, but it wedges nicely there and the lower unit sits at an angle under the seat and out of the way. I don't usually have a lot of people on the boat when I use the dinghy. Most of the time its me and the wife. I transported it this way on a three hour trip to Block island with no problems. I tried to give you a pictorial below - hope it helps!
 

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For some thing different check out Hurley Marine Davits. We have a Merc 310 w/ 5 hp and it sits perfect on our 320's swim platform with no obstructed view. It might be worth the look.

Mike
 
Escapade said:
For some thing different check out Hurley Marine Davits. We have a Merc 310 w/ 5 hp and it sits perfect on our 320's swim platform with no obstructed view. It might be worth the look.

Mike
Click to expand...

Do you have any pics of your setup? I'm very curious as we have a 320 DA and a dingy is probably in our future.

-CJ
 
CJ-

Take a look at the Image Gallery on CSR l put one of the stern on it. l'll take a look at home for some addl shots of the Hurly set up. We used it more than I Thought once it was mounted. Several of my dock neihbors have comented that it looks like we have one of those expensive lifts on the back for it. If you do go through with it follow the threads and off set it to the starboard with the motor on.This will give you ample room to board from port. Todd at Hurley Davits can give you some technical assistance. If you do go through with it I can head over to storeage and take some measirements. There are some stingers under your platform you will need to clear. Our boat is Mercury 310 air deck at 10'2" .

Mike
 
i bought my dink last winter. went with a hypalon achilles 9'4" , roll-up aluminum floor, 3.5hp nissan 2 stroke. i was insistent upon hypalon b/c of it's greater ability to stand the test of time. having lived with it for one full season, i have to say that i regret the hypalon for ONE reason. weight. inch per inch, hypalon is probably 30 percent heavier than pvc. thus, lugging it up to the bow (where i store it when underway) is NOT a one man job - it's just way too heavy. the boat is fantastic. the tubes are considerable larger diameter than mercury and zodiac and she's a bit wider too. i suppose if i had davits, it'd be easy to manage. but since we back into our slip and pretty much everywhere else we cruise to, i'm not thrilled with clogging up the platform. also makes launching difficult once you are tied up in the slip.

SO, if i could do it all over again, i'd probably go for pvc.
 
Mike,

Thanks - we are waiting to hear back on the results of our winter inspections (risers, etc.) as we are now at the five year mark and want a good idea where we stand. I expect that will turn out ok and then we'll see if we get the dingy this year.

Plus a 50" plasma HDTV is crying our name...decisions, decisions... :smt017

Whenever we do get the dingy I will take you up on your offer for some measurements and advice.

-CJ
 
boatrboy said:
Charlie - I just lay the motor down on a blanket, wrap the prop with it, and slide the prop under the rear seat. The actual motor does not fit under the seat, but it wedges nicely there and the lower unit sits at an angle under the seat and out of the way. I don't usually have a lot of people on the boat when I use the dinghy. Most of the time its me and the wife. I transported it this way on a three hour trip to Block island with no problems. I tried to give you a pictorial below - hope it helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was wondering whether the motor would fit under the seat. What size/brand ob do you have? Mine is a 3.5hp johnson.

-Charlie
 
Charlie,

I have a late eighties Mercury 2 stroke motor. It is 4 hp. It is a single cylinder motor and can get me on plane when I am solo. I think it weighs about 50 lbs. Basically, the lower unit fits under the seat and the top cover does not. I sorta tuck the unit to the seat and the shifter handle wedges it tight so it really doesnt move while under way.

Rondds - My wife and guests still get to use the swim platform on both leaving and returning to the docks with little obstruction. My first pic shows the bar from the dink to by stern rail, and you just duck under that and you can walk on the swim platform to get to my port side finger at the dock. Its really not that bad. I did buy the size dink because I did want it to fit within the beam of my 270 and it fits nicely. With the weavers I get to my destination, loosen the bar and drop it into the water. While still connected I mount the motor which is easy. Then I unhook and enjoy. When I return, I re-hook, remove the motor and pull the dink vertical and secure.

Anyway, I thought I would share this as this set up is slick in IMHO!

Let me know if you have any questions
 
boatrboy
coupla questions...
- does that bar telescope? seems like running with the dink in that upright vertical position could created a significant amt of drag?
- how much of a "toe-stubber" is the platform mounted thingy when the dink is not onboard?

thanks!
ron
 
rondds - The bar is just a flat piece of st. steel I twisted to pick up the existing oar mounting screw on my dinghy so I did not have to drill or glue anything extra, so no, it does not telescope. Even the bars you buy from weaver do not telescope. I thought this would be a problem as you did, but the fact is, verified by fuel flow meter, no effect on fuel usage or undue strain on either the dink or my swim platform. I use a rubber spacer on the oar bolt-to-bar but it usually does not deflect much while underway. I guess there is not enough speed to cause a big problem. Now understand I cruise at 27-28 mph so I am no speed demon.

As far as toe stubbers, I have made my own quick disconnect kit but weaver sells one (see pic below) and you just pull the pin, and the entire bracket pulls off leaving about 1/4" plate with rounded edges on the swim platform. I store the rest of the bracket down below. It works well for me. I made mine because :smt017 ...I can
 

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YEAH BOATRBOY! stick it to the man! if you can make it yourself, who needs their stuff?! a philosophy i whole-heartedly subscribe to. :thumbsup:

i dont have a railing on my transom. it's flat on top with a teak plate all around. in my case, i suppose installation would require some sort of permanently mounted plate to attach the bar to? i wonder if a telescoping aluminum boat hook could be adapated and used in place of the SS bar?? :smt017

do you think the bar could be attached to the dink transom rather than the oarlock? or would that allow the bow of the dingy to be too cantilevered??

in any event, nice set up! i will give this careful consideration!
thanks again
ron
 
Rondds - take a look here and download the brochure for the weaver set up.

www.weaverindustries.com

I think that only one support on the transom will definitely flex way too much. Weaver has a nice arrangement where the dinghy end of the support rod folds back to the transom while not in use. Look at the "Stand-off brackets" in the catalogue. Keep in mind the stand offs are supposed to have glue on pads. My set up was my idea to avoid buying more stuff from weaver, but their stuff works great. They probably recommend using two standoffs.
My dock neighbor has a new 260 da and had the dealer install the weaver setup and he is very happy with his too. I posted a side view below also.

Mark
 

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Is anyone familiar with "BALTIK" INFLATABLE dynghies?

Thanks,
Alex.
 
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