sailFar.net

     I use a 3 1/2 hp 2 stroke (29lbs) and if I'm alone it will plane.Surprizes me as I'm 220 lbs. Would a 6hp plane with 2 aboard?    pic is the big wake ;D

Frank—

What HP is the dinghy rated for???  What kind of dinghy is it??

Its a 9 1/2 ft 'Brig'    Too far from dingy to check...but I think a 10hp rating (too heavy)

Be aware that many boats have a top rating for both HP and outboard weight, and that many can't handle four-stroke engines of the maximum HP rating, as they're too heavy.

What I was wondering is does anyone have a similar size with a 6hp...if so, does it plane with 2 aboard?

I was able to get my Walker Bay 8 on plane and running at ~13mph using a 5hp long shaft (2 stroke, Merc).

Of course, I was leaning literally out over the prow, and steering with my foot. ;D It worked, but it made the back seat and transom deform a bit when running. That inflatable would plane a lot easier.

But with 2 aboard? Your guess is as good as (or better) than mine.

 Thanks Capt K. I got my answer today as Gerry and I played on his.Its a similar design and after playing with seating position we got it to plane with the 2 of us aboard using his 5HP Nissan. Not fast..but planing. SOOoooo  now I'm assuming a 6hp with Judy and I would as she's lighter and one more 'horse power' Just thinking it would be nice to 'scoot' around a bit more.

Had a 10 or 12 ft aluminum boat that would plane with a 5 hp Sears.  Myself and two small sons at the time. 

Now thats not the same, however I would say that a mod. 6hp probably has a couple more hp. than a 1976 or so 5hp.  If your boat has a hard bottom that would be a plus on your side.

The only way to really tell is to find some one with a 6 and ask if you can try it.

really late into this one. Been away, plus my big computer is crashed- bad power supply.

I have an Achilles 12 foot sport dinghy- it will plane quite nicely with two people aboard with a 6 hp (2 stroke). It would NOT plane with the same two people and a large load of groceries. It's rated for a 25, but we tried it once with a 15 and scared the bejeezus out of ourselves ;D

We also have a 7'6" Achilles. It will plane Laura with a 2.2 hp 2 stroke. It won't plane the two of us. I suspect a 4 hp WOULD plane us both.

But it goes quite nicely with the two of us and the 2.2- around 5.5 mph on the GPS, so it's sufficient. Planing would be nice, but I'm not willing to carry a a heavier engine, just for that.

Charlie—

I think you have the same Achilles as I do.  It does plane with two people using the 3.5 HP Tohatsu, but we have to the weight distributed properly.

Argh! this is the one thing I've been avoiding even thinking about.

I have an 8' walker, and the inflatable collar and the sailing rig (someday I should write up the event that convinced me to get that darn collar...) What I don't have is good oars or an outboard. I can live with the crappy oars at the moment, because I'm not living aboard, but I may be off for some extended cruising this summer (possibly a few months.)

What I don't know is how much motor I'd need/want, if I were ever convinced that A) the hassle of bringing yet another fuel aboard was worth it and B) I could find a place to store the motor and the fuel aboard the sailboat. I weigh about #175, but the dinghy is *much* heavier with the ring than it is without.

Since we are doing a lot more long passages I've downsized my dinghy and motor to an 8 foot inflatable with a 5HP but for day to day use have been looking at downsizing again and have come across a couple of designs by Wooden Widget...One that folds called the Origami and their new hard dink which uses the Mirage Hobie drive which is very very interesting... http://boatbits.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-next-dinghy.html

Amgine:

It sounds like you and I are the last of the hard-dinghy crowd. I've got an old Walker Bay 8 without the collar, and I use a pair of wooden oars that are short enough to stow easily in the dinghy or down below in my Cape Dory 25D.

I've resisted getting a dinghy motor for the same reasons that you have. Two seasons ago I made a fairly long coastal passage and decided not to tow the Walker Bay. By mistake, I bought the West Marine Mini-dinghy, a ridiculously tiny PVC water toy with a sun-resistant nylon shell. The darn thing doesn't tow at all, but does partially deflate and stow on the side deck.

It was a compromise that didn't work. (I don't think WM even offers that thing anymore.)

I personally want a dinghy that doesn't need a motor. Perhaps an inflatable kayak would be the answer.

--Joe

Oldrig—

I've got two dinghies... one is a small Achilles rollup inflatable.  The other is a Porta-bote, which is sort of a hard dinghy. :)

Rowing dinghies are well and good, and in MOST of the anchorages I have been in on the east  and gulf coasts, would serve you well.

But in several anchorages in the keys and Dry Tortugas, having only a rowing dinghy would have blocked you from much exploring. In lots of anchorages in the keys ( and I understand in the Bahamas also) the distances to be rowed are significant, and currents can play havoc with rowing.

So as a cruiser, traveling on the boat, a dinghy with at least a small outboard would be highly recommended.

Two examples-

Anchoring inshore in the bay system and using the dinghy to go visit John Pennekamp Park museum on the gulf side- it's about a 3 mile run. If you HAVE to row, you most likely aren't gonna go.

Anchored in the Dry Tortugas, in the anchorage area- you wish to go visit the lighthouse, off which they discourage anchoring- THAT'S a five mile run ( or so) each way. If you are rowing, you pretty sure aren't gonna make the trip, so you'd miss that entire key and tour.

So don't sell outboards short.

We have the same roll up inflatable that  Adrift has- because it's the largest one we can stow aboard- 7'6", with a 2.2 Merc which will push the inflatable at 6 MPH with us both aboard. It'll plane with just Laura.. The Merc stows in a cockpit locker. The inflatable, minus floors, stows on the cabin top just abaft the mast. I WILL NOT tow a dinghy offshore on a prolonged ( multi-day) passage unless I absolutely am forced to do so..

Charlie:

I totally agree with you about towing a dinghy. Even the little Walker Bay can become a dangerous object under the wrong conditions, and the drag really slows down my already slow boat.

And rowing it can certainly get tiring, especially if it's loaded with supplies or even my not-very-heavy wife.

Outboards concern me because of the cost, the smell and the necessity of carrying fuel onboard. But, were I to start some serious voyaging, I'd probably have to go that route. The Torqueedo electric outboard seems like a wonderful product--but the cost is well beyond my means. And those little electric trolling motors seem like they're more bother than they're worth.

Dan:

I guess a roll-up inflatable would make sense. But the cost scares me as much as the possibility of getting an outboard.

--Joe

For us we have discovered that anything more than a couple of hours sail the dinghy comes up on the foredeck! Down here in the Caribbean on the various Nets you are always hearing about how you should be on the lookout for dinghies and outboards lost on passage.

I have towed my 8 foot portland Pudgy for over 5000 miles and still have it. I would rather risk losing the dinghy than have it on the bow and have to cut it off in a bad blow.

You should see what people tow their dinghy with. 3/8 it too small. I have the heavyest WM toy tow rope that they have.

Carolina Skiff 12 footer is quite common around here.

The Portabote rows fairly well given its size, far better than the inflatable dinghy.  The problem with inflatable kayaks is load capacity.  Most are designed for just a single person.  Even the two person ones don't have much weight carrying capacity.  There are some folding kayaks that are a bit better in terms of cargo capacity, but are fairly pricey.

Lynx:

The Portland Pudgy is a bit different. It's unsinkable, and from what I remember from the Maine Boat Builder's Show, it's probably not going to do too much harm if you tow it correctly. I'd definitely consider towing that baby.

--Joe

The problem isn't that the dinghy can sink, but if it fills with water, it becomes a drogue and is more than likely to snap the painter or towing bridle in heavier conditions.

I have a 8 foot walker bay soft dingy with a 6hp and it plains with 2 persons on board. it takes a min to get up but it can.

My current problem with the walker is the last three times I've towed it, it filled with water and became a danger. I'm kind of at my wits end trying to figure out why it fills; two of those trips it wasn't particularly windy or much wave. (I'm even to the paranoid state of wondering if somehow the drain check valve was installed reversed. Is that even possible?)

What I'd really like is a tiny 5' sub-micro hard dinghy that could fit on the cabin top... or a garage space where I could build a tiny 5' sub-micro hard dinghy.

Quote from: Amgine on April 09, 2009, 02:16:53 PM

I'm kind of at my wits end trying to figure out why it fills; two of those trips it wasn't particularly windy or much wave. (I'm even to the paranoid state of wondering if somehow the drain check valve was installed reversed. Is that even possible?)

Dumb question of the Day: Centerboard Trunk?

Ahoy:
  I recently acquired an old 8' Achilles inflatable and finally got it to hold air.  This is my first experience with inflatables and I've a couple questions.  1) is it normal for the dinghy to expand in the sun?  2) the floor in this one is just a sheet of rubber, would it be wise/workable to make a 3-4 piece wood floor?

Thanks in advance for your expertise
BobL
???

Yes- in fact sometimes on a really hot day you might have to bleed some air out, then re-inflate in the evening

Making a several part wood floor would not be a bad idea at all. I would carefully round the edges where they bear on the side tubes, and probably use some tape there.The biggest problem will be keeping the various parts from moving around. Our 12 foot Achilles has aluminum channels that the parts slip into. Our 7'6" Achilles has the floor pieces held together with Hypalon strips glued to the edge of each, like a hinge.

Thanks Charlie J, just what I needed to know!
   I enjoy all you posts both here and over at TSBB.  You experience(s) are very helpful to us all.  Keep up the good work.

BobL

Couple things here;

  I made the floor for the Avon out of plywood, covered with resin. Keep in mind, this floor is going to stay wet pretty much all the time.  You may not want a single part floor, since it is hard to stow, but keep the number of peices low to reduce flex.

Every time you get in and out you will drag some sand / dirt into the boat.  You are also going to need to bail it.

  I made a circular cut-out (oval really) near the stern.  It was about 9 x 12, and it allowed me to bail the water, and collect the sand.

  The other problem with a flat floor, on an inflatable dingy is that there is no directional stability.  Rowing an inflatable is less then thrilling, but even motoring without any keel results in sometimes goofy handling.

  I bought a pool noodle, and put a peice of 1/2" PVC down the middle of it.  I ran a line through the middle and secured it to a small hole drilled in the floor fwd and aft.

  This gave a very slight 'keel' the length of the boat.  It helped rowing quite a bit, and made it easier to motor as well.  Not quite like an inflatable keel, but it helped.  THe boat towed better too.



 

I agree with Charlie about towing a dinghy!  we towed our 14' nester dinghy with no trouble on the ICW going North and South except crossing the sounds, nearly lost it twice. Finally hauled it up full length in the davits each time we crossed a sound on our way home.
It will plane and do 1`3knots with one aboard and sitting on the front seat. folded or nested it it 7'6" long.