West Marine 8.5' Roll-up dinghy and 2.5hp yami

[32adios]

Thinking about buying one.......does anyone have any experience with this set-up........all comments appreciated....

[CapnK]

Not sure if it is the same dink or not, but I had a/the small WM which had slats in the floor and it was OK but would not plane or go very fast even with a 6hp on it. Plenty stable, though, and scooted around at say 3-4mph.

[Frank]

Do you have a picture?
I just got a new WM slag floor this year. The slats are way wider than previous roll ups I had. Not sure if it's the same.
Is the Yamaha 2.5 a 4 stroke?
I have one and love it!! Way better than my ole Honda 2 !!

[32adios]

Yes the 2.5 yami is a four stroke......here's the dink

[32adios]

Frank what's your opinion on the dink?

[CapnK]

Yeah, Frank - those look like they are 2 1/2 times wider than the one I had. That would be a huge improvement.

[Frank]

OK...
That IS the dingy I have.
No center "keel" tube so an SOB in a side wind.
Fairly narrow compared to my last (never again-Zodiac)
Not as stable
Very light....bonus!
Will plane out easily with a 5hp

The 2.5hp Yamaha is a great lil engine!

Pic is with 5hp 2 stroke on down here.

[32adios]

Thanks....

[CapnK]

West has them on sale this coming weekend (May 18-21 '17) for $300 off (or "only" $599...).

So, to clarify - Frank you ran yours with a 5hp and it planes, but it does OK (tho' non-planing) with only a 2.5hp?

[Frank]

Yep....alone and a clean bottom it is actually fast with a 5hp

I'm more used to puttin around with a 2 or 2.5 so it seems sports car like 😄

[CapnK]

Do those have a good rep for holding up to sunlight & exposure down south? I always forget which is the preferable fabric material...  ;D

[SeaHusky]

Fairly narrow compared to my last (never again-Zodiac)

What was (is?) wrong with the Zodiac? I thought they would be better quality than the "walmart" dingies?

[CharlieJ]

Hypalon holds up better than PVC. An Achilles dinghy I bought in 1979 is still going strong :). Sold it to a friend. Has had a few patches (oyster
Cuts) otherwise fine

[Frank]

Capt K....for that price, figure a 5yr dingy.
CJ is right, but they are extremely expensive now.

Myself and many others have had issues with new Zodiaks
They took production to India by memory....
Quality on the seam welds was awful!!
I loved my last Zodiak. Great design, stable etc....but the seams all started popping!! Many others experienced it as well.

[SeaHusky]

Like everything these days. Competition is supposed to give us the best quality for the lowest price. Instead we get the lowest quality that we at all can accept. Paying more for a better product often isn't an option as they have been forced out of the market.

[CapnK]

I've got one of those old ancient Achilles, the ones shaped like a rectilinear 0. Has an insertable plywood bottom, and still holds air (pretty much - a bit saggy after several days, sometimes). But I do not have, and haven't been able to find, the motor mount which fits onto it.

BTW - I still have my BiL's Walker Bay 10 "RIB" (with inflatable collar), only used for 2 hours under power, comes with sail kit (still in box), 6hp 4stk long shaft Merc with, you guessed it - 2 hours on it - and a trailer. He was a doc, making enough money that the $5.5+K he spent was an impulse buy for him at the time.
He brought it home, ran it an hour that day, and another hour that weekend, and it sat ever since, probably 8 years or maybe more.
He is tall and gangly and tends to fall and trip over things easily, so it was too small for his clumsy butt. :) When he moved to W Va, he asked me to sell it. I'd like to get him $0.50 on his dollar, say $2500, but will take any reasonable offer at this point.
There is no title for motor or hull - he never sent it off, and lost it in the meanwhile. Can give you a Notarized Bill of Sale, though. :) And the collar, though it still holds air, looks moldy. There's hardly a scratch on the hull, though, and the motor still has paint on the prop. :)
I need to get some pics and throw it on CL in NC and Fl, where Titling isn't an issue like it is here in SC...

[CapnK]

I could see Frank doing this. Get to Happy Hour a lot quicker, and back to the boat more reliably...  ;D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxuowsHcYks

[Bob J (ex-misfits)]

Just when I thought I'd seen everything...
That's pretty funny, but you got a back up motor.

[Frank]

Now that is an awesome idea!!

Wonder if triples would fit??!

😳😳😄