How much do you use your little boat/dingy?
- Thread starter kaelc
- Start date
Rain City
Crew Member
I use mine on trips a ton. We have rod holders on it and use it for exploring and jigging and crabbing. Nice to leave the mother-ship on anchor and get back to the waterline. I even bring it up to the Cokanagan for lake fishing and hunting adventures. Mine is 8' with a 2.5HP. I'd go with a bigger motor because mine isn't fast at all.
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
We have a 30 foot boat and if we are cruising away from docks we always have our inflatable. It gets used a lot because our dogs need trips to the beach. We have a 3 hp. Merc on it.
Might be my glasses …but the spelling is slightly different I believe
cracked_ribs
Well-Known Member
Personally I really like having a small boat to do little tasks. I haven't gotten around to putting the little 1.2 Tanaka on my dinghy yet but even rowing, I often prefer just taking the dinghy to close by spots. Maybe it's just me but for about 50% of the year I'd be happier with a 12' RIB than my double eagle. You don't worry about beating it up, you never think about fuel, launching and retrieving is a breeze...granted I've spent the last year building a smaller, simpler boat so obviously I have my preferences but I am a firm believer that the simpler the boat, the more fun it is to use (obviously until you need a bigger boat to handle weather).
If instead of the 8' dinghy I built, I built a weatherly 14 footer or something...I'd probably have it out at Thrasher or Porlier every weekend for most of the year. I know that's past dinghy size but it's a similar concept: if the small boat can be fished comfortably with however many people you'd usually fish with, then it becomes a fun way to do stuff instead of just a mooring ferry. That's my take, anyway.
If instead of the 8' dinghy I built, I built a weatherly 14 footer or something...I'd probably have it out at Thrasher or Porlier every weekend for most of the year. I know that's past dinghy size but it's a similar concept: if the small boat can be fished comfortably with however many people you'd usually fish with, then it becomes a fun way to do stuff instead of just a mooring ferry. That's my take, anyway.
Rain City
Crew Member
I should add that I do not have davits nor do I intend on ever leaving my dinghy on my swimgrid. I hate the look. I hate the obstruction of the view. I hate the added weight. I hate fishing obstruction. Mine is rolled up until we get to a location that I need it and then I inflate it on the deck and throw it out the back. I pull it through the door or tow it when I move. I'll usually even drop an anchor and ball to save my anchor spot if we take the mother ship for a cruise.
kaelc
Well-Known Member
I've heard this is major violation of the rules of the anchorage! I have never deflated, I haul up onto the roof which is a bit of a pain.
Thanks for the feedback, I think a 8 footer with a 6hp is the ticket for me. Inspired by guys like this.
Gham
Crew Member
I upgraded from a 9’6” with a 8hp to a Walker Bay Generation 360 11’. Committed to towing it now but it is so much more capable. It’s a Center console with 40hp yammy. Once I got the towing setup dialed in it’s easy. I use it a ton to go exploring and fishing with the kids. Just last night we went for a after dinner whale watching tour with my wife, 3 kids, and in laws in it and it still does 20 knots and feels safe and stable. I tow it behind by Bayliner 3288
Attachments
Rain City
Crew Member
How fast do you tow it at and at what distance? I typically cruise at close to 30 MPH and tried towing the 8 footer with the engine on and it was just too sketchy for me. I see the big cruisers towing 14 foot whalers but they tend to be going quite slow.
Gham
Crew Member
I cruise at 15 knots, usually for an hour or 2 to where we are going. I put the leg down just a little so the skeg is in the water about 6”. That helps it track straight. I’ve got a 40’ tow line but just bought at 150’ that I’m going to try various lengths to see what is best. With the motor fully out of the water it starts to track side to side pretty bad over 9-10 knots
Rain City
Crew Member
Oh wow that's a great point I've never considered. It is the side tracking that gets the nerves going.
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
We cruise at about 26 - 28 mph so there's no way I'm towing our inflatable. The tow bridle is attached to 2 glued on pads, remember. When we are getting to somewhere it's up on the davit. Running, I don't even notice it's there. Sure handy once we arrive at our destination.
An air floor 8' dingy is on our list of things to buy for the boat.
The pump thing seems to be confusing . I have been told foot pumps will take up to 30 minutes to inflate an 8 foot dingy and the electric pumps they have for sale seem to be rather cheap and flimsy.
I am sure there is a good pump out there, I would prefer to find it before I buy 10 unsatisfactory ones first.
To give back here is the high pressure pump I have had for 20 years . It has fixed motorcycle tires from Inuvik to Turkey
#1 Tire Inflator: Best CyclePump EXPEDITION for All Vehicles
The CyclePump EXPEDITION tire inflator is perfect for motorcycles, cars, bicycles, and more. Durable and reliable for any adventure.
bestrestproducts.com
Last edited:
Brando
Well-Known Member
Viair,arb,smittybuilt etc all have on board air systems that look nice and mounted in the right location should last a long time. If I was planning to use a dinghy often and not mount/tow that’s the route I would go. I have 2 pelican 8’ kayaks they’re ok but can’t carry much and can be tippy certainly not ideal.
Squire
Well-Known Member
I cruise at 26-28 mph as well which is why I had a roof rack custom made after confirming the weight capacity with Campion. I have an 8’ RIB so the hull has a tow eye built in but I still wouldn’t be comfortable towing at speed. I went with the RIB because it is a lot more stable stepping down into it off the swim platform for middle-aged folks with bad knees than at sea level with an inflatable floor. It weighs 78 lbs so it takes a bit of wiggling in stages to get it back up on the roof by myself but it’s manageable. I have the 6 hp Yammy 4 stroke because the 4 hp is the same motor and it isn’t too much for the dinghy. I also fabricated a small bracket for it off the main pod/bracket after the first season of stumbling over the motor on the floor. And I bought the retractable wheels for it after lugging it 300 yards across the beach at Savary Island. Now I just need to use it more.
Attachments
Rain City
Crew Member
I like the bracket idea.
Rain City
Crew Member
I can inflate my 8 foot in under 3 minutes with my foot pumpAn air floor 8' dingy is on our list of things to buy for the boat.
The pump thing seems to be confusing . I have been told foot pumps will take up to 30 minutes to inflate an 8 foot dingy and the electric pumps they have for sale seem to be rather cheap and flimsy.
I am sure there is a good pump out there, I would prefer to find it before I buy 10 unsatisfactory ones first.
To give back here is the high pressure pump I have had for 20 years . It has fixed tires from Inuvik to Turkey
#1 Tire Inflator: Best CyclePump EXPEDITION for All Vehicles
The CyclePump EXPEDITION tire inflator is perfect for motorcycles, cars, bicycles, and more. Durable and reliable for any adventure.
Damn Ugly
Well-Known Member
We picked this 10' inflatable up at Costco last year on sale and put a 9.9 Merc electric start on it. We added running lights, and custom built rod holders & downrigger mounts. It has a high capacity manual pump that takes <10 minutes to blow up, and we've towed it up & down the coast this year on our sailing trips. It tows straight & true at up to 20kmh when we are under power, and it planes well at up to 30kmh with 2 people on board. My son loves it.....named it "The Baconator". Pretty happy with it overall.
Attachments
Squire
Well-Known Member
I was my BIL’s idea and I had the base made out of 1/2” aluminum and fastened a couple of layers of 1/2” Starboard to sandwich the main bracket. It’s held on with three bolts and I can remove it if I want to. It’s handy to tie the dinghy alongside and transfer from the bracket to the dinghy from inside it. Most of the time I just row the dinghy to shore but on longer excursions I take the little outboard with.
Attachments
Similar threads
