inflatable question

[cnc33voodoo]

i have a fibreglass dinghy which has a 2 hp evinrude on it.
the wife wants to get an inflatable because of the stability and extra space to carry things to shore.
i have borrowed a zodiac (7 year old model)off my father last year for an excursion and hated the damn thing because it would slow my boat down significantly.the whole time i was sailing i wished i could just cut the line.
the only good thing about my dinghy is that its hard bottom makes it a breeze to tow,almost not noticing its there half the time.
what do most guys do with their inflatables-pull them,deflate and store them then pump them up when reaching their destination or is there a dinghy out there that has a design that makes it easier to tow?
ive seen alot of boats with contraptions on the back that hoist the boat right out of the water but (no offense if you have one) im not into that at all.
i think it makes the boat look cluttered.

[sailingdog]

I cheat... I stow the inflatable dinghy on the ama deck.. No drag, out of the way... easy to launch if needed... not an option on a monohull though.

[cmendoza]

Since my wife and I share your view of davits, "contraptions on the back..." and have an inflatable, I can tell you what we do.

We store our deflated dinghy onboard whenever we go offshore (>10 miles) or if we're doing an overnight run. If we're simply doing a multi-hour daytime run, we'll tow it behind us using a towing bridle (assuming weather is cooperating).

That said, you could always go for a RIB (rigid bottom), but we really felt the extra expense and extra storage space it took up when we did bring it aboard wasn't worth the benefits... obviously others will disagree!

BTW, for what it's worth, while some folks leave their motor on the dink while towing, we do not... we mount it on the aft rail any time we're underway.



One man's opinion,

Carlos & Maria
SV Rocinante

[Karletto]

during the trip we usually tie the inflatable boat with 2 ropes and pull it with its bow up in the air/ hanging on the ropes in order to make less drag from it's bottom;we usually dis install the overboard motor too

[sailingdog]

LEaving the outboard on the dink is asking to lose it or have it swamped.

[billyruffn]

An RIB is a good compromise -- hard bottom for planeing and towing, plus the stability and shrinkability that comes with an inflatable boat. We started with a hard dink and switched to an inflatable 5 years ago. I wouldn't go back.

We're fortunate enough to have space on deck for an Avon 2.8 RIB (see below). In service the 2.8 RIB is ~ 11 ft LOA and about 8' long deflated. On deck the safest place to store a dinghy, if you have the space. Inflating it is good exercise. We tow the dinghy only on short trips in protected waters with winds forecasted at 10 kts or less. Othrewise, it's on deck. Davits are an option, if most of your sailing is coastal; but I think they're problematic when on passage offshore.

[sailingdog]

I prefer my Porta-Bote over a RIB. Far more durable, and stows quite compactly.

[camaraderie]

Ditto on the RIB suggestion...best of both worlds.
Only wierdos get porta-botes...same with Trimarans!

[sailingdog]

And how do you describe guys selling their boats to buy an RV???

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Ditto on the RIB suggestion...best of both worlds.
Only wierdos get porta-botes...same with Trimarans!

[chuck5499]

i store my inflatable on the deck when underway for more than a few hours or if it is a multi day sail - while bouncing around long island sound i tow it and as you experienced it does cost me time - if i head to the elizabeth islands it will go on the fore deck and get tied down as i will want to make as much time as possible - i really put in on the deck when it is going to be a long day and i need to make as much speed as possible or if it is a multiday sail moving from one distance location to another - ie it was on the deck almost the entire time up the icw - when i stayed at an anchorage for a day so i launched it and it only take a few minutes to store or launch
as with the other if i tow it the motor is off and on the rail - and i agree the davits are not to my liking at all - by the way got one of those boats to go dingies and while it was cheap seems to be holding up ok so far -
chuck and svsoulmates
ki4sry
on the hook in stonington,ct