Suggest you consider an 8 ft. inflatable.
I purchased a 8' Achilles air floor a few years back. It's lightweight and can easily be hauled aboard by a single person. Also, at 56 lbs. it doesn't put too much stress on the
dinghy davits I added to the stern of my Hunter 30.
Looking back on my purchase decision, I think I should have opted for some type of roll-up floor. I would like my
dinghy too feel a bit more rigid. The 9 ft. Seaworthy (Boat US) I had on my previous boat felt a lot more stable when entering and exiting than the air floor does.
On the plus side, my Achilles can be deflated and bagged pretty quickly when I'm going to leave the boat for an extended period of time. It's a good size for 2 people and my 2 hp. Johnson pushes us around the anchorage quite nicely.
One thing that I learned during my previous investigation was to look for a
dinghy made of Hypalon material if you intend to cruise in tropical waters. They seem to hold up better to UV rays. Also, unless things have changed, steer clear of Zodiac products.
I guess it all comes down to weight and ease of storage. For me, the Achilles was the right decision.
Linear Mode
