Greetings, While I am probably in the minority I Am a strong advocate of a rigid dinghy. Most hard dinghys will probably not be able to plane, ie. be as fast, as a inflatable.I do believe they are more durable,will have a longer life, and are less expensive.
My wife, two kids and I sail Lake Superior.We anchor out a great deal,about three nights a week for almost six months out of the year.Our last boat was a very beamy Gulfstar with a wide transom. On that boat we used a extra wide 12'' aluminun boat as our dinghy and loved it.While it may not have looked extremely "yachty" it was stable and durable being pulled up on beaches and rocky shorelines.The boat we now have is longer, but not as beamy so we purchased a Pelican Scorpio which is 10''+ long and just over 5'' wide.I like this for a dinghy,but before we go cruising in the near future I will have a custom aluminum dinghy made as I believe that is more durable then the Pelican Scorpio.I now many local sailors who use inflatables and like them,but in some cases I now they receive very little use, but need patching yearly...Good luck,Dave