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- Thread starter pumpkinpie
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It will slow you down a lot.
My little 8' rib weighing in at ~80 lbs will drop our speed about ½ knot in most conditions.
If the boat gets water in it or swamps the weight will increase and slow you down even more. Will the dinghy float when swamped?
My little 8' rib weighing in at ~80 lbs will drop our speed about ½ knot in most conditions.
If the boat gets water in it or swamps the weight will increase and slow you down even more. Will the dinghy float when swamped?
I pulled my Rib a short distance this summer, it took over a knot off my speed and doubled my fuel consumption. 175lbs RIB+ 105 motor...gas etc close to 300lbs. I’ll keep it on Davits
The wake was much bigger than what my 36 gave off
The wake was much bigger than what my 36 gave off
In addition to the drag, I'd also be concerned about the risk of it flipping or becoming generally unruly in a storm.
Think about how you will use the dinghy and how important it is to go fast vs the weight, cost, and managing the dinghy.
A 9 to 10' dingy with a high pressure floor or a RIB with a 9.9 HP motor will probably meet your needs. Maybe even a smaller dinghy.
If you are going to travel to remote places where a long dinghy ride will be part of the routine, then a larger faster dinghy will be handy, otherwise, a smaller, lighter, more easily handled, and less expensive dinghy might be a better choice.
A 9 to 10' dingy with a high pressure floor or a RIB with a 9.9 HP motor will probably meet your needs. Maybe even a smaller dinghy.
If you are going to travel to remote places where a long dinghy ride will be part of the routine, then a larger faster dinghy will be handy, otherwise, a smaller, lighter, more easily handled, and less expensive dinghy might be a better choice.
I’m thinking of trying to mount my Ranger 12 on the davits - then it would be row or sail to shore.
Les
Les
A 10 foot dinghy inflatable should fit on the bow of your 38 foot boat. I can put mine on the bow of my 35 ft boat. There is still room to move to the bow along the sides and it does not interfere with my windlass.
I agree with the Davits objection. They are often in the way. I have taken mine off for a couple of seasons to see if I can get along without them.
I agree with the Davits objection. They are often in the way. I have taken mine off for a couple of seasons to see if I can get along without them.
What model 9-10’ RIB supports a 25hp motor?? Lucky to find 15. My 310 will plane 3 people with 15hp 4 stroke
You can’t have it all. If you want the dinghy for travel, get something small that can be hoisted to the foredeck, and either get a light motor (eg Suzuki/Honda 2.5 ) or 9.9 with motor lift hoist fir your taffrail.
Pumpkinpie, I’ll be on the boat Sunday. I’ll shoot a picture for you. I just got a 6hp Yamaha. Have not even been able to put it on the dinghy yet. Working on a place to store the outboard on the stern pulpit, and a way to lift the motor (65 lbs) out of the water and not drop it. Lifting the dingy by the spinnaker halyard has worked so far.
That's a huge motor for a 9' RIB. As someone commented, I don't even know that you could find a 9' RIB rated for 25hp.
I've been using a 15hp two-stroke on a 9' RIB for many years, an it's more than enough power. Planes with two on board. The beauty of the old two-strokes is that they are substantially lighter than a four-stroke, like 73lb. versus 110lb. , or about 2/3's the weight of the four-stroke. Unfortunately, they are no longer available new.
You can see I'm advising lighter weight, always, and less than 25hp.
Imho you are thinking too big. Look for a single-floor 10’ RIB that weighs under 100# and a motor that weighs under 60. You can carry the dinghy inverted on the foredeck and use a Forespar MotorMate or equivalent to lift the motor to your rail.
I think that's pretty close to impossible, except perhaps for a cheaper, PVC RIB. My AB 9VL weighs 106.
Also tough, unless you limit yourself to 6HP (Merc 4-stroke 6HP at 59 lb.).
This is ours.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west...hypalon-inflatable-boat--14982094?recordNum=5
But now inflatable floors and electric motors.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/torq...board-motor-short-shaft--19533082?recordNum=1
Also 1 lb Propane cylinder powered outboards too.
We stow like this.
Jim...
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west...hypalon-inflatable-boat--14982094?recordNum=5
But now inflatable floors and electric motors.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/torq...board-motor-short-shaft--19533082?recordNum=1
Also 1 lb Propane cylinder powered outboards too.
We stow like this.
Jim...
We carry the Zodiac on the foredeck for offshore crossings but use the davits for interisland sailing.
Several things to consider before you blow off davits. A couple of hundred pounds on the foredeck can radically change your boat's sailing characteristics on each tack, but on the davits, it will be a bit less. We never leave our Zodiac in the water when not in use as I hate cleaning the bottom. It's a lot easier to pull your dink up on davits every night than put it on the foredeck. Leaving it in the water just invites theft.
A center console on an inflatable takes away most of the room in the dink and adds weight, and really serves no worthwhile function. Steering with the motor's tiller is easy.
Davits are a very convenient way to carry a dink and the inconvenience of having them is very much outweighed by their simplicity. Plus well-designed davits can hold the boat and motor, saving all the hassle of taking the motor on and off each time you want to bring the dink up.
As for a motor, we have an 11.6 ft Zodiac inflatable with aluminum floorboards (not a RIB) with a 15hp, 4 stroke engine. It will do 35 knots with one person and easily plane with three adults and their gear. It also sips fuel compared to a two-stroke and now that I have used a 4 stroke, the idea of going back to a noisy motor which requires mixing oil in the gas is just not a go. An overpowered dink is very dangerous so do not ignore the manufacturer's rating.
IMO towing a dink is just an invitation to losing it. If it gets full of water (rain or spray) or flips it will be so heavy that only a very oversized painter will stand up to the strain. Retrieving your dink after the painter breaks can be extremely difficult and dangerous, and finding it if you don't immediately notice its departure can be lots of good fun, not!
Several things to consider before you blow off davits. A couple of hundred pounds on the foredeck can radically change your boat's sailing characteristics on each tack, but on the davits, it will be a bit less. We never leave our Zodiac in the water when not in use as I hate cleaning the bottom. It's a lot easier to pull your dink up on davits every night than put it on the foredeck. Leaving it in the water just invites theft.
A center console on an inflatable takes away most of the room in the dink and adds weight, and really serves no worthwhile function. Steering with the motor's tiller is easy.
Davits are a very convenient way to carry a dink and the inconvenience of having them is very much outweighed by their simplicity. Plus well-designed davits can hold the boat and motor, saving all the hassle of taking the motor on and off each time you want to bring the dink up.
As for a motor, we have an 11.6 ft Zodiac inflatable with aluminum floorboards (not a RIB) with a 15hp, 4 stroke engine. It will do 35 knots with one person and easily plane with three adults and their gear. It also sips fuel compared to a two-stroke and now that I have used a 4 stroke, the idea of going back to a noisy motor which requires mixing oil in the gas is just not a go. An overpowered dink is very dangerous so do not ignore the manufacturer's rating.
IMO towing a dink is just an invitation to losing it. If it gets full of water (rain or spray) or flips it will be so heavy that only a very oversized painter will stand up to the strain. Retrieving your dink after the painter breaks can be extremely difficult and dangerous, and finding it if you don't immediately notice its departure can be lots of good fun, not!
You might want to rethink the 25 hp motor. That is a speed boat and very heavy motor to lift.
If you must tow it, then that is always a problem when docking. Especially for me, since I back into our berth.
Here is a light weight and dual hull for better high seas towing. It takes a 5 hp motor.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--watertender-9-4-dinghy--11985504?recordNum=1
Jim...
Disagree about the PVC comment, and yours isn't that light, but IMHO 106 is close enough. We're going to use a halyard anyway. I have the Achilles 300FX 10'6" 91 pounds. AB also makes a lighter one.
http://www.abinflatables.com/boats/lammina-10-ul/
https://www.defender.com/product.js...018&path=-1|215570|1794282|1794288&id=6034657
Agreed. I have no issue with 6 HP. I retired my Nissan 9.8 2-stroke (58 pounds) in favor of a 30# Suzuki 2.5. I rarely need to use the dinghy for long distances, so no need to plane.
Edit: Also, I have a heavier 225# 12' AB dinghy model (plus 2O HP Yamaha #110) but that one doesn't travel with me except on a trailer. My travel dinghy and motor was chosen specifically for light weight.
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I think these might be an idea and you could use a kayak rack to stow it along the lifelines.
https://www.porta-bote.com/new-14-4-28m-porta-bote/
https://www.porta-bote.com/new-14-4-28m-porta-bote/