On our boat Ge'Mara, the dinghy has always been something of a conundrum. Our first dinghy, the one that came with the boat when we purchased her, was a rigid Walker Bay model. We liked it because it was sturdy and bullet-proof. We could ride it up onto a rocky shoreline with zero worry. Yet it weighed a ton when being hoisted out of the water to stow on the deck. We found out later that over the years there had been water ingress into the supposedly sealed area that soaked into the foam or whatever is in there. We replaced that dingy with a more modern inflatable model. This one was lighter yet seemed more stable. On the other hand we always worried about riding it up onto a rocky shoreline. The barnacles alone look like they could tear a hole in a dinghy quite easily, let alone the sharp edges of the rocks themselves. Also, it is so light that it doesn't ride well being towed behind the boat in rough seas. Alas, in big winds this week the fixture it was tied to ripped right off and it quietly drifted away from us.
So we're in the market for a new dinghy and we were thinking of a rigid model again but it looks like Walker Bay no longer makes them. I'm sure there's some company that does but it makes me wonder whether rigid has been proven less practical. What in your experience is the best all-round dinghy for a 34ft sailboat? Are the inflatables susceptible to tearing on the rocks or is that a red herring? Thanks in advance for the benefit of your experience.
So we're in the market for a new dinghy and we were thinking of a rigid model again but it looks like Walker Bay no longer makes them. I'm sure there's some company that does but it makes me wonder whether rigid has been proven less practical. What in your experience is the best all-round dinghy for a 34ft sailboat? Are the inflatables susceptible to tearing on the rocks or is that a red herring? Thanks in advance for the benefit of your experience.