Dinghy for a 340
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Chris:
Asking about dingy is almost as bad as asking about anchors! <g>
Do you want to tow or stow?
Just be sure you go with a hypalon unit. I would also stay away from WM units but that is also another opinon.
A 8-9' unit is about right with a 5HP inflatable keel model. I would stay away from a Mercury motor. My preference would be a Tohatsu or Nissan (same motor). If you are going to stow, you probably want an inflatable floor. The floor boards are a SOB to install on deck. If you are towing that makes a difference and you can go with either way.
If you decide you want to go with a larger engine you can also consider a RIB. It is great for exploring and getting you and the crew to places a LOT quicker.
Asking about dingy is almost as bad as asking about anchors! <g>
Do you want to tow or stow?
Just be sure you go with a hypalon unit. I would also stay away from WM units but that is also another opinon.
A 8-9' unit is about right with a 5HP inflatable keel model. I would stay away from a Mercury motor. My preference would be a Tohatsu or Nissan (same motor). If you are going to stow, you probably want an inflatable floor. The floor boards are a SOB to install on deck. If you are towing that makes a difference and you can go with either way.
If you decide you want to go with a larger engine you can also consider a RIB. It is great for exploring and getting you and the crew to places a LOT quicker.
On our 1990 H-33.5, we have a 9' 6" Achilles LEX-96 Hypalon Inflatable and are very satisfied with it. It will carry 4 plus lunch, or 2 and trip gear. We have a Honda 2 HP outboard on it. It will easily handle a 5 HP and get more speed, but with a little more weight. I'm satisfied with the lighter weight weight 2 HP.
5HP
I would go with 5 hp with a 9.6'' for sure,I have a 9'6'' with aluminum floor and 8 HP and very happy with the power,had 4HP and sold it and got the 8 HP but I think you may be happy with the 5HP.
Nick
I would go with 5 hp with a 9.6'' for sure,I have a 9'6'' with aluminum floor and 8 HP and very happy with the power,had 4HP and sold it and got the 8 HP but I think you may be happy with the 5HP.
Nick
Do you even need a motor? I have an 8' sailing/rowing pram that serves us very well. Tows easy, rows well, and has lasted 10+ years with only minimal maintenance. It is fun to sail also.
How many persons do you need to move at one time? I can get 3 adults
How far do you have to go on a typical trip? We can go over a mile in 15 minutes rowing.
How many persons do you need to move at one time? I can get 3 adults
How far do you have to go on a typical trip? We can go over a mile in 15 minutes rowing.
Well we are the Tennessee river so we do alot of anchoring out this time of year, lots of heat and no wind. When we are anchored out i would like the dinghy to run back to dock, I really dont want to row in 100F weather. I am thinking now a 8 to 9 ft dinghy with a 5hp motor will work best. I want a little speed so it doesn't take an hour to get back to dock.
Chris, To answer your question, I've never measured it but I guess it goes about 4 Kts. It is certainly adequate to get us from the dinghy dock out to our mooring which is about 1/3 NM. The weight (about 30 Lbs.) was an important issue to allow lifting it up to mount it on the pushpit rail on the stern.
We have a 1995 H336, which is basically the same boat. We bought a Mercury hypalon 270 Airdeck. We think it's the perfect size. The 270 is very comfortable for two people, but can carry four in a pinch. The length just fits on the foredeck - with the boat laying upside down forward of the mast, I can still open the anchor locker if I first lift the nose of the boat a foot or so. The 270 is just managable weight-wise - any heavier and it would take a second person to lift it up to what has become our favorite stowage location, which is sitting on the swim platform. I'll attach a picture. Also, if the boat were any longer, it wouldn't fit on the swim platform. The only downside is that we had hoped that, being an airdeck, we could deflate it, roll it up, and stow it in one of the cockpit lockers. Unfortunately, it's too big.
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Yes, we tie it in place. Let me see if I can explain it so it makes sense. I have a dinghy tow bridle I've made from a length of half inch line, with floats and stainless steel snap shackles. When we want to rig the dink off the swim platform, I orient it sideways to the stern of the boat, which means there is now an outboard side (away from the boat) and an inboard side (against the swim platform). I leave the outboard bridle line clipped to the D ring on the dink, and move the inboard bridle line from the inboard D ring to the aft outboard grab handle on the dinghy. My bridle is now attached to the two outboard corners of the dinghy. I then lift the inboard edge of the dink up onto the swim platform (make sure your propane valve is open first, hard to get to later!) and then haul in on the bridle to rotate the dink to the desired angle. A couple of turns around the stern pulpit, and then I take the free end down to one of the lower rungs of the swim ladder and tie off the bottom of the dink by taking a few turns around the ladder rung and the grab line on the dinghy. It's worked fine for coastal and protected water cruising, and all you have to do to launch the dink is release the line and lower the boat back down. The only problem we've had is that if we haul the dink up like you see in the picture, it blocks the sternlight. If we're sailing at night, I either tow the dink or try and lower it more so it sits at a flatter angle relative to the boat.
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