Dinghy for Catalina 27

[Laurent Hendrichs]

I have a Catalina 27 that I use for day sailing as well as short offshore cruises. For the offshore use, I find it wise to have a dinghy or life raft. Here are the different options I considered and why they don't fit for my boat. Does anyone have a better idea???a) An inflatable dinghy: sounds good at first because of its inherent buoyancy. However, it is not very practical to tow (or, is it?), especially offshore in windy conditions. The fact that I installed an outboard on the transom doesn't make things easier. b) An small inflatable dinghy, stored on deck while cruising: Even the smallest dinghies will cover most of the foredeck, rendering access to the forestay difficult and dangerous. c) A fiberglass dinghy: would certainly be easier to tow astern. I am not so sure about offshore conditions: what if a wave fills the dinghy. It's not inherently buoyant. It's also much less stable than an inflatable.d) A life raft: at this point, the safest and only practical solution I see. Of course, and as usual, it's the most expensive.Anybody has a better idea???

 

[Roger Fleming]

You make - plywood dinghy

I made a stitch & glue plywood dinghy. The d-4. Go to www.bateau.com for plans and info. It tows fine and fits up front on my 27 if I want to carry it. Fun to make too.

 

[Scott may]

I use an inflatable

I use a inflatable that's 6'8" long w/ a 2.5 outboard. I find mine easy store and inflate on deck. It can only handle two people at a time, but any bigger would have been too big for the boat.I tow mine and I have a transom mounted outboard. One note tho, use yellow poly cordage to tow with because it floats and won't foul your prop, or get wrapped around your keel.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners]

Porta Bote

These are nifty little boats that fold up small enough to strap to the lifelines without much of a hindrance. I've heard they're on the spendy side and probably don't plane very well but I don't really know much about them. Their website is www.portabote.com. It kinda sucks but has good info & photos.

 

[Steve Dion]

inflatable is the only thing that is close...

An inflatable is the only option that is going to be close to a life raft. Once you get off shore a hard dingy is only going to be better than being in the water. I do not think that any hard dingy is going to be something that you can depend on in any type of breaking sea or large swells. Obviously you know that the liferaft is going to be your best option. They can also be purchased as a used item for a good savings on the price.

 

[Peter Hine]

Dinghy or Liferaft - which?

Whether you want a dinghy or a liferaft is a major decision. A liferaft gives you the ability to step off your boat, in virtually any conditions, onto another boat ("raft") at any time. This is at the expense of ongoing "ship to shore" boat usage. A dinghy, on the other hand, is usable in planned circumstances, for normal transit from mothership to shore. Most Cat 27 owners are more desirous of a dinghy than a liferaft. For this, an inflatable is most easily adaptable. I have a C27 OB model, and I store a West Marine High Pressure Inflatable Floor dink in the area under the cockpit sole. A 4HP, 35 lb OB acts as the pusher for the dink (which then planes easily with one aboard), as well as acts as an "auxiliary to the auxiliary", pushing the C27 at 4.5 knots (compared to a hull speed of 6.2) if the main 9.9 OB fails I find this como is he best of all worlds! Only addition to make it perfect would be a CO2 caniser to inflate the dink in an emergency, gving somewhat of a "liferaft" function. BUT DON'T CONFUSE LIFERAFTS WITH DINKS!!!