Dinghy size for a 34' boat
- Thread starter SeacoastRick
- Start date
Start with why do you need the dinghy? Where are you going that requires a dinghy?
We have a small ~8' Achilles RIB with a 4 HP motor, for our needs it is mostly fine. We seldom (never?) dinghy more than a mile, mostly it is a few hundred yards. And even less frequently is there a third passenger.
On the other hand, in the Bahamas and Caribbean where a trip of several miles might be necessary, a larger dinghy with a bigger motor would be handy.
How many people will typically be transported? More people bigger dinghy.
The dinghy will limit the motor size, so pick the dinghy size and style that works best and then pick the motor.
We have a small ~8' Achilles RIB with a 4 HP motor, for our needs it is mostly fine. We seldom (never?) dinghy more than a mile, mostly it is a few hundred yards. And even less frequently is there a third passenger.
On the other hand, in the Bahamas and Caribbean where a trip of several miles might be necessary, a larger dinghy with a bigger motor would be handy.
How many people will typically be transported? More people bigger dinghy.
The dinghy will limit the motor size, so pick the dinghy size and style that works best and then pick the motor.
Bad idea. Increased drag while sailing, if it is being towed and more likely to be donated to Neptune. If you are installing Davits, this is less of a problem. Again, where you sail is important. Most offshore sailors do not carry the dinghy on davits while sailing off shore.
The boast has fairly strong Davits. I will be sailing from the Saint Lucie Inlet in Stuart, FL to West End Bahamas and then all over the Caribean. I want to dinghy to carry 4 adults.
How much weight can your davits support? That's the critical factor. If the davits will support it, then a 9-10 RIB would be a good choice with a 9.9 to 15 HP motor. Otherwise, a high pressure floor dinghy in the same size range with 8-10 HP motor (if the dinghy will support it). Hypalon or CSM (generic hypalon) is a much better choice for the tropics than PVC, but it is heavier.
I asked this question a few years ago. I ended with a WM 9.5 inflatable floor. Like the inflatable floor. It is light, stable, firm to stand on and can be rolled up also much less cost than rib. We are looking to upgrade to 6 hp motor. When using it I wish we got the 10.5 when lifting it I am glad we didn't. We use more than lift it.
Overall great for the bay.
For the islands you may want something bigger,
Overall great for the bay.
For the islands you may want something bigger,
For cruising the Bahamas and Caribbean my recommendation is the longest dinghy you can safely fit with the largest motor you can handle.
We have a 9'6" aluminum RIB. I can't tell you how many times I wish we had an 11 foot RIB instead. Longer waterline is easier to plane, faster and more stable at speed. Trips up to 5 miles one way is not uncommon, provisioning runs, snorkeling, fishing, etc.
Engine wise, to me there is nothing better than the new Suzuki 20DF. It weighs just under 100 pounds. It's electronically fuel injected but doesn't need a battery. The beauty of fuel injection is that the fuel system stays pressurized. So no fuel issues and no carb to clean. The down side is less options for replacement parts and technicians to work on the engine. But this is slowly changing. So now you can get the quiet and fuel efficiency without fighting carb issues. We get about 20 miles out of a 3 gallon tank.
Good luck and cruising the islands are great. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Fair winds
Jesse
We have a 9'6" aluminum RIB. I can't tell you how many times I wish we had an 11 foot RIB instead. Longer waterline is easier to plane, faster and more stable at speed. Trips up to 5 miles one way is not uncommon, provisioning runs, snorkeling, fishing, etc.
Engine wise, to me there is nothing better than the new Suzuki 20DF. It weighs just under 100 pounds. It's electronically fuel injected but doesn't need a battery. The beauty of fuel injection is that the fuel system stays pressurized. So no fuel issues and no carb to clean. The down side is less options for replacement parts and technicians to work on the engine. But this is slowly changing. So now you can get the quiet and fuel efficiency without fighting carb issues. We get about 20 miles out of a 3 gallon tank.
Good luck and cruising the islands are great. Feel free to PM me with any questions.
Fair winds
Jesse
I really appreciate everybody's reply. Really looking forward to jumping into the sailing life. Or better said, easing into the sailing life. All of the information that you all gave was incredibly informative and very helpful. Thanks again.
IMHO, to achieve what you’re asking, you need a 41 to 45-ft boat. That melts away the other problems.
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We use an 8' Portabote on our 35' boat. We also have used it on our 25' boat. We store it on deck folded against the stanchions when sailing any distances up on the Great Lakes, but also tow it if it isn't too far between anchorages (like when we're up in the North Channel). We power it with a 2.5 hp Lehr outboard. It doesn't plane with a motor that small, but it moves it just fine and is much quicker than rowing. The pluses of the Portabote are its weight, the ability to stow it on deck, nothing to puncture, and it rows well. The minuses are that it is a bit cumbersome to assemble on deck and hoist in and out with a halyard (though it doesn't take any more than 15 minutes to do this), and it's ugly.
I don't think any dinghy solution is ideal, except on a larger boat as mentioned above...maybe with a garage door in the transom and a jet ski inside. That kinda large, I'll never see, so it's just looking for the best compromise. We've also used an inflatable kayak on some trips instead and actually prefer that sometimes, but a kayak doesn't make a good dinghy for hauling the stuff to shore we like to travel with like foldup bikes,etc. The Portabote with an outboard has been the closest to "ideal" (albeit and ugly ideal) for us on the size boats we have. For your use (4 adults) you'd have to go with a larger model, but that wouldn't complicate things much.
I don't think any dinghy solution is ideal, except on a larger boat as mentioned above...maybe with a garage door in the transom and a jet ski inside. That kinda large, I'll never see, so it's just looking for the best compromise. We've also used an inflatable kayak on some trips instead and actually prefer that sometimes, but a kayak doesn't make a good dinghy for hauling the stuff to shore we like to travel with like foldup bikes,etc. The Portabote with an outboard has been the closest to "ideal" (albeit and ugly ideal) for us on the size boats we have. For your use (4 adults) you'd have to go with a larger model, but that wouldn't complicate things much.
A 45 foot dink might be a little hard to get on the davits.
We cruise a 31 foot sailboat and have a dingy that will go 15 kts with two of us and I'm fat. So that's 3 regular people. If you put our same engine on a 10-11 foot it would plan with 4 people.
We have a Heighfield aluminum RIB. I like many things and dislike others. It has a deep vee and oversized pontoons. This makes it stable and dry in most conditions. But it also means it needs more power to plane. It's also short, 9'6" so that doesn't help either.
We went cruising up in BC in summer 2018 on a Hunter 45 CC (two couples; a pair of canine pals, and a cat or two somewhere aboard. I can't help it. That's the right sized boat if you want to carry a 4 to 5-person inflatable rib on davits and have a couple of outboards mounted on the stern rail to choose the right tool for the job.
I can't help it. That's the right sized boat if you want to carry a 4 to 5-person inflatable rib on davits and have a couple of outboards mounted on the stern rail to choose the right tool for the job.
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I would absolutely ho with a RIB, once you own one you would not change. Much more stable and capable than other option.
We now have a 9' RIB which is a good couple boat. In the past I had a 11' RIB which I considered an ideal size and capable of 6 pax if necessary. Not certain whether a 10' would be adequate for two couples, maybe but I would test it first...
We now have a 9' RIB which is a good couple boat. In the past I had a 11' RIB which I considered an ideal size and capable of 6 pax if necessary. Not certain whether a 10' would be adequate for two couples, maybe but I would test it first...
I've always heard that you divide by two and add seven. Oh, wait. . . that is the ideal age of your mistress. Never mind. I got nothing.