Dinngy specs

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Nov 18, 2006
183
Kirie Elite Elite 37 Moss Point MS
okay folks,have a 30 foot Pearson here and am planning a week long trip this summer from Pascagoula MS. to Pensacola FL. with 6 or 7 other boats. have never owned an inflatable dingy before but will soon purchase one. Most of the fellows who i am going with will leave there dinks uninflated or on deck until we cross Mobile Bay the first day out. Then for the next 5 days we will be in the ICW towing our dinks from place to place. My question is how long a dink do i need and how many horsepower outboard? In future trips it will be myself and my 15 year old son using the dink mostly for weekend trips to the barrier islands. Thanks all! Frank
 
S

Secret Admirer

Well Mr. Frank....

Sandy's Wings doesn't use dinghys....he either always finds a slip or bums off someone else! Secret Admirer....
 
B

Boatless in Ocean Springs

Well Frank, Just ask to Borrow Dicks (CD Express)

Ask Dick
 
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
I ordered mine......

I ordered mine from e-bay a few years back. I previously had an 8 foot dink and now my inflatable dink is about 10'6", I think. I would not recommend anything smaller. A 10-6 is not as big as it sounds, take away the pontoon sections that extend behind the stern and the thickness of the floatation tubes up forward and there aint that much room left over. You have to sit a tad forward of the stern to steer properly, have room for the gas tank, a small cooler, a small anchor and you have enough room left over for one more person besides yourself. I had a Catalina 30 and i used the Martek Dinghy Davits...which are great. I had mine setup so that I could suspend the dink, tow it behind in the normal towing position, tow it with bow raised and points dragging or stern up and bow dragging. When leaving dink, i would undo the motor and lay it inside the dink, raise it and remove O/B . When dropping in the water, I put O/M inside dink, lowered dink, got into dink and then set O/M in place. I used one of my halyards to raise dink onto front deck if I wanted it there. I bought a 4HP motor because of weight. Am sorry I did. The dink just misses going into a plane. I think a 6HP would do thr trick. Again, keep O/M weight in mind. Its not easy to maneuver it when bouncing around. Good Luck in whatever you decide.
 
Dec 3, 2003
2,101
Hunter Legend 37 Portsmouth, RI
Mine is 11'...

...and I have a 5hp Nissan. Doesn't quite plane with 2 of us (I am very tall), but find it adequate for the distances that I use it. I am in a marina and tow it everywhere with the motor set up. It is a hard bottom with an integrated transom.
 

higgs

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Aug 24, 2005
3,736
Nassau 34 Olcott, NY
Depends

If you anticipate long dinghy trips - like 2 miles or more - you will want a motor and a dinghy that can put you up on a plane, If your trips are under a couple of miles it won't really matter and a 2 or 3 hp engine will suffice. The smaller engene will make the process of lifting the OB off the stern rail to the dinghy MUCH easier. I your dinghy is only going you from the boat into shore your needs are simplified.
 
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
HP depends on where you sail.

We have a 4HP on a 10'-6" Inflatable.. As I stated earlier, I'm just a hair short of planeing. Also note that head seas and a head wind could almost bring you to a standstill. In the past, I have owned inflatables with an 8HP and I think I will eventually go back to it. Frank, on your trip, a 4 to 6HP shouild be OK. When me and GF were in Choctawahatchee Bay, anchored out, we had several days of 15-17K winds with 2 to 3 Ft chops. Without the extra HP, the going was exceptionally slow. When I was living in the Virgin Islands, a 4HP would have been completely useless. When i bought the 4HP new, I didnt have dinghy davits at the time and my concern was weight....how much weight could i hold with my arm straight out in case I lost my balance and had to throw the motor on my chest. Moving an O/B however light it is, is a challenge, while standing in a moving dink. later on when i bought the davits, I was sorry i bought such a small motor. Check the others you are traveling with, since they also are on the northern gulf coast.
 
Jun 16, 2005
476
- - long beach, CA
dink

I have a 10 ft. Avon with an 8 hp Nissan. It'll plane with two guys in it, but the inflated V floor still pounds in chop. I'm looking for a RIB with a 15 hp, but I also have davits and never take the engine off the dink.
 
May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
Ol' School

I have an older 8 foot hard dingy. I like the hard dingy because I don't have davits and I really don't want them. I tow my dingy behind my boat and it does fine. So what if it slows you down a little, I am not racing! The nice thing is that I can beach it etc. and not worry about puncturing it. I also do some fishing from it so that is another reason that I like the hard dingy. Currently I don't have an outboard for my dingy but I am going to get one, eventually. I am going to try to find a 2-stroke 2.5 hp outboard because of weight. Yes, it isn't as stable as an inflateable, but it does the job. I only paid $200 for it too! I can throw the folding bikes in the dingy, and get them, my wife, and myself to shore no problem.
 
A

arkade

I have a small one say 5-6

Buy one you can afford, say cash in some more stock. With the size of your engine and the speed of that fast Pearson under sail, I don't think towing will slow you down. Don't buy one at Walmart or one that is cheep that says it holds 3 or 4 persons - It probably hold only one. Make sure you get one that is green to match you boat. Well I will see what you get in May.
 
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