Hi all, I have an appointment next week to visit Gig Harbor Boats to take one of their sailing dinghies for a spin (row and sail) on the water. I'm looking to replace my inflatable tender with something that rows better that I can also sail (and teach my grandchildren to sail on). Does anybody have experience with Gig Harbor Boats? How are you using your boat and how has it worked out for you? Thanks for your help. Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335
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GH Ultralight
I have an 8 ft. Gig Harbor Ultralight, similar to their "Nisqually". To me it is very tippy to use as a tender with two occupants. I compare it to my old Olympic fiberglass dinghy. Also, I have a friend with a 10' Gig Harbor dinghy. After he had used it a while, I asked him how he likes it. His reply was that it was a little tippy. A very similar reaction to mine. They are kind of expensive for what they are. The new Walker Bay RID looks to be a better value, rugged, stable, rowable, and sailable. The last boat we bought came with yet another Gig Harbor dinghy. So now I have two. Yet we use a West Marine/Zodiac inflatable as our tender as it is so much easier to use than the GH dinghies. Lastly, the fiberglass is a little thin on the hulls of my two GH dinghies. Fairly easy to put a hole through it. I wouldn't buy another one.
I have an 8 ft. Gig Harbor Ultralight, similar to their "Nisqually". To me it is very tippy to use as a tender with two occupants. I compare it to my old Olympic fiberglass dinghy. Also, I have a friend with a 10' Gig Harbor dinghy. After he had used it a while, I asked him how he likes it. His reply was that it was a little tippy. A very similar reaction to mine. They are kind of expensive for what they are. The new Walker Bay RID looks to be a better value, rugged, stable, rowable, and sailable. The last boat we bought came with yet another Gig Harbor dinghy. So now I have two. Yet we use a West Marine/Zodiac inflatable as our tender as it is so much easier to use than the GH dinghies. Lastly, the fiberglass is a little thin on the hulls of my two GH dinghies. Fairly easy to put a hole through it. I wouldn't buy another one.
Gig Harbor Dinghies are Quality Construction
The Gig Harbor dingies are quality construction. The light-weight fiberglass process is more expensive than the typical fiberglass dinghies so that's why they cost more. For a rowing dinghy I've found that one with a wide stern rows easier. We're talking short, stubby, dinghies here, not rowing sculls/shells. The wider stern provides flotation and there is very little back-eddy whereas the narrower stern squats in the water and the back eddy is more thereby increasing drag. I've noted that an inflatable will perform well when rowing for the same reason - less stern drag (but not good for tracking). On the other hand, the oar locks on all the inflatables I've ever seen don't compare with a hard shell. The hard shell doesn't flex so one can use longer oars and really reef on them to get the thing going. Inflatables typically have stubby oars and the oar locks, if you can call them that, are flexible as they're glued to the pontoon. Some may be better than others but I'm using an Avon as a yardstick because it is well built and uses hypolon. Tippiness: This has everything to do with the hull shape cross-section. A good rowing dinghy/shell will have a fairly round bottom to minimize wetted surface and weight. And, yes, if you don't step in the middle it's going to tip. The inflatable with it's pontoons, on the otherhand, is very stable - sort of like a catamaran. I think whether you like one or the other will have everything to do with how well you adapt. We started out with a hardshell but switched to an inflatable because my wife likes the stability - agility really helps. Some people can ride bicycles and some people can't. Myself I could take either one but if you want peace in the family.... and remember, I don't cook, either! which was a very important consideration. Our '93 Avon is a 3.15 rollup (115 lbs DRY!) plus 8hp outboard, 2 cycle, (56 lbs w/o tank). This is a lot of stuff to launch and retrieve on a 35 footer but boy is it nice when it's in the water. It even rows "fairly well" with the stock break-apart Avon oars. A light-weight Gig Harbor with sail rig I think would be a heck of a lot of fun as a dink if you can manage to live with the trade-offs. I think kids would really like them too. If I were to go the hardshell route again I think the Gig Harbor would be my first choice.
The Gig Harbor dingies are quality construction. The light-weight fiberglass process is more expensive than the typical fiberglass dinghies so that's why they cost more. For a rowing dinghy I've found that one with a wide stern rows easier. We're talking short, stubby, dinghies here, not rowing sculls/shells. The wider stern provides flotation and there is very little back-eddy whereas the narrower stern squats in the water and the back eddy is more thereby increasing drag. I've noted that an inflatable will perform well when rowing for the same reason - less stern drag (but not good for tracking). On the other hand, the oar locks on all the inflatables I've ever seen don't compare with a hard shell. The hard shell doesn't flex so one can use longer oars and really reef on them to get the thing going. Inflatables typically have stubby oars and the oar locks, if you can call them that, are flexible as they're glued to the pontoon. Some may be better than others but I'm using an Avon as a yardstick because it is well built and uses hypolon. Tippiness: This has everything to do with the hull shape cross-section. A good rowing dinghy/shell will have a fairly round bottom to minimize wetted surface and weight. And, yes, if you don't step in the middle it's going to tip. The inflatable with it's pontoons, on the otherhand, is very stable - sort of like a catamaran. I think whether you like one or the other will have everything to do with how well you adapt. We started out with a hardshell but switched to an inflatable because my wife likes the stability - agility really helps. Some people can ride bicycles and some people can't. Myself I could take either one but if you want peace in the family.... and remember, I don't cook, either! which was a very important consideration. Our '93 Avon is a 3.15 rollup (115 lbs DRY!) plus 8hp outboard, 2 cycle, (56 lbs w/o tank). This is a lot of stuff to launch and retrieve on a 35 footer but boy is it nice when it's in the water. It even rows "fairly well" with the stock break-apart Avon oars. A light-weight Gig Harbor with sail rig I think would be a heck of a lot of fun as a dink if you can manage to live with the trade-offs. I think kids would really like them too. If I were to go the hardshell route again I think the Gig Harbor would be my first choice.
Are you guys talking about Gig Harbor Boat Works?
You must be, couldn't be two. The owner is David Roberton I believe. We bought our horses from him in 1996, along with a trailer and tach. If you see him, tell him Shena is great but Holley is lame and they say hi.
You must be, couldn't be two. The owner is David Roberton I believe. We bought our horses from him in 1996, along with a trailer and tach. If you see him, tell him Shena is great but Holley is lame and they say hi.
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