Hi everyone - We are in the market to purchase a dinghy for our Hunter 38, but really not sure what size will be best. One of our concerns is fitting it on the bow. We are looking at a 10’2” Achilles, but looks like a tight fit and would probably have to deflate it to fit it on deck. We do not have a lot of experience, and wondering if this is something that is usually done? Overall we are looking to see what size/type of dinghy other folks are using?
Hunter 38 - Dinghy Size
- Thread starter hunter0838
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Suggest measuring to find out what size dinghy will fit. You are going to get a lot of good recommendations from the forum members. I had a Hypalon Achilles LEX 9'-6" dinghy on my Hunter 386 that I stored on dinghy davits. Now I have a PVC West Marine PRU3 rollup dinghy WEST MARINE PRU-3 Performance Roll-Up Inflatable Boat | West Marine on the deck, of course bigger boat........8’4” long x 61" wide, 992 lb capacity and only 53 lbs so it's easy to handle and reasonably low price (bought on sale from West Marine for $650). Suggest covering when not in use.
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The size and type of dingy will have a lot to do with your personal preferences. An inflatable is light, but can be too light. I had a Zodiak that tended to get airborne when being towed, and then submerging. It didn't row very well, and I like to row. We had to sit on the sides and store our gear on the sole, which meant we got wet a lot. When the sun finally dried out the seams, the Zodiac died. I now have a Walker Bay with the optional flotation collar, which makes it a RIB. It is fairly light and rows like a dream, plus I have a sail kit that makes it a blast to sail around the anchorage. The collar greatly increases the carrying capacity, and we get to sit inside.
As far as size of the dingy goes, there is a tendency to think: bigger boat, bigger dingy. My Walker Bay is 8', and fits on the foredeck of my C310, and has enough carrying capacity for the two of us plus gear, or three adults. Maybe the 8 footer would fit better on your foredeck than the 10' 2" Achilles. I think you would find the smaller dingy easier to lift and stow also.
As far as size of the dingy goes, there is a tendency to think: bigger boat, bigger dingy. My Walker Bay is 8', and fits on the foredeck of my C310, and has enough carrying capacity for the two of us plus gear, or three adults. Maybe the 8 footer would fit better on your foredeck than the 10' 2" Achilles. I think you would find the smaller dingy easier to lift and stow also.
We have the cheapest West Marine inflatable with wooden floor (WEST MARINE RU-250 Roll-Up Inflatable Dinghy | West Marine) which we also found on sale. It's not great but has been OK so far for our very limited usage. I would be nervous about using it in any significant wind and chop, and it would be very slow going at best. We found that even in very mild chop it got dodgy above 4 knots. Maybe we're not adventurous enough 
For size, we have no problem fitting it on the bow of our 36. Sailboat data says we have 13' between the mast and bow, so a 10' model would be a tight fit. Looks like the 38 is 12' between mast and bow, so that's not promising.
We do deflate the dinghy when we get back to our home marina and that's not too bad. When out, we tow the dinghy (motor off) and only hoist it onto the bow for docking. We sail in mild conditions so that works for us. I think that if you planned to deflate it every day, put it on deck, then inflate it again when you anchor, it would get to be a chore. Possible OK if you had an electric pump. But everything is a trade-off so maybe it's worth the extra work to have a better dinghy. For example, if there are 4 people onboard, an 8' model may not be feasible.
You should also think about the motor. Our little dinghy does well with a tiny motor (Yamaha 2.5) but you'd probably want something bigger on the 10' Achilles. I can manhandle our motor without a hoist, but it's not easy (for me anyway). With a bigger motor I think a hoist/crane would be needed.
For size, we have no problem fitting it on the bow of our 36. Sailboat data says we have 13' between the mast and bow, so a 10' model would be a tight fit. Looks like the 38 is 12' between mast and bow, so that's not promising.
We do deflate the dinghy when we get back to our home marina and that's not too bad. When out, we tow the dinghy (motor off) and only hoist it onto the bow for docking. We sail in mild conditions so that works for us. I think that if you planned to deflate it every day, put it on deck, then inflate it again when you anchor, it would get to be a chore. Possible OK if you had an electric pump. But everything is a trade-off so maybe it's worth the extra work to have a better dinghy. For example, if there are 4 people onboard, an 8' model may not be feasible.
You should also think about the motor. Our little dinghy does well with a tiny motor (Yamaha 2.5) but you'd probably want something bigger on the 10' Achilles. I can manhandle our motor without a hoist, but it's not easy (for me anyway). With a bigger motor I think a hoist/crane would be needed.
"Best" for what?
The WM Advisors have a How to Choose a Dinghy article, just read it via the two already posted links.
But, really, best for what?
If you're only using it to go a short distance to shore, and could even row it, a small donut style would do.
If you plan to anchor out further and need or want to go longer distances at higher speed, guess what?
If your ONLY concern is fitting whatever on your boat's bow, then you have to explain whether you need access to your anchor locker or whether you just marina hop?
Are you beginning to see the pattern of the questions?
Good luck, happy hunting and decision making, all the best.
Just sold my 9’6 dinghy and now have 10’2 no problem fitting on my 07 H-36 and the 9’6
was too small to carry 2 people and anything else for beach folding chairs small cooler
was too small to carry 2 people and anything else for beach folding chairs small cooler
Tom, not World's End; it was Biddeford Pool, Maine. Taking my dog to visit a tree on one of the nearby islands in the rain. That roll up inflatable gets crowded when my wife and the dog and I go ashore, but we manage. I used to haul it up onto the deck with a spare halyard when leaving the boat in our home marina for a week or more but now I just paint the bottom and leave it tucked between the bow and the dock in the water when in a marina. I tow it with the motor tilted up for years now without issues. When coming into a marina, I tie the dinghy to the starboard side stern cleat and pull the tow line up tight so that the bow of the dinghy is about two feet behind my stern. I nearly always tie up on the port side and I can reverse if I have to with dinghy so tied. It just flops around and I ignore it. If it is really a tight fit at a marina I tie it to the starboard mid ship cleat before attempting to dock. You must never tow the dinghy to your stern with a long lead and attempt to back up because you will end up with the dinghy tow line wrapped around your prop. A longer inflatable would not be as manageable when towed and docking but would be more comfortable to use. I have never had the 2.5 HP outboard at full throttle so that is adequate for us.
We've had nine foot Avon inflatables for both our H28 and now our current boat. Prefer to keep the deck clear, dislike towing, so I mount ours athwart-ships on it side resting on the transom step. It has worked just fine in most all sea states after cruising several thousand miles over the past twenty years. Wrote an article about how I mount our dink here: Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades