Let's Talk Dinghy?

[Glenn Bevensee]

Anyone have any suggestions for a dinghy for my O'Day 22? I'm wondering if I should spring the bucks for a small hardshell, that I'll have to fight on the foredeck, to move the jib across, or tow behind, and hope I don't lose. Or, should I get an inflatable, and wrestle 70 pounds of wet rubber down the hatch, and try to stow it. What works? What doesn't? Should I just get an old truck inner tube, like we did in the pool as kids? Help?

 

[david lewis]

DINGHY CHOICES

why do you want to put an inflatable dinghy inside your cabin? Get an Achilles hypalon fabric regular bottom dinghy, leave it inflated for the rest of your life, clean it once in a while, paint the bottom and leave it in the water all year, tow it wherever you go. trust me you will be happy with it. hard shells are very unstable compared to an inflatable.

 

[Tony Zambella]

Don't row worth a dam

I agree with David, Except they don't row worth 'o' nothin. You are looking at a small outboard too,,,,,

 

[Don Evans]

What Are You Using It For?

Glenn, you will never get a dinghy of anysize worth having on to your bow. You would have less than 8 feet of useable deck, and the minimum dinghy length for anything reasonable is 8 feet. I sail a 25, and have a 8 ft. Boatex, fiberglass sailing dinghy. Yes its less stable than an inflatable, but I wanted a dink that tracked well (it does), rowed like a real boat, and sailed like champ. It met my needs, and it takes my 2.5 hp auxillery to boot. I use it to ferry family to the beach, teach my kids to sail and take them out fishing when were on the hook. A multi-purpose vessel that meets 90% of my needs. Don

 

[john]

tried several

I had dinghy choises to make also. I have a 12 foot mirrocraft that I towed around behind my 22 for half a season,but it didn't track well. I tried a small inflatable, but couldn't row it, and it seemed to create a suction with the water and towed hard. Now i have an seven foot fibreglass dinghy I paid too much for and had to do too much work to, but I love it. I don't even know it's back there when I tow it. It isn't the most stable thing in the world, but the ease of towing makes it worth it