Need Your Opinion on Dinghy

[Rick Evans]

I need to buy a small dinghy for my 32 Beneteau. I'd like your thoughts on whether the Leisure Life 9.4 tender is better than the Walker Bay 10. It's cheaper, is rated for more horsepower and has a higher load capacity yet Walker Bay seems to be more popular. Why is that? I don't plan to sail in it so it doesn't matter to me that the Leisure Life dinghy doesn't have the optional sail kit. Also, with respect to Walker Bay, do you prefer the standard 8 foot model or the larger 10 foot model? I like the smaller size but it seems awfully tiny in the pictures I've seen. I'll be using it primarily for just two people but, once in a while, I'm sure three people will be in it. Well????? Any other dinghy manufacturers you can recommend? Thanks guys.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Rick, I'd encourage you to add a criterion...

...which is inflated chambers on the gunwales of either boat. They are sold separately (e.g. Dinghy Dogs) or you'll find chambers designed for the Walker Bay that are easily fitted.Not only will this make the dink more functional on occasion (when otherwise a hard dink can be asked to do more than is reasonable) but you may also find this as one way to be satisfied with the smaller sized dink.Walker Bays are everywhere, it seems, and surely in Kemah - you might try to find one to play with a bit, so you can form your own impressions?Jack

 

[Gary A]

Boatex

I have a Boatex 10 which rows, sails and motors extremely well. Weight is around 90 lbs for a 10 dinghy. MUCH more stable than Walker Bay 10 (I tried both). I have had four adults in mine and it remains very stable. They also make smaller and larger sizes. I constantly get compliments from people who see the boat on the water. Hope this helps.Gary