Sailing dinghy

[Ken Cobb]

What is the smallest boat that can reasonably handle the carrying of a hard dinghy on deck? I could see the advantages of a hard dinghy, for rowing exercise in port, or for sailing around the anchorage, if you didn't have to tow it everywhere you went.

 

[Peter Brennan]

About 26 feet

Your dingy will be about 8 feet. Depending on the configuration of your boat you should be able to carry it upside down on the foredeck or even on the coachroof if the boom is high enough. We carried a pram-type hard dinghy on a Dawson 26 center cockpit. It fit nicely on the foredeck over the forward hatch. We used the main halyard for hoisting and launching it. Now with a bigger boat we carry the same dinghy in davits on the stern. But davits aren't really practical on a boat shorter than about 32 feet.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I doubt that I could mount this dingy on my H26.

There would be no safe way to do this. Besides, with a H26 you have the ability to raise the CB and rudder and beach in less than 2' of water.I think this question is for boats that can't be trailered. ie, no water ballasted need apply.RayS/V Speedy

 

[Jack Tyler]

There are many types of hard dinks...

...including nesting dinks like Danny Greene's designs, which can be cheaply built using the stitch & glue method. His TWO BITS design ends up being 4' x 5' x 1.5' (approx) and that will fit on very small boats yet carry 3 crew when being rowed. But it surely will be hard to see around if stowed on the cabin top. And then there are hard dinks used for extended cruising on micro-cruisers of 14' LOA or so, and which carry 2 crew and groceries when 'unfolded'. Of course, these are used on boats with such shoal draft that one rarely uses them like most of us use our dinks, in agitated anchorages some distance from shore.How small a boat? How long is a piece of string...?Jack