What size dinghy works for a 356 Hunter?

[star302]

Hi,
We bought a 356 Hunter in the fall. We are trying to figure out what size dinghy would work best and fit? We do have davitts. We live in CT, so would be using this when at local ports to get around to others boats, as well as to shore etc. We are concerned of having too large of an engine to have to hoist out of the water, each time we bring dinghy on to boat, if we are unable to tow it behind us. Thank you for any help or advice.
Best,
Lauri and Norm

 

[rufus1138]

depends, how small of a dinghy will work for the two of you, dont think about the boat at first, think about what your minimum requirements are for things like weight capacity, speed, shape (roll up slat floor, HP air floor, rib.) then select a suitable motor for the dinghy and figure out how to make it work with the boat, most people look at the boat and imagine a dinghy that's about 5000% too big for the stern rail or davits (both) and then say over and over again that they just cant tolerate anything less than their 12ft rib with a 35hp mercury verado and the real problem is that if they could just afford an oyster 58 then maybe then they could live aboard and follow their dream of cruising to the islands.....just outside the inlet of the local bay. shortly after that you will start to hear the classic crooning about "real blue water vessels" and "scantlings"

 

[seadaddler]

Dinghy

9'6'' is a very good size for 4 people and that is what we have and when first
had a 8' but now like the 9'6'' better and it has a aluminum floor which is nice too.
If and when I ever see a good deal on a 9'6'' rib I would really like that because we do do alot of cruising and use the dinghy alot and like that a rib is higher in the water for any conditions.
I have 8hp for my 9'6' but 4hp would be fine and it really depends on what type of sailing you will be doing and where you will be going to.
We do mostly anchoring out and use our dinghy to go a shore ans exploring.
Living in ct. is a great place for sailing and did do lots of sailing to Ct. when we
livid on Long Island,NY and you should try visiting Port Jeff and Greenport was our favorite and kept our H-36 there for 2 years before moving to Fl.

Nick

 

[star302]

Re: Dinghy

Our favorites as well Nick. We actually will have a mooring in PJ. Growing up in CT, we would boat over to PJ and camp out..That was a long time ago..With our family..Greenport is a great spot..This is our first boat, so we will be new sailors. Grew up with powerboats. We have looked at the 9'6" and thought that would be the best fit..My husband is 6'5"..(yikes!)..Maybe we will get him his own dinghy! Ha!...I really appreciate the input and advice..We also did think hard bottom is best..West Marine seems to have a good selection, as does defender. Many have said get a used one, however, I know the life span on these is not suppose to be that long..So have concerns of buying used. Any additional input is great!
Thank you!
Lauri

 

[rufus1138]

i wouldnt buy used either, just for another idea tho consider the benifits of a hp air floor, a friend of mine cruises his 37.5 around with a 9'6" i think and when he's making longer passages he has the motor (8hp 2-stroke, very light) on the stern rail and the dinghy is rolled up in its bag strapped in front of the dodger, when he gets to the islands or wherever it takes 5 minutes and hes got the dinghy in the water and inflated ready to go, its an achillies, check em out, wont find them at west marine.

 

[stephen Penny]

Lauri and Norm,

I have a 74 lb wood floor 9'6" Achilles LEX-96 (hypalon) with a 3.5 hp engine mounted on the stern. The dinghy is attached to the transom davits with straps. I transports 4.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

We have an Avon 26 with an air floor. It is 9'-6" and we keep it in front of the mast, inflated and upside down. We easily get it on and off using the spinnaker halyard. We have a 4HP Yamaha and it will not plan, but with half throttle goes 4 knots. I would recommend a 5hp Lhr propane as all the small 4 strokes get gummed up unless you use the every couple of weeks.

 

[star302]

Jerry, What year is your 356? We are very excited to get on the water this summer! We bought it early fall and it went right into storage..Ours is a 2002..Hardly used..We are really looking forward to getting to know our boat. We will be having a bimini made this spring. Also looking into having A/C installed..Not sure of really what else we need..Little by little we will be adding on...
Lauri

 

[star302]

Stephen,
It seems like 9"6" is the way to go..I am not sure with the size of my husband..slim, but tall and one of our sons is about same as my husband in weight (190), that a 4 horse would work..Again, thank you so much for all the helpful advice.

 

[Sailm8]

I bought a Mercury RIB at the Miami boat show about 3 years ago. Got a good deal from Bustersmarine.com. I had a 3.5 2 stroke Nissan that was never very dependable due to age, ethanol and other stuff. It was not enough power when bucking tide and waves. I now have a Tohatsu 5hp that starts everytime, uses less fuel (ethanol) and has enough power to punch through waves when necessary.

I highly recommend a RIB. My wife and I love the stability when climbing on and off especially in the areas we cruise that have high docks and no ladders. Standing with one foot on the swim platform and one in the dink while you swing the 58lbs motor on to the transom will make you a believer. I have no problem handling the weight, but the balance when your foot sinks in a soft dinghy floor can be unnerving.

 

[Steve Dion]

There are lots of issues with selecting a dinghy as you can see.

If it is going to be stored most of the time you may be able to get away with a PVC material. You may save some bucks up front but you may be replacing it every few years. The hypalon materials are much better and easier to repair if needed.

Another issue is the size of the tubes. Some of units have small tubes and if you are in rough water they can very wet if you have more than one person in them.

Where are you going to store it and how are you going to deploy it. If you plan on inflating it on deck some of the floors are very difficult to install (even on flat ground) so you need to decide on that.

If you decide to go with a RIB you need to determine if you want a single or double floor. The double floor gives you a flat surface to stand on but also can add a lot of weight.

I would not suggest one of these smaller motors. They tend to have issues with carburetors and fuel. I would start with at least a 5 or 8 horse depending on weight. I do not know if anyone even sells 2 strokes any longer but they can save you several pounds.

Then there is the cost. You can spend anywhere from $1500 - 5000+ for a motor and dink so that may also be a factor.

 

[chuckwayne]

We've got an 8'9" inflatable floor dinghy we carry flipped up on the stern of our 356;since you've got davits, I would go with the 9'6" as nick said. I would second the 5hp Lehr - it's a great choice because it eliminates the ethanol issues and winterizing gas systems. We've had the 2.5hp Lehr on our smaller dinghy (for our 216) for a full season and it works great - actually has enough power to move the 8'9" dink with 2 people and cargo fairly well.

 

[rufus1138]

I would not suggest one of these smaller motors. They tend to have issues with carburetors and fuel. I would start with at least a 5 or 8 horse depending on weight. I do not know if anyone even sells 2 strokes any longer but they can save you several pounds.

none of the major manufacturers are selling two strokes in the u.s. below 25hp anymore, since the two stroke is "evil and dirty" now the four stroke is touted as superior technology, ironically for these small motors thats a bold faced lie, it can even be argued that its a lie in general, lets face it on the subject of gas mileage we arent winning any endurance races in the outboard world, the differences even in the big motors are slim if not sometimes in favor of the two stroke (thankyou evinrude). however i did hear a while back that yamaha two strokes were still being sold in the islands new in the box , and for a reasonable price, i would advise that route if you can manage it.

 

[discovery]

Would not own a PVC dink, even if you leave it in the bag after 5 yrs it worthless, the glued seams deteriorate. Also if your going cruising only a rigid inflatable will do, had both and no comparison.

 

[Stu Jackson]

You might be interested in this: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...d=11151&catalogId=10001&page=Inflatable-Boats

Solid floors require you to install them every time you use the dinghy. Gets old really quickly.

Good luck on your search.

It, too, is a boat and compromises ARE involved.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

Star 302: Our 356 is a 2003. We bought it new and have completed 11 seasons on it. We have just gotten to Punta Gorda, FL from KY Lake where it will spend the winter. Distance was 1266 miles down the Tenn-Tom and along Gulf Coast. We plan on bringing back to Kentucky Lake in March.

We towed the dinghy while on the Tenn-Tom with the mast down and along the Intercoastal. On our crossing from Panama City to Clearwater, we had it in front of the mast, upside down on the deck. We have the Yamaha outboard motor mounted on an Edson outboard mount on the starboard stern just to center of the stern seats. I have a KVH antenna for sat TV mounted on a pole in the starboard side and have a hoist mounted to the pole. I can let the Yamaha down onto the dinghy with one hand and use the hoist rope to assist in getting in and out of the dinghy when it is on the stern.

I am going to sell the Yamaha and get a Lehr 5HP as soon as I get back to Florida in a few days. The Yamaha is a great motor, but the fuel is too unstable for the infrequent use I have. Any 4 stroke under 15HP has the same problem. The milled out internal channels in the carburetors clog quickly with bith etanol and non-ethanol gas with Stabil ad sea foam.

You will really enjoy the 356. Consider a full enclosure and generator and you will get a lot of extra use out of your boat. We use ours 75 days a year on KY Lake and cruising during our recent trip was very comfortable in the cockpit. With the enclosure, even on cool, rainy days.

 

[Bob 04 H260]

We have a dinghy on davits on our H356. We used to own a bigger dinghy (9'10"), we found it was too heavy for me to lift and move around alone, about 100 lbs. We now use a smaller one (8'10") at about 70 lbs I find it manageable with my back. The bigger one was easier to plane. We use a 6hp outboard. Both are hypalon with air deck. Our davits have a 6:1 tackle on one end to lift the dinghy with outboard on it. I also use the davit to lift the outboard on and off the dinghy by myself.
The smaller dinghy is fine for two of us and our small dog. If we wanted to use it 4 adults I would own the bigger size.
Check with the manufacturer of your davits for how much weight they can support. The dinghy must be very solidly held to avoid wearing a hole in the fabric or shock loading the davits when dropping off a wave. I use a couple of ratchet straps to snug it down so it can not move a mm.
Be sure to leave the drain plug out and transom down in case of rain when away from the boat.
Bob