Monday, March 13, 2017

a new dinghy (continuing)...

Something anyone on a boat knows (providing they have an IQ above room temperature),
empty promises, and in the "have you hugged a single-hander recently" department...

 First I'll start out answering a couple of questions generated by yesterdays post.

"Why not buy a RIB or a roll-up inflatable?"

&

"Why not use davits?"

The main reason I have issues with inflatables is that they simply don't row well. Add to that that they are expensive, require an outboard, and  (for RIBs) take up as much or more room on deck than a hard dinghy.

As to davits... I'm of the opinion that davits are unseaworthy for passages. Having been pooped once where the dinghy in davits filled up with water then nearly tore the transom off the boat in the ensuing carnage. Also, having worked in a consignment store (where people bring things that break or fail on a regular basis), I have lots and lots of experience with just how often davits fail in even moderate use. So color me opinionated on the subject.

Anyway, that brings me to the available options which fall into the nesting and folding categories...

I already have several sets of plans for folding and nesting dinghies along with some plans that could be adapted to nesting or take apart options. So that's where we'll start.

  1. B&B Yacht Designs  nesting Spindrift (11 foot0
  2. B&B Yacht Designs  Two Paws (8 foot)
  3. Danny Greene Chameleon (10 1/2 foot)
  4. FishBote (10 1/2 foot)
  5. Wooden Widget Fliptail (9 foot)
  6. Wooden Widget Origami (8 foot)
  7. Wooden Widget Stasha (7 foot 2 inches)
  8. Woods Designs Duo (10 foot)
  9. Yann Quenet's Dinghy-Toy (3.5M)
They're all good designs but they all have some issues or compromises in the mix that keep me from making an easy decision. All of which we will talk about tomorrow...

Listening to Puddles Pity Party cover Cheap Trick

So it goes...