Finding a diving/excursion dinghy, help

[TheNomadTrip]

I know this has been beaten to death, so I'll try to make this specific. Weights in pounds (LBS).

I'm looking for a 38-42 ft cat, used. In that search, I was reminded that I needed a fairly large dinghy with a fairly large outboard to do the type of cruising I want. So here goes.

Use:
- transport to/from spearfishing/freediving spots
- 2-3 (freedivers), with spearing gear
- I will not be rowing or sailing it.
- It is not (only) a grocery getter.
- I need to get to the outer reefs, or even island hop with it.
- It needs to have room for our gear, and a decent sized cooler.

I was thinking a 10-12' Livingston with a 15-20HP 2-stroke Yamaha, but I'm worried about weight on the davits and if I have to pull it onshore (to tie it a tree so it doesn't "float away"). Boat (~225), motor (~100), fuel/etc (~100) - it gets over 400 pounds really quickly.

400 pounds is pushing the limits on a Leopard 39's davits (~350) and is near unmanageable to pull onshore (think 50 feet of sand between me and the tree I need to chain my dinghy to).

Am I missing something, or have I completely overcomplicated this?

[belizesailor]

I used to have a Livingston 12 and loved it, but yes the size and weight do add up and can be cumbersome to handle. I think the 10 would be a better in terms of size/weight and still have plenty of room. Padding on deck edges a good addition so you don't bang against topsides etc.

[downunder]

Attached is a link to Spirited catamarans ripple tender range.

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

http://www.spiriteddesigns.com.au/?pageId=4417

Very light, requiring minimal hp , stable ideal for diving.

2m version 25kg in duplex foam to 41kg for 3.6m version. As a diver myself I think this would be hard to beat.

Rather than ordering the precut duflex kit from Australia you could buy plans and infuse flat foam/balsa panels yourself or have someone do it for you.

Cheers

[colemj]

Are you set on a hard dinghy? Have you looked at AB's professional RIB series (Profile?)? One of those will be our next dinghy (hopefully not for a very long time yet).

Mark

[TheNomadTrip]

Originally Posted by downunder

Attached is a link to Spirited catamarans ripple tender range.

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

Awesome! Thanks for the heads-up on this, very close to what I'm looking for!

[TheNomadTrip]

Originally Posted by colemj

Are you set on a hard dinghy? Have you looked at AB's professional RIB series (Profile?)? One of those will be our next dinghy (hopefully not for a very long time yet).

Mark

I'm not set on anything, so I've been looking at many of the soft dinghy designs. I really like the center consoles, but they tend to get into the heavy side...

The reasons I'm considering hard over soft

- I like the extra space in a hard dinghy (no huge tubes)
- They don't need to be patched, and don't deteriorate as much

[colemj]

Patching and deterioration are mostly cured by a set of chaps.

If you are going to be doing a lot of diving, even catamaran dinghies can be challenging to enter from the water.

Center consoles in dinghies smaller than 16' or so just don't make a lot of sense. It is much added weight and takes up much space for no practical gain.

But I'm not arguing for or against anything - just providing input.

Mark