Dinghy Options for Long Trip on 28' Boat ?

[Arch Stanton]

I'm headed on a four-month trip from the South Puget Sound to the Queen Charlotte islands starting next May, on my San Juan 28.

A motored dinghy seems essential since I plan to spend most nights at anchor, want to spend a lot of time exploring in the tidelands and ashore, and don't want to use oars to compete with the strong currents that the inside passage is known to have.

With that in mind, I'm trying to decide what my best option for handling a dingy is.

I know there are inflatable dinghies that can be stowed below, but I don't want a half-hour procedure each time I need to launch or stow dingy, and I'm not keen on repeatedly putting a big wet thing in my cabin. With such a small boat, deck storage really isn't an option either, especially if I ever want to tack. And I never see davits on a boat this small, so I figure that doesn't make sense either.

That pretty much leaves towing as the last option, which I've done on overnight trips on boats this size. I don't totally like that as a long-term solution though, because I'm always worrying about fouling the prop, losing the dingy, snagging something, etc. Safety issues abound, not to mention the increased drag. It just seems like overall bad form to drag a dinghy behind me for 2000 miles.

Is there a good solution that I'm missing or is towing a dinghy the best compromise? Should just get a good kayak and start lifting weights?

[sabray]

I was thinking an airfloor inflatable might work then you ruled out storing it on deck.
I deflate ours roll it and lash it on deck. It doesn't take long to inflate. By the time its inflated and the outboard is mounted its less then 15 minutes. If were coasting it might get towed or put on deck inflated.

[sarafina]

an 8' porta bote folded up rides the lifeline on our Cal 28. It's a bit hard to see but in this pic I was on the bow shooting aft. The boat is on the port side and the bow of the portabote is riding up at the bow of the Cal, where the life lines tie back into the deck so that the boat can slide down over the wire, straddling the lifeline. The black ridge on the tan is the keel of the portabote. The tan is the hull of the portabote. It makes a nice back rest for people lounging up on the deck ; -) It doesn't impede movement on the deck at all.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by sabray

I was thinking an airfloor inflatable might work then you ruled out storing it on deck.
I deflate ours roll it and lash it on deck. It doesn't take long to inflate. By the time its inflated and the outboard is mounted its less then 15 minutes. If were coasting it might get towed or put on deck inflated.

I was thinking about a rigid dinghy when I ruled out storing it on the deck, worrying it would get in the way of sails. If it's that quick to set up and take down, storing an inflatable on the deck seems like a good option.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by sarafina

an 8' porta bote folded up rides the lifeline on our Cal 28. It's a bit hard to see but in this pic I was on the bow shooting aft. The boat is on the port side and the bow of the portabote is riding up at the bow of the Cal, where the life lines tie back into the deck so that the boat can slide down over the wire, straddling the lifeline. The black ridge on the tan is the keel of the portabote. The tan is the hull of the portabote. It makes a nice back rest for people lounging up on the deck ; -) It doesn't impede movement on the deck at all.

That looks like it fits really nicely.

How long does it take from stowed to launched?

[sarafina]

it's a sweet little boat. I can set it up on the dock in about 10 minutes. you have to sorta learn the tricks of how to do it so you are not fighting it. Once you do that it's pretty easy. I'm 5'1" and 115lbs and can do it myself.

On the deck of the boat is harder, you need to do it standing on it's stern and I'm kinda short, but once you get the stern board place then it gets easier and can be done pretty easily. I have hooked the painter to a halyard so I could cinch it upright and then open it up with the brace that comes with it for that purpose.The beam is about 4' so it's pretty manageable!

and in the water it just GOES. we have a 28lb electric for dinkin around the marina and I row it, but I have had an outboard on it and it flys!

We have had 2 adults and a big 60lb dog in it.

[Minggat]

Both of those would be good options. And both can get up on a plane I believe, given the right motor. There are also a RIB lite models that have a fold down flat transom, which make for a pretty small package, that pumps up fast and that could be pretty zippy. Zodiac and Bombard make PVC models, Avon make$ Hypalon. But if you were to go that way, it would be a shame to not have a big enough outboard to get it up on a plane. If you don't care about top speed so much, I'd say the air floor or Port'a Boat are both good choices.

At the end of you adventure, if you want to try and recover some the investment, the air floor would be easier to find a buyer for (as compared to the Port'a Boat.) The RIB Lite would also be easy to sell off.

One other advantage to a good dink with a big enough motor (I'm thinking min 6 hp). You can use it as a tug for the mothership. Can be real handy.

Lot's of compromises.

[mbianka]

Lost a real nice fiberglass dingy sailing back in a gale eight years ago. Bought an 8 foot Port Boat as a replacement and never looked back. I carry it on deck fully assembled on my 30 foot sailboat. but, have folded it on deck too when I went up the Erie Canal. Tows nice too. Row with it mostly but, also moves with my Honda BP2 outboard. Glad to hear that it works well with electric too! As Sarfina mentions it is a sweet little boat. I lift it on deck myself using a flag halyard it's light and rugged. Much dryer than an inflatable too! Plus it won't get punctured on the rocky shores in the waters you'll be cruising. Don't have anything bad to say about it.

Capt. Mike
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG

[DaveOnCudjoe]

Porta Bote also comes in a 10 and 12ft model and are made in Northern California. My 12fter is a little large but handles rough water well. Dave

[imagine2frolic]

I have seen the porta boat every where in many conditions. It does seem they do fly too. Another though is a nesting hard dink. It can stow under the boom, or over the forard hatch.

I personally have had poor luck with folding inflatable in rough weather. They tend to buckle, and blow up keel boats seem to be about the same, and neither one tracking well........i2f

[Minggat]

Trip starts next May? You've got a while to daydream about it. That can be the best part. Also gives you time to find yer boat. Start looking in Craigslist now, so you won't be forced to buy new.

Sara, I know you're there. PM'd you a few days ago. Keep up girl

[sarafina]

6 hp would be WAY WAY too much for an 8' portabote. Don't ask how I know ; -O

It'll plane with a 2 or 3hp... and you can replace the wood transom on the older models with a high tech lightweight material that will make setting up easier and allow you to haul more in her. On some of the older models the benches are sorta beat up but again they turn out to be easy to replace. There is a yahoo group for folks who trick their up amazingly!

We got ours on craigslist for 500 including the minnetonka 28lber. I have heard that spraying them with some kind of silicone spray or other minimizes the bottom growth, but they power wash easy too. the included oars and oarlocks are pretty wimpy but they can be replaced.

The larger sizes seemed too big for our little boat. A tender half the length of the mother ship seems silly!

*wavin ta MinGaT, didn't get no message!*

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by sarafina

6 hp would be WAY WAY too much for an 8' portabote. Don't ask how I know ; -O

It'll plane with a 2 or 3hp...

Oh, Come on. That sounds like too good of a story. You owe it to the world.

Really? 2 or 3 hp will plane that thing? That's quite a testimonial. With an floor, my former dockmate just kept getting bigger and bigger engines to get up on a plane until he became a powerboater in a dink.

Yeah, my mentality is inflatable. I was thinking 6 hp for the tug function. That is a serious consideration for me.

Port'a Boat people seem to be a small but fiercely devoted group. They've got to be great boats.

I understand they are OK to dive out of. Any takers on that one?

[sarafina]

fine fine...

imagine... err *someone* wanting to try her new toy and too impatient to wait til someone comes home from work to help... imagine that someone wrangling a 6hp Johnson outta the lazerette, up onto the gunnel, over onto the dock into the portabote onto the transome and bolted on.

imagine it is a *bit* over the advised weight of 56 lbs...

Now imagine the 60 lb dog getting in as well...and everyone heading out the channel to see how she moves.

It was all good until she got past the protected waters of the marina and channel and onto the bay, in the afternoon wind with a tiny bit of wave action... Imagine her hand reaching and cranking the throttle a bit and the engine LEAPING under her... with the transom over weighted and the dog startling and jumping back in the stern of the boat from the bow where she had been riding... so that all the weight in the boat is now right at the stern...

Let me tell ya, that little boat MOVED... but the bow was flying up and the transom was crashing down... it was NOT good... and we were not even close to full throttle... Cara about jumped into the bay she was so freaked. The gas tank slid back and added its weight to the aft equation...

It was a long shaft and it just bit into the water and exploded.

We stopped, I tied Cara up front with the painter, shifted my weight and the gas tank a bit forward as well and then *very* gingerly got us going again...

Needless ta say I never told Himself about that trip.

It isn't gonna plane with a 3hp motor and 3 passengers, but with one person it will go fast. A friend lives in Halfmoon bay on a mooring and uses a 10 year old 10' portabote to get out to his boat on the ball and we have ridden in it with him and whatever he has on it, and with 3 adults it pretty much flew...

the action when you first step aboard feels weird but is easy to get used to.

They are smart little boats.

[Finditsurfit]

just make sure you are out of there by oct. I hunt there and do deliveries every year. Hurricane force winds are not uncommon. It was blowing 78 last time I was there and all we could talk about is how glad we where not to be on the boat. Just a heads up.