Need New Dinghy...Rigid or Inflatable?

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

$314 usd for a 10 foot cat dingy plan is a bit high unless they are giving you the full size paper templates

Cotemar,
Where did you get your dinghy? Did you design and build it yourself? I would love to see it in action. If you built yours you must have developed plans, why don't you sell us all a set?

[Parmenter]

Originally Posted by minaret

My hard dinghy. That's right, it has roller furling! And twin rowing stations with sliding seats and 7' spruce oars, allowing two to row while someone is still at the tiller. Rows amazingly well, with just one.

They weigh about 130kg
And they sell for (not very many I would imagine)

NorseBoat Standard Pricing June 2013
NB 12.5
Standard production boat with sail kit! $14,995

Bit rich for a 12 ft dinghy methinks, I dont care how good it is.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Parmenter

They weigh about 130kg
And they sell for (not very many I would imagine)


Bit rich for a 12 ft dinghy methinks, I dont care how good it is.

Lol! Bet you can't build one for less! Quality dinghies are expensive. I note the kit boat you guys are talking about costs 5k for the kit, and they "estimate" eighty hours for completion! So if you pay yourself a fair wage for your time, you'll have more money into it; and it doesn't even have a sail rig or the ability to sail.

Look at Gig Harbor dinghies, they are even pricier. Or, god forbid, Whitehall Row. They want over 30k for a dinghy! Most of the people I know who cruise with large boats use big RIBs with consoles and big outboards. 10-20k all up, and lots of maintenance. This might seem rich to you, but really it's a fairly normal price range for a big cruising tender.

[Rocketman]

[QUOTE=minaret;1413843]Lol! Bet you can't build one for less! Quality dinghies are expensive. I note the kit boat you guys are talking about costs 5k for the kit, and they "estimate" eighty hours for completion! So if you pay yourself.

QUOTE]

The spirited 3.2 and 2.8 kits, cost between $1200.00 and $3000.00 depending on which material you decide to use. The plywood is the cheapist, and foam the most expensive. Then you have shipping from AUS to USA. Yes 80 hours to complete but I would call that an 80 hour self taught class on boat building for the price of a dinghy.

[minaret]

[QUOTE=Rocketman;1413850]

Originally Posted by minaret

Lol! Bet you can't build one for less! Quality dinghies are expensive. I note the kit boat you guys are talking about costs 5k for the kit, and they "estimate" eighty hours for completion! So if you pay yourself.

QUOTE]

The spirited 3.2 and 2.8 kits, cost between $1200.00 and $3000.00 depending on which material you decide to use. The plywood is the cheapist, and foam the most expensive. Then you have shipping from AUS to USA. Yes 80 hours to complete but I would call that an 80 hour self taught class on boat building for the price of a dinghy.

"Self-taught" class, eh? That's a good one. I'm all for people building their own, it's a good thing. Just don't know how much you're gonna learn from yourself.

If we take their eighty hour estimate, and do the usual "double it" for the amateur/marine factor, and we pay ourselves a modest $30 an hour, where do we stand? And that's without figuring in the cost of tools which you may or may not already own. Next we can discuss whether you got a pro finish or not. Some people care whether their gear looks nice or not. And we haven't even looked in to the shipping cost yet either.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by downunder

Ask Spirited for a study plan for the size you are interested in.

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

Spirited Designs - Home of the Spirited 380 by Craig Schionning

One mate is building a 3.6m as fishing tender for his 45ft Brady powercat and another is going to build a 4.2m after looking at the 3 being built in Hervey bay. He reckons it looks extremely seaworthy and will make a great coastal/reef fishing boat.

Can be built with Ply, foam or balsa.

Very little power as they are so light. Recon a 15hp on a 3.6m would be good but would get away with 9.8. Kits vary from 2,500 for 3.6 to just under 5,000 for the 4.2 (a large boat). Haven't priced smaller. Foam slightly more expensive than balsa and ply. Ask for a study kit on size you are interested in and it has the prices of the various kits (come with all tapes and resin).

eg
3 .6m Ripple Tender
SPECIFICATIONS
Try your hand at composite building with this ideal entry level
project. The perfect tender or family explorer. For more sizes in
the Ripple Tender range please contact us.
The 3.6m Ripple Tender
3
LOA 3.62m / 11ft 9 ”
BOA 1.2m / 3ft 9 ”
DRAFT 105mm / 4.1 ”
DESIGN DISPLACEMENT 55kgs / 121 pounds
BRIDGEDECK CLEARANCE 155mm / 6.1 ”
PAYLOAD 350kgs / 771 pounds
MAX ENGINE SIZE 25hp
ESTIMATED BUILD HOURS 85 (basic standard finish )
DUFLEX BALSA KIT COST AU$2545.00 excl. gst
PLAIN FOAM KIT COST AU$1660.00 excl. gst
GABOON PLYWOOD KIT COST AU$1375.00 excl. gst
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL COST
TO COMPLETION
AU$400.00 excl. gst
( excl. cost of outboard


Cheers

This guy said just under 5k for the 4.2 kit. That's where I got the number. It's the only one thats close to the same size as mine. The rest are, well, dinky.

[Rocketman]

[QUOTE=minaret;1413894]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

"Self-taught" class, eh? That's a good one. I'm all for people building their own, it's a good thing. Just don't know how much you're gonna learn from yourself.

If we take their eighty hour estimate, and do the usual "double it" for the amateur/marine factor, and we pay ourselves a modest $30 an hour, where do we stand? And that's without figuring in the cost of tools which you may or may not already own. Next we can discuss whether you got a pro finish or not. Some people care whether their gear looks nice or not.

Yes, there are allways 2 ways to look at things, is the glass half full or half empty, I am a half full guy!!!! I love to learn new stuff and would rather be doing something with my hands that is productive. How many on this forum have spent way more than 80 hours and have nothing to show for it. It is entertaining, even if nothing is learned.

[minaret]

[QUOTE=Rocketman;1413900]

Originally Posted by minaret

Yes, there are allways 2 ways to look at things, is the glass half full or half empty, I am a half full guy!!!! I love to learn new stuff and would rather be doing something with my hands that is productive. How many on this forum have spent way more than 80 hours and have nothing to show for it. It is entertaining, even if nothing is learned.

By all means, build one! And then post some video of its performance, I don't think we'll be getting any proof of performance elsewhere. Good attitude, dude.


I'll post some vid of my Norseboat sailing this evening. Gotta figure out how to remove the soundtrack on a youtube vid, too much blue language! Sailors...

[Cotemar]

This thread may interest you guys.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1413947

[darylat8750]

The Norseboat is very nice but many places I anchor require several miles to town and SWMBO does not have the patience for a slow dingy. Also initial stability is desirable when older or less nimble folks are boarding/disembarking. Also too heavy for my application.

The folks from Down Under are just too pricey for me. I've tried a Livingston and the larger ones are ok but too heavy. Very interested in what Cotemar comes up with.

I'm retired and don't bill my self for time spent on my boat hobby so building one has some merit. If I kept track of billable hours I would have been broke years ago.

[HopCar]

Minaret, I love your little dinghy. It reminds me of the boats I learned to sail in.
Nice to hear the good report on your Lehr outboard.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by minaret

Lol! Bet you can't build one for less! Quality dinghies are expensive. I note the kit boat you guys are talking about costs 5k for the kit, and they "estimate" eighty hours for completion! So if you pay yourself a fair wage for your time, you'll have more money into it; and it doesn't even have a sail rig or the ability to sail.

Look at Gig Harbor dinghies, they are even pricier. Or, god forbid, Whitehall Row. They want over 30k for a dinghy! Most of the people I know who cruise with large boats use big RIBs with consoles and big outboards. 10-20k all up, and lots of maintenance. This might seem rich to you, but really it's a fairly normal price range for a big cruising tender.

The 4.2 ripple tender will compare very well with and any big center console RIB, be lighter and need less HP for similar performance.

[Parmenter]

Originally Posted by minaret

Lol! Bet you can't build one for less!

I can guarantee I could build something that does a similar job for a hell of a lot less.
Or I could just go an out and buy any one of hundreds of sailing dinghys from $1000
Heres a nice little Hunter for $3800
2006 Hunter 146 Sail New and Used Boats for Sale - au.yachtworld.com
or a custom built sailing boat for $3700
2009 Custom Made Sail New and Used Boats for Sale - au.yachtworld.com
or a rowing skiff for $850
2011 Compass Project Bevins Skiff Sail New and Used Boats for Sale

All will get me from the boat to the beach just fine

Quality dinghies are expensive.

They can be
Some people perceive that expensive and outdated construction techniques = quality

I note the kit boat you guys are talking about costs 5k for the kit, and they "estimate" eighty hours for completion!

I was not looking at a kit, there is no way in hell I would shell out that sort of money for a few sheets of foam, a bit of glass and some resin.

FWIW on my last boat, the dinghy that gave me 10 years of service took me a weekend's work and cost about $300 in materials (6mm gaboon, glass, epoxy, house paint) and was still going strong when I sold the boat.
Didnt look pretty but it carried 3 of us from boat to beach every week through that time and brought supplies back with no mishap.

But, I am happy you enjoy your dinghy, but like I said, it is not for me for many reasons.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Parmenter

I can guarantee I could build something that does a similar job for a hell of a lot less.
Or I could just go an out and buy any one of hundreds of sailing dinghys

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was not looking at a kit, there is no way in hell I would shell out that sort of money for a few sheets of foam, a bit of glass and some resin.

FWIW on my last boat, the dinghy that gave me 10 years of service took me a weekend's work and cost about $300 in materials (6mm gaboon, glass, epoxy, house paint) and was still going strong when I sold the boat.
Didnt look pretty but it carried 3 of us from boat to beach every week through that time and brought supplies back with no mishap.

But, I am happy you enjoy your dinghy, but like I said, it is not for me for many reasons.

Its the 4.2m that is 5K , the 3.6m (still largish) in foam is half ($2,600) whilst the ply kit is $1,300. This includes the tempory ply frames and everything computer cut from 5 foam or other panels and all tapes and resin. There is a fair bit in a kit and the 3rd party (ATL composites obviously wants its pound of flesh.

Individually we will assess the value or not.

From study plan

The 3.6m Ripple tender is built using light-weight

panels computer-cut to size. These are fastened

to an MDF build frame making the assembly

quick and easy. This is an ideal project to gain

hands-on experience with this type of construction

and if considering a bigger project will make

a good sized tender. Due to the size of this design

it will easily accommodate a family of 4 to 6.

A nice feature is a foredeck area with dry storage

below and small side decks full length to add

strength and allow for an area to sit on.

Seats are built in at the back and the front of

each hull. The tunnel acts as the main fore & aft

seat and this would be used when rowing.

The light weight panels can be supplied in Gaboon

plywood, Balsa or Foam core and are an

excellent source of buoyancy as well as extremely

strong. The seams are taped together

with Double-Bias tapes supplied in the kit. West

System epoxy is used for all bonding, taping and

fairing.

The panel joins/seams butt together on the inside

surface edge leaving a ‘V’ shaped void

which is filled with epoxy filler (detail shown below).

The build frame is designed to be interlocking

and machined with slots for easy alignment/

assembly.

The parts are cut using 5 panels and 3 sheets

of MDF for the temporary frames.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Parmenter

Stability?
I for one have had a gut-full of tippy dinghy's

Next time I have my 11' Whaler in the water, I'll get a picture of me standing on one of the gunwales (and I weigh 230 pounds).