Dinghy recommendation for SMALL boat...

[warrior 90]

Originally Posted by Latitude42

I have a 19' Spindrift (Starwind) sailboat. Getting things fixed to do some sailing on Lake Michigan & Superior this summer. Some of the destinations I'd like to visit seem to require a dinghy. In the past I just beached my other 19" I built, this one draws 18".
So, what would be a manageable dinghy for my 19' sailboat?
I have a 1.5hp Cruise-n-carry I could use on it...

Thanks.

Sorry, only place I know where to buy is one company in Germany. Because of weight I have researched this topic. They call that expedition kayak
Lightest in weight is inflatable kayak with drop stitch tech @ 10 PSI
This thing is a real freighter

AirTrek 515 FLex DSKayak and IMO best in it´s class


Lenght 515 cm/202 inch

Width 78 cm/30 inch

Weight 21,9 kg..... Dry weight 48 Lbs

Max. Load 295 kg ...Load capacity 649 Lbs

Passengers 1-3 Person

Pressure 10 PSi

Pack Size 85 x 50 x 35 cm .... Pack size folded
@

https://www.ds-kajak.com/airtrek-flex-515/

What makes it so unique ... there is an inflatable kheel in the bottom. So it will track very well. There are also some that mounted electric drive on the bottom. go to Ytube

Yeah....1399 €
But what to do when weight is an issue ?
What I like in general about those kayaks is You don´t need Davits and can store it every where.

Here watch how it goes together/ Yes and with electric pump much faster

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPEnC7XV4fs

Next in line is the Slider Kxone....a little smaller
These two brands are not made in China

But then there are lot´s of clones on Alibaba with similar characteristics in all sizes.... but when You look closer.....You get what You pay for.

Next in line for me would be an inflatable cat. Easy to get in on the front and also good volume and load capacity. There are also Cats with DROP STITCH TECH

[Hoodsail]

Latitude; another option, albeit a rigid one is the geodesic kit boats. Our Boats - Geodesic AiroLITE Boats
I'm not affiliated with this company nor have i built one yet (on my list of things to do some northeast Winter), but the 8 ft tender weighs just under 30 pounds, 50 inch beam, capacity almost 500 pounds and kit is about $120 with estimated hours to build a bit over 100...
thnks
dave

[JON REISWIG]

My comment regarding using a kayak as a dinghy is initial stability. With an inflatable dinghy I can if needed sort of fall into it & not go overboard. I would like the lightness of the kayak and ease of paddling but I think it would be hard to step from my boarding ladders amidship onto one without losing your balance. I keep looking for ideas that can help up at our age (82)

[hamburking]

18" will get you pretty close to shore. Maybe a pair of hip waders instead of a dinghy? Since you can't "pull up on a beach", you are going to need 2 anchors (at least) and rode as well. All that going to take up a lot of space on your small boat.

I sailed a C&C25mk1 and used an Avon Redcrest (no transom, no floor, no engine, no seats) as my dinghy. It was excellent, but when deflated filled the hanging locker completely.

I sailed (with my daughter) a Siren 17 in the 1000 island (Lake Ontario). We brought 3 anchors and rode. There was no space for a dinghy.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Latitude42

I do have a 13' hard Kayak, I never thought about towing one... I might give that a try. How well do they tow, any recommendations on the best way to accomplish that?

I do not recommend at all using a hard kayak, either sit-on-top or sit inside. It is a lot of hassle for not much benefit. They don't hold much, are very tippy and use up a lot of space. The only benefit to a plastic boat is that you can drag it over barnacles and not do too much damage to it. And I say this as an owner of two hard shells, one plastic and one fg. And I used to use my whitewater slalom kayak as a dinghy and carry 2 sacks of groceries in it. But I could not use the spray skirt of course so everything was kinda damp and it was a challenge to exit and climb a ladder... fast though! And don't think about towing it, that is a recipe for disaster IMO, or at least a recipe for a slow trip and or having to cut the thing free. Worst case scenario you find yourself trying to pull it up on the foredeck in too much wind and then things go south. Ask me how I know

I can understand the reticence about an inflatable in terms of its initial stability, but my whitewater style with large tubes and a drop-stitch floor is remarkably stable. Too bad you can't somehow give one a test drive.

Now that all being said, my friend with a Catalina 27 seems to do fine with his (I BELIEVE a) WestMarine 310 (10' with a transom) and he leaves it inflated and inverted on his cabin top all the time. He also carries a 5 hp engine on the pushpit for it. So if you have enough room on the cabin top for that, it can work, as long as you can get around it and it is not in the way of any lines. In my own case it is much simpler to roll up and stow on foredeck.
Here's a shot of the family in ours:
Cruisers & Sailing Forums - Don C L's Album: Channel Islands - Picture
BTW, it has the option of opening the drain plugs and making it a self-bailing boat; useful n whitewater, but less so in dinghy mode.

[warrior 90]

Originally Posted by JON REISWIG

My comment regarding using a kayak as a dinghy is initial stability. With an inflatable dinghy I can if needed sort of fall into it & not go overboard. I would like the lightness of the kayak and ease of paddling but I think it would be hard to step from my boarding ladders amidship onto one without losing your balance. I keep looking for ideas that can help up at our age (82)

Hahaha Yeah, I totally agree, but if You wanna do some serious exploring and Your boat can´t get in because of Your keel and shallow water, and also limited space and no davids then things get complicated.

Today I would go to a drop stitch CAT but they were not available at the time.
For longer passage it´s very practical if You can fold it and store it away because that allows You a bigger and more comfortable size.
I also like it when You can store it away in a decent made bag. This way it lasts much longer when exposed to the sun etc.

This is also an interesting option from Sea Eagle @ 16 feet when You are already using an out board. ... also DROP STITCH inflatable

Hull Weight 45 kg. (50 kg. with transom)
Length 488 cm
Width 137 cm
Interior 366 cm x 91 cm
Load Capacity 1 to 3 Person or 800 kg
Deflated Approx. 153 cm x 61 cm x 31 cm
Chambers 3 (Port, Starboard, Floor)
Tube Diameter 15.24 cm Drop Stitch
Air Valves 3 Recessed One Way
Inflation time 17 min. w/ BTP Two Stage Electric Turbo Pump

https://www.seaeagle.com/InflatableF...eycode=TFWW8B/

Yeah, 110 Lbs is a little on the heavy side but this thing is really an awesome machine and a real explorer that You can also use on the weekend or for just a little afternoon hopping around with family and kids right out of the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDDjp2IOXS8

Don´t know ...when I look at all those toys with multiple uses I always think.... maybe the typical idea of dinghy is a little out dated

[Dave_S]

Not like this.

[Latitude42]

The folding dinghy looks pretty cool. I'll investigate that a little more. I am seeing a few good small inflatables though. Thanks for all the great recommendations !

[Secondshift]

We've had a "sit in " kayak capsize and become a drogue behind a Catalina 22. We've used a hard kayak, an inflatable kayak, a 12' Carolina Skiff and a couple different roll up inflatable dinks over the years.

Of the bunch I've found the roll up the most versatile. Stores in its own bag. Can be used with a motor. Can take multiple passengers plus gear in one trip. Doubles as a liferaft.
Make sure the oars have locking hardware. A through bolt with a nut lock it into location and keep propper rowing angle. This factor is the diffference between rowing well or cursing well.

Good luck and Best Regards

[thomm225]

The main problem with a foldable kayak unless you tow it is trying to assemble it on a small boat.

My 16'6" Cooper Folbot will fit into a back pack but I keep it assembled during the season and on the deck of my Bristol 27 ready to use. It's a PITA trying to assemble while at anchor

I can see that towing could create all sorts of problems also especially when it gets rough.

I don't have a boarding ladder either. I just sort of step into it and squat down while holding onto the toe rail. Getting out is similar but a bit more complicated.

Many times I'm coming back to the boat from hiking so once back at the boat I'll take a swim, then get back into the kayak, then onto the boat. Or use the kayak to get more leverage and pull myself into the boat using the stern railing

[warrior 90]

This cat is the smallest I know of 9,6´@ 60 lbs
Tubes and drop stitch floor

https://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable...aran-nc290.asp

In my opinion the weight makes all the difference with the handling

[Lemsteraak]

We've had a Folbot 2 person Greenland folding kayak as our dinghy. It was our only boat at first and when we bought a 30' sailboat, gave it a try. As Thomm said above, it is a pain to assemble, takes 15 minutes when you know how but it is stable and paddles well. Fits in our engine "room" in two cases. Our sailboat has leeboards and is shallow draft so we can get really close to shore and moor with the fishing boats. If we were further out it might be a real pain to set up the kayak every time we want to go in. Doing it again, I think I would look for a used Feathercraft, a Canadian folder that sets up quickly and paddles super well.

I would probably recommend a full inflatable kayak as they are smaller and lighter. My brother in law picked up a Sevlor on a special promotion from UHaul. It was butt ugly, but he used it as his dinghy for his VW Van and they went everywhere with that puppy even whitewater rivers. They have come a long way since and I understand the newer ones are pretty good paddlers.

[siamese]

Of course, any dinghy is a compromise.

We sail Lake Michigan in our Catalina 28MKII, and only occasionally need a dinghy. Because we don't use it often, I don't like to have any additional hassle from outboard and fuel storage, etc..

We went with a Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak. It looks a little toy-like, but if you read the many reviews on it, and watch the youtube videos, it's difficult to find a bad review on it. Amazing bang for the buck, and it comes in a nice carry bag. I sew canvas for my boat and other projects, and figured I would need to sew a better bag, but was thoroughly impressed when I saw the bag they include.

We're able to store it in a locker at the stern, or on a smaller boat, it could be stored in the bag and lashed somewhere.

It can be fairly easily blown up in the cockpit and deployed. We can fit two people and supplies in it. And, it's drier than our hard kayaks. More freeboard, and it rides over waves better by flexing a little. With our hard sit-in kayaks, it's entirely possible to get drenched by punching into a wave or a wake.

We opted for the better seats that are available for it, and are pleased with them. We're going to take our travel trailer down to Mobile, Alabama for the month of February and will take it with us to mess around there.

[Lake-Effect]

On our 19' microcruiser, the keel retracts fully, so beaching is an option. We can also dock just about anywhere. We also have some good dry-bags, so that swimming/wading ashore is possible, and we change ashore. So we haven't much felt the need for a dink.

This past summer, I bought (for cheap) a used sit-on 2-seater kayak that breaks into 3 pieces. It's not, um, a terribly great kayak, but it's stable enough and better than nothing. The pieces could be chucked into the cabin during the day. We haven't actually used this on a cruise yet, so I don't know how practical this will prove to be.

I don't think that towing anything behind 19' sailboat will ever be fun,so if you truly need a dinghy, an inflatable something that rolls up would be the best choice.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Shrew

It would need to be a sit-ontop or you'd need a way to seal it. They are not self-draining, and that will be a tremendous amount of drag if/when it gets swamped. Even splash over many, many hours will eventually cause an issue.

This all depends on when and where he sails. I can't imagine a 19 boat out in too much weather.
a. They don't take water if you use a cover, which you use for storage anyway.

b. I've towed one 20 miles across the Chesapeake before, as a test, using a multihull that was pushing 8-10 knots much of the time. I skipped the cover and I think it took only a few ounces of water. Probably depends on the yak.



One thing that helps is towing them pretty close so that the bow feels some upwards lift.



The reality is that there are few good tiny answers. I used blow-ups on smaller boats. To me, the best answer is something really, really small, barely a boat at all. As for hauling fuel and stores, how much do you think a 19' boat holds? Just go to a dock. We're not talking world cruising and will need to be compromises. I'd rather keep the 19' boat open and empty.