RIB or inflatable keel tender?

[s/v Jedi]

You're all wimps, this is the ultimate dinghy:

Fun: Redneck9



:-)

ciao!
Nick.

[Joli]

Pretty much agree with what Nick said. If you have the room get a rib, if not do the best you can with the variants. We use an Avon 3.4 with a 25 and will most likely bump up to a 4.5 with the same engine. Ours lives on the foredeck between the mast and inner forestay and although davits are nice I've seen the damage that can occur when a dinghy is pooped in rough weather. Great when anchored not so great when in the lumpy stuff.

[Cheechako]

The davits will get used 80-90% of the time and IMHO are one of the highest on my cruising list. Passagemaking? put the dink on deck for that 10% of the time. What it's like putting the dink on deck: Pull the dink along side the boat (damn it's choppy this am) Remove the gas tank and all the paraphanelia, find a way to hoist the 100-125 lb motor onto the stern rail (oh well, that knuckle will heal, but that scrape on the mother ship wont...damn), Get back on the mothership and secure the motor (wow those screws on the outbaord are really seized up fast, better lube them and get the toolbox out to work them loose), Move the dink forward, now where is that bridle I made?, Got the bridle, back into the dink to attach it. Honey, HONEY!, can you hand me the halyard? (boy this dink is bouncing around in the chop, now I'm soaked), not that.. the other halyard! OK, got the halyard on the dink, back into the mother ship. Now for my exercise cranking the halyard winch. Oh Crap... got the bridle on the dink backwards... it's angled like a ski slope... back into the dink. Oh crap I didnt unwrap the halyard from the winch and now that I'm in the dink it is taught. Back into the mothership, release the halyard. Back into the dink, turn the bridle around. OK now I'm set, crank the dink up (whew! but I do love that RIB). Now got it crossways on the deck (Boy those barnacles grew fast, what a mess, oh well what's a cruising boat without a bunch of scratches on the cabin?) Honey, do you think you can help me turn this over? or shall I try the halyard? OK got 'er turned over, (boy I thought I got all that sand out!) Now I need to get it strapped down real good, I'm wet and slimy and that orange goo on the bottom of the dink is gonna look real nice on my genny.... Honey, Maybe we should just leave tommorow? "gimme davits or gimme death"