Has anyone got any recommendations for a good Dinghy ?

[Bajansailor]

Re non-deflatable dinghies, the BIC Sport Yaks have a lot going for them

http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/

 

[Kelpie]

Re non-deflatable dinghies, the BIC Sport Yaks have a lot going for them

http://www.bicboats.co.uk/Dinghies/

Except freeboard. My Dad had one and I remember lots of wet bums.

 

[srm]

Thanks for that, what you say makes sense, never considered a hard dinghy myself before, but certainly food for thought. Probably easier to keep clean too and you don't have to keep trim charging the tubes...!

Yes, the plastic on my Pioner is almost none-stick. After a couple of months afloat the hull was covered with small barnacles and alge. Rowed to the beach, turned it over and scrubbed with stiff brush and sand. Barnacles came off easily with the brush handle. Younger growth can be washed off with a hose and pan cleaner.

Incidentally, mine is almost as stable as a deflatable. I can stand on the deck against the side without risk of capsize (around 11 stone). My wife swims and boards over the stern with me rowing.

 

[John100156]

We buy Agua Fuerte, basically a dilute hydrochloric acid off the shelf in supermarkets in Spain, just brush it on and within seconds is disolves the barnacles which saves scrubbing, excellent stuff and should not harm the boat as it comes in a plastic bottle.....

 

[geem]

For me the only decent dinghy here in the Caribbean is a RIB. We dive from ours. Its stable enough to sit on a tube with all your dive gear on. It doesnt bash the boat when you come along side. Its relatively light and durable with the hard bottom. It planes well and will take a big engine to get us places. Quite often a mile journey here is normal heading into town from an anchorage. It stows well on deck without damage to the deck. If we are crossing ocean we can deflate it to make it smaller and easier to stow for rough weather. I have looked at alternatives over the years but I always come back to a RIB.
The two main brands here in the Caribbean are Caribe and AB.