Gordonmc
Well-Known Member
You really need to consider what use the dinghy will be put to.
With a pontoon berth its likely the main use will be getting ashore from a visitor mooring or anchorage, in other words short rows rather than long slogs.
I used a round-tail Achilles in Hypalon with a Hurley 22 (from Ardorssan) and although I made a bracket and had a small motor it was invariably far easier to row ashore.
On the pontoon the dinghy was small enough to go below. On a trip one of the two sections was deflated and it lived on the foredeck. Launching was a ten minute job single-handed, lifted over the guardwires.
I found it better to pull the dinghy back on deck than to tow it.
I kept the Achilles when I got a bigger boat, but found it couldn't cope when I moved to a mooring. Because of the distance from the shore multiple trips were needed to cart bags, grub, memsahib, off-sprung, dog et al.
As someone else has mentioned, working on a round-tail with an outboard isn't to be advised... the weight of the motor plus operator on the back makes for a very unstable combination.
I succumbed and bought an old 2.7 Avon with transom plus motor. It can take the loads but its one heck of a weight to handle solo.
It will stay on the mooring and I will revert to the Achilles for trips away.
With a pontoon berth its likely the main use will be getting ashore from a visitor mooring or anchorage, in other words short rows rather than long slogs.
I used a round-tail Achilles in Hypalon with a Hurley 22 (from Ardorssan) and although I made a bracket and had a small motor it was invariably far easier to row ashore.
On the pontoon the dinghy was small enough to go below. On a trip one of the two sections was deflated and it lived on the foredeck. Launching was a ten minute job single-handed, lifted over the guardwires.
I found it better to pull the dinghy back on deck than to tow it.
I kept the Achilles when I got a bigger boat, but found it couldn't cope when I moved to a mooring. Because of the distance from the shore multiple trips were needed to cart bags, grub, memsahib, off-sprung, dog et al.
As someone else has mentioned, working on a round-tail with an outboard isn't to be advised... the weight of the motor plus operator on the back makes for a very unstable combination.
I succumbed and bought an old 2.7 Avon with transom plus motor. It can take the loads but its one heck of a weight to handle solo.
It will stay on the mooring and I will revert to the Achilles for trips away.
