Inflatable type: pros & cons?

mogmog2

mogmog2

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Hello,
We're looking at inflatables. I have a 2hp outboard which will be used with it. Yacht will be sub 30'.
What are the relative merits of the type with a hard transom compared to the "all tube with bracket" type?

They look cooler perhaps? Must be more to it than that?
I would imagine the hard transom would cope better if the boat sprung a (non-catastrophic) leak & didn't maintain its rigidity properly.
Less drag as more hydrodynamically efficient tubes ending in the two cones?
But harder to stow as bulkier.

Looking at the seating position on the Redstart, looks possibly better than the transom sort as you're facing forward somewhat and your bum is on a more sheltered tube as it's on the rear quarter - so possibly dryer?

Feedback/experience would be appreciated.
Cheers
 
I've had both. I favour the redstart. I have a Seago transom type. While the transom and sponsons mean the motor is well supported and efficient, it also means the interior space is restricted. I prefer to row where possible; the Avon rows quite well for an inflatable using normal wooden oars (not paddles). The Seago is less stiff and doesn't row at all well. My wife has to sit in the bow of the Seago (sitting on the transom is not fun) which doesn't help with the trim. In the Avon she can sit comfortably, even with the bracket in place. Fitting the outboard bracket is a little fiddly, but not a huge problem. It's a better load carrier, too, and has better puncture resistance than the PVC Seago.
 
Once you get above 2.4m and want to use the outboard regularly, hard transom dinghies start to make sense, particularly if you opt for an airmat floor and possibly an inflatable keel. Roundtail dinghies do not motor well, but have the advantage in the smaller sizes of more usable space - although this does not usually mean greater carrying capacity as this is a function of buoyancy. On the other hand roundtails are usually lighter and pack down to a smaller size. Neither type in the smaller sizes rows particularly well.

Personally I think the Redstart/Redcrest is still the best bet for a small cruiser unless you want to motor long distances with a load. You can buy one in perfect condition for around £150 and it will last for years. The only downside is that they are heavy and if you are only an occasional user then consider one of the newer lightweight types - I have a 2.4m 3D, but don't expect such a long life.
 
Everyone's priorities will be different, but for me (also on a boat just under 30') ease of handling is top.
That is because I don't like to tow, except in very calm conditions. This means inflating, deflating, securing for passage is more or less a daily routine.
For this to be bearable in the long run handling of the dinghy must be easy. So I decided not to have an outboard, which in turn made the choice of a round-tail obvious.
I keep mine stowed strapped down on the coachroof with the floor-boards in place. This gives it a wedge like shape, which suits the space aft of the kicker. Inflating/deflating takes place on the fore deck, the whole operation is less than a five minute job.
Many people claim inflatables cannot be rowed, but in my view it is all about oar length (get longer than standard) and seating position.
 
Years ago my round tail Avon with an outboard on its diabolical bracket back flipped upwind. Many people carried 10 gallons of water in the bow as ballast. Modern transom dinghies have bigger tubes and are thus drier and row better as a result of the higher rowlocks. Airdecks make a big difference too. No contest for me.
 
I have had allsorts over the years, new and used, and I have finally come around in a huge circle to more or less to what StormNorm has said.

I could write a monograph on the subject but, for general use, on a small boat, I would suggest:

An Avon Redcrest - slightly bigger than the Redstart not much more inconvenient but has an extra bow compartment which can be deflated to get the thing on deck.
You can then stuff it with the U around the mast - either in front - where it will snag the genoa sheets. Or behind where it will impede your forward vision. Or, on my boat for short trips, upside down in the cockpit aft of the tiller where it makes a nice bouncy seat.
When deflated they will stow anywhere and you can stuff them into a locker with little fear of damage. They are very easy to inflate and a pair of proper 5ft oars work very well, so will the small engine if you take it steady
Using the wooden floor boards is a fiddle but makes them much more reassuring, particularly for the non sailor. It also gets around the problem puddle that always forms in the bottom of a dinghy without a floor. Plus dropping an engine into it from the deck is painless, something I hate to do with an air deck. To make things easier you don't need to ship all the boards, can cut them down, or make smaller ones to your own design.

On the other hand if you almost always use an engine, need to motor fast, have a larger crew, normally commute to a floating pontoon, need the extra protection of larger tubes, and are not planning to use beaches much then a good transom PVC dinghy might suit.
You can get an old Avon Rover with transom for little more than a good Redstart, they are not trendy but don't mind sunshine, patch easily and will last for 30 years + with a bit of care.
 
vyv_cox said:
Years ago my round tail Avon with an outboard on its diabolical bracket back flipped upwind. Many people carried 10 gallons of water in the bow as ballast. Modern transom dinghies have bigger tubes and are thus drier and row better as a result of the higher rowlocks. Airdecks make a big difference too. No contest for me.
Click to expand...

We only ever tow ours for short distances, and never with the motor attached.
As I said in my earlier post, the Seago is a hopeless rower, even with bigger tubes. It might be improved with a better seat. It isn't great with a motor either having poor directional stability. Nor is it drier, as it bends more when you sit on one of the tubes. Perhaps those with inflatable keels are better?

I had a Bombard transom type for a while. That was OK. A new(er) one would probably have been good.
 
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vyv_cox said:
Years ago my round tail Avon with an outboard on its diabolical bracket back flipped upwind. Many people carried 10 gallons of water in the bow as ballast. Modern transom dinghies have bigger tubes and are thus drier and row better as a result of the higher rowlocks. Airdecks make a big difference too. No contest for me.
Click to expand...

I have only had round tailed because they fold into a significantly smaller space. I would dearly love to have a transom because it is so much easier to manage the outboard, but I have managed for 45 years and become adjusted to it. For a weight in the stem I have used a water container but when leaving the dinghy I now find it easier to suspend a bucket from the bow, making a flip near impossible and also being lighter to deal with.
 
StormNorm said:
We only ever tow ours for short distances, and never with the motor attached.
As I said in my earlier post, the Seago is a hopeless rower, even with bigger tubes. It might be improved with a better seat. It isn't great with a motor either having poor directional stability. Nor is it drier, as it bends more when you sit on one of the tubes. Perhaps those with inflatable keels are better?

I had a Bombard transom type for a while. That was OK. A new(er) one would probably have been good.
Click to expand...
We would never tow with an outboard attached and never even leave it on overnight. Have seen far too many capsize in unexpected blows.

Quicksilver (now Sunsport) airdeck with inflatable keel has been superb, excellent to row but at 2.6 metres a little too big for our foredeck.Replaced with 2.3 metre ARIB that we don't like as much. Also have a Waveco 2.3 airdeck that is a lot lighter but quite impressive. That replaced a Waveline that was robust but very heavy.
 
vyv_cox said:
We would never tow with an outboard attached and never even leave it on overnight. Have seen far too many capsize in unexpected blows.

Quicksilver (now Sunsport) airdeck with inflatable keel has been superb, excellent to row but at 2.6 metres a little too big for our foredeck.Replaced with 2.3 metre ARIB that we don't like as much. Also have a Waveco 2.3 airdeck that is a lot lighter but quite impressive. That replaced a Waveline that was robust but very heavy.
Click to expand...

You mean your Avon flipped in use? Blimey! That's alarming to say the least. I wouldn't be very confident in the Seago in a high wind though.
 
When we used a Redstart (still in the loft) I used the blow-up seat turned through 90 deg. ie fore and aft. It gave a comfortable and vaguely adjustable rowing position. It also created a more 'keel-like' bump in the underside. Rowing, one up, was quite good; two up, less so. Motoring OK if you are not in a hurry. Longevity, unexcelled.
 
I've always used roundtail types; a Zodiac 240 for 35 years, brilliant bit of kit with large tubes, also a sensible orange -

when it expired I got a Seago 230 roundtail airdeck, after comparing all the budget dinghies this worked out best as lightest and best price at the time - Zodiacs are very silly money and said to be not as good now.

If the light 3D tenders had been around I'd have gone for one of those.

My boat has a lot of dinghy space for a 22', under the cockpit, but it won't take a transom dinghy, I tried a friend's 230 job.

The Seago is 'adequate ' for most needs apart from surviving months adrift in the Pacific - roundtails are perfectly OK and will not flip if you're used to them, mine have never felt inclined to and I don't put weight forward - I do sit in the middle holding the engine tiller if motoring though.
 
I suppose one thing that can be said about hard transom inflatables is that you can lock the outboard to the transom with a cable and padlock. Handy if you're leaving it whilst nipping off ashore and leaving it unattended.

I could never get on with the outboard bracket on Avon roundtails. I love Vyv's description of them as "diabolical"! Nail on head.
 
You can put a padlock through both the eyes in the ends of the clamps of every smallish engine I've seen.

The Seago engine bracket is easy to fit but cumbersome to stow, it may get modified in this respect.
 
Seajet said:
You can put a padlock through both the eyes in the ends of the clamps of every smallish engine I've seen.
Click to expand...

Yes, but if it's only locked to a bracket that can be unhooked from the dinghy, that doesn't help much.

I'm not sure it really makes much difference, but I assume that was Fred's point.

Pete
 
You line up the clamps so as to lock them together, which also happens to cover the bracket attachment.

Like most boat security this should stop the average casual yob, but it's very difficult to deter a pro' thief who doesn't mind destroying the boat with a knife or padsaw to get the engine - I knew of an inflatable which had been left locked to a mooring being stolen, they simply cut the painter lugs off...
 
prv said:
Yes, but if it's only locked to a bracket that can be unhooked from the dinghy, that doesn't help much.

I'm not sure it really makes much difference, but I assume that was Fred's point.





Pete
Click to expand...


I found my roundtail avon partially deflated to help remove both the bracket and engine but the xxxholes were disturbed so I had an inverted engine to deal with instead.
 
Thanks everyone, a lot of food for thought.

The transom dinghy that comes with the boat (optional extra) is being offered at a highish price. Haven't seen it yet but will probably not go for it especially as we don't want their motor as I want to stick with our 2.2 Mercury which is really light. That leaves us free for our own choice.

I think I need to print this off & highlight points of interest & then we sit dowh with a glass of something & work out what would appear to suit our needs best.

We are on a tight budget, so longevity appeals.
We borrowed a Silver marine Seabo transom boat, maybe 2.4 long? With 2 of us, not overly heavy & no cargo, I had to move off the windward sponson as I was getting wet - that's what made me think the roundtail may be drier. But the tube diameter on this boat is modern & therefore larger?

Also, the Seabo is monstrously heavy and bulky/awkward, maybe they all are? I haven't got anything to compare with, other than 25 years ago we used to have a massive Avon and I don't remember struggling that much with it and I'm not that old yet. Is pvc heavier than hypalon?

I wouldn't envisage towing unless possibly it was a short hop, say from Studland to Poole and the
boat has davits, although not sure whether we'll use them as presumably they'll impair windward performance. Any thoughts on davits?

There is a solid tender to get out to the boat, so the inflatable can be a bit less substantial as it will be for getting ashore rather than loading
 
I think you should bear in mind that any choice will be a compromise, but also any of the dinghies mentioned will do the light duty you envisage. We used our little Seago in Salcombe estuary, from the pontoon in the bag, for example, which is one of the longer dinghy trips from a mooring. I wouldn't be keen on either the Seago or the Avon from, say, Brownsea island to Poole quay in a blow, though. But then I'm a wimp.
 
I'm afraid all the modern budget dinghies have the same - small compared to my old Zodiac - tube diameter, not sure about the lightweight 3D jobs, which are roughly £100 more but in my case I'd have paid that for less weight if they'd been available at the time.
 
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