Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
You don't take the hard dinghy with you, you leave it at the mooring. The deflatable stays aboard for times when you need shore access away from your home port.
Pricing up dinghies.
- Thread starter tom_sail
- Start date
You don't take the hard dinghy with you, you leave it at the mooring. The deflatable stays aboard for times when you need shore access away from your home port.
maby
Well-Known Member
Indeed - and it's the deflatable that is so heavy that it nearly kills me launching and recovering it! When it's deflated and in its holdall, I can barely lift it off the ground. Manhandling it out of the cockpit into the water is a frightening prospect. We did not choose it - inherited it with a previous boat - now need to replace it with something more practical! Our mooring is a marina pontoon, so we do not need he hard dinghy...
Lodesman77
Well-Known Member
I launch/retrieve mine from the foredeck, with more room it's alot easier than from the cockpit and I can use the spinnaker halyard/winch to deal with the weight.
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maby
Well-Known Member
Our foredeck would be too small - or, more accurately, our dinghy is too big! I can crane it up and over with the boom, but it is a real pain - fancy one of those 3D Tender Lights - the 3 man version weighs about 20kg. less than half ours.
tom_sail
Well-Known Member
We have a friend with a moody 47 he launches and recovers his inflatable with an metal eye attached by a piece of cord to end of his boom, the main halyard runs though the eye to the dinghy where he has a 3point bridle permanently attached to the inboard eyes on the dinghy. He hoists up with the halyard winch at the mast. Works well and takes about 3 minutes to get it on board. The dinghy then lives fully inflated behind the centre cockpit.
maby
Well-Known Member
Great idea - but his 47 is 14 more than we have!
Lodesman77
Well-Known Member
I think that shows just how big a difference there can be between inflatables - my SD200 is rated at 22kg and I can get it onboard by hand fairly easily if I'm feeling energetic. I tried my friend's SD235 which is rated at 30kg, not too much heavier but only practical using the halyard. Over 40kg would be a real handful...
[edit] My boat is only 28ft!
VicMallows
Well-Known Member
When last replacing my inflatable, weight was my primary consideration. I mainly sail single-handed on my Sadler29. As a result I deliberately chose an 'E' (for economy) model . This has slightly lighter weight fabric, and smaller tubes, than the 'standard' models. At 18kg (without wooden seat and oars) I can easily launch/recover it. Manhandling it in/out of the cabin (I store it in the quarter berth) is still more effort than I would prefer, so I tend to store it on deck during a cruise.
There are numerous budget brands which all appear to originate from the same factory in China
Amazingly the going price seems to have FALLEN from around £320 4years ago to around £270 now.
Vic
There are numerous budget brands which all appear to originate from the same factory in China
Amazingly the going price seems to have FALLEN from around £320 4years ago to around £270 now.Vic
salinia
Well-Known Member
Excell SD 200
Here is an Excell SD 200 in use with a small Honda 4 stroke outboard.
Here is an Excell SD 200 in use with a small Honda 4 stroke outboard.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
That's one hell of a noisy engine. Don't think I'd want to use it in a peaceful anchorage!
Lodesman77
Well-Known Member
tom_sail
Well-Known Member
Is it a Honda bf2? I need to make a list of new new outboards too.
Lodesman77
Well-Known Member
salinia
Well-Known Member
Yes bf2. Those oars are noisy as well
Sound comes over a bit harsh on the video but yes the engine is noisy but has proven to be very reliable.
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Storyline
Well-Known Member
Tom Sail
o/t but if you plan to stay in Conwy for a few years it is worth going to see the harbourmaster and ask to be put on a waiting list for a mooring nearer to the town.
When we first arrived we spent the first summer approximately where you are but on the other side of the drying bank nearer to the Conwy marina. It was fine but a bit exposed sometimes. The following year we moved upstream nearer to Conway and in the third and subsequent years got one in the trot I have highlighted in green below.
Imo these moorings are the best in the river. You are tucked up under the woodland of the point which gives real shelter in westerlies. The mooring we had was second down from the north (vacant in the attached image). The only problem you might have is that on big springs we used to just touch at low water - with bilge keels then it was not a problem for us.
There used to be quite a lot of people coming and going in those days so it was quite easy to move up the mooring pecking order - especially if you got friendly with the harbourmaster - not difficult as he was a really nice guy - probably retired now though (just checked and he retired last year).
o/t but if you plan to stay in Conwy for a few years it is worth going to see the harbourmaster and ask to be put on a waiting list for a mooring nearer to the town.
When we first arrived we spent the first summer approximately where you are but on the other side of the drying bank nearer to the Conwy marina. It was fine but a bit exposed sometimes. The following year we moved upstream nearer to Conway and in the third and subsequent years got one in the trot I have highlighted in green below.
Imo these moorings are the best in the river. You are tucked up under the woodland of the point which gives real shelter in westerlies. The mooring we had was second down from the north (vacant in the attached image). The only problem you might have is that on big springs we used to just touch at low water - with bilge keels then it was not a problem for us.
There used to be quite a lot of people coming and going in those days so it was quite easy to move up the mooring pecking order - especially if you got friendly with the harbourmaster - not difficult as he was a really nice guy - probably retired now though (just checked and he retired last year).
tom_sail
Well-Known Member
Second hand hopefully, there was one for sale on here a few days ago. I want to get the dinghy sorted first then think of outboards.
Tom Sail
o/t but if you plan to stay in Conwy for a few years it is worth going to see the harbourmaster and ask to be put on a waiting list for a mooring nearer to the town.
When we first arrived we spent the first summer approximately where you are but on the other side of the drying bank nearer to the Conwy marina. It was fine but a bit exposed sometimes. The following year we moved upstream nearer to Conway and in the third and subsequent years got one in the trot I have highlighted in green below.
Imo these moorings are the best in the river. You are tucked up under the woodland of the point which gives real shelter in westerlies. The mooring we had was second down from the north (vacant in the attached image). The only problem you might have is that on big springs we used to just touch at low water - with bilge keels then it was not a problem for us.
There used to be quite a lot of people coming and going in those days so it was quite easy to move up the mooring pecking order - especially if you got friendly with the harbourmaster - not difficult as he was a really nice guy - probably retired now though (just checked and he retired last year).
That's brill thanks! We'll see how it goes, we had two choices deganwy end or Conwy end. We choose deganwy as the parking seemed easier and a little less tidal + the bridge scares me a bit with the strong tides.
Yes Tony has retired. He used to work with my mum in the local college which was a definite benefit.
blackbeard
Well-Known Member
On the topic of cheap fibreglass dinghies to get you from shore to mooring and back:
I suspect there are a good few sailing clubs, ours included, which have the opposite problem to you - there is a dinghy surplus. People with dinghies stop sailing, upgrade to a walk-ashore pontoon, whatever - and still have the dinghy.
At this point they would sell it for not much.
What can also happen is that it gets left on club premises where it makes the place cluttered. Often the owner can't be traced. The next working party sees a purge on old dinghies with no known owner, so some dinghies have to be got rid of, and again the club committee would be happy to accept a small sum and never see the dinghy again.
Maybe commercial moorings have a similar problem.
Anyway it's worth asking around. You may have a choice of several, choose a moderately large, stable one. Apart from that; the tattier it looks, the more likely it is to be still there when you return to your mooring.
Unfortunately our club is, apparently, a long way from your patch.
I suspect there are a good few sailing clubs, ours included, which have the opposite problem to you - there is a dinghy surplus. People with dinghies stop sailing, upgrade to a walk-ashore pontoon, whatever - and still have the dinghy.
At this point they would sell it for not much.
What can also happen is that it gets left on club premises where it makes the place cluttered. Often the owner can't be traced. The next working party sees a purge on old dinghies with no known owner, so some dinghies have to be got rid of, and again the club committee would be happy to accept a small sum and never see the dinghy again.
Maybe commercial moorings have a similar problem.
Anyway it's worth asking around. You may have a choice of several, choose a moderately large, stable one. Apart from that; the tattier it looks, the more likely it is to be still there when you return to your mooring.
Unfortunately our club is, apparently, a long way from your patch.
VicMallows
Well-Known Member
I don't think the OP was looking for a hard dinghy
Interesting that Chichester Conservancy hold an auction of abandoned dingies every year. Most are pretty groty but still seem to fetch surprising prices. (Maybe it's simply the convenience that they are already at Itchenor?).
tom_sail
Well-Known Member
I don't think the OP was looking for a hard dinghy
Interesting that Chichester Conservancy hold an auction of abandoned dingies every year. Most are pretty groty but still seem to fetch surprising prices. (Maybe it's simply the convenience that they are already at Itchenor?).
In the Ideal world i would have a hard dinghy. I only started pricing up inflatables as I couldn't find a hard dinghy locally, one has now popped up on eBay. If I don't manage to find one before mid march I'll be back to the inflatable idea. But I'll ask around local clubs first as suggested thanks.
