Rigid or Inflatable ?

[Hurleyburly]

Which dinghy ?

Got to be capable of carrying 3 people. Going on top, or in the back of the car and light enough to be carried by one person.

Which outboard to power it - I like the look of the new Honda 2.3HP.



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[Talbot]

trouble with the honda is that it has to be laid down on the ground one way only otherwise the oil will run out, and it is noisy. However I do like the air cooling and the centrifigal clutch. My money is on the tohatsu 3.5 as a better bet for the money. Dinghies - you pays your money and takes your choice. For a single person lift you will probably have a slatted floor version due to the extra weight. I have had one of those and am going to an airdeck with keel because of the better handling in the water, and better performance in waves. For 3 people you are better off going for a 2.6m boat. The Quicksilver is a nice boat, but I have bought the zodiac 2.6 fastroller cause I think that it is better. If you only want it to last for a short time, buy one of the others. Alternatively look on http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/pages/inflatables.php

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[Evadne]

If it's going to be carried by one person then it has to be an inflatable, unless your name's Geoff Capes or you go for a folding one. I had a rigid grp dinghy that I could carry on my own. As a result it was paper thin and the each grounding on a concrete slip put holes in it everywhere. An outboard folded the transom like paper and even the strain of rowing eventually split the hull at the rowlocks. I now have a stronger one but it takes two to lift it.
If you're carrying an outboard in the back of a car, especially if you mainly use it for getting to/from the mooring then consider an electric one. They're not over powerful and the battery box is a pain, but they start first "pull" and don't dribble oil and petrol everywhere, as well as being quiet.

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[kilkerr1]

We bought inflatable for various reasons: you can roll it up and stick it the car (or small boat), carry it easier etc. It's got a slatted wooden floor which makes it feel nice and sturdy. It can do 2-3 peeps, and carry a 5hp motor. We've got a 4hp on it, great fun.

Husband tho' does also want a rigid one because you can't fish if you're dragging your inflatable behind you...

Agree with previous post, have a look at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/pages/inflatables.php>Boats and Outboards</A>, that's where we got ours. Lots of people also sell theirs with outboard, which is good. Ebay also usually has some gooduns.

Good luck.

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[reeac]

An 8 foot GRP tender has more interior space and so people and luggage capacity than similar inflatable - I launch ours from a trolley and so weight doesn't matter. If you want a light, compact [when folded] inflatable an Avon Redcrest weighs 17 Kg. as compared with 27 Kg for a Compass slatted floor inflatable and you soon get used to the feel of the undulating flexible floor. We use a GRP tender for getting to and from our swinging mooring and carry a folded Redcrest which just fits in the space under our Sadler cockpit floor. We've had our Honda 2 bhp. for 5 seasons now and are happy with it although I find that it's a bit sensitive to the choke setting.

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[waterboy]

I have a dual need for my dinghy, first as a yacht tender and secondly, as an escort boat for children's club sailing in Lasers, Picos and Oppys. The latter dictated an engine powerful enough to tow one or more of the little "darlings" upwind and against the tide and at a reasonable speed. I bought a Quicksilver 3 metre with a 9.8 hp Tohatsu outboard. I then fitted a pair of hinged wheels, roughly 6 ins in diameter that folded neatly out of the way on the transome and are pretty good on any grounds other than sand or shingle beaches. I fitted an outboard lifting crane to the yot which really made life a doddle, even compared to my days of lightweight 2 hp 2 strokes. I used davits on my previous boat but don't bother with my newest which is a bit bigger with space for transome or foredeck mounting, still inflated. This combination of dinghy and outboard has lasted me very well for 3 seasons so far and I have no desire to change or improve. I suppose the only downside was the cost, roughly £2,000.


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[Stemar]

I'm on a swinging mooring the best part of a mile from the slipway. I have to cart tender, outboard and kitchen sink in a small car, so I went for the Zodiac Cadet 230 and Tohatsu 3.5.

The Zodiac carries all my junk and two people happily, or 3 people and less junk, but it won't plane with more than 1 person and not much junk. It's also a bit like a hovercraft to steer, especially at low speed, but I suspect this is a feature of most inflatables. This apart, it rows OK. It does roll up and go in the boot of a Peugeot 106 and I can carry it 100 yards if I really have to (low springs!!!).

The I've had the motor one season and it's behaviour has been impecable. It weighs next to nothing and my only grief was a rope around the prop that broke the sheer pin (2 mins to replace).

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[Oldhand]

I thouroughly recommend a Zodiac 260 FR with either Tohatsu 3.5, Mariner 3.3 or Mercury 3.3 (all basically the same engine). The inflatable floor & keel make the dinghy much more of a boat than the flat bottomed versions and as long as you position the load to allow the bow to ride at the best height, it can be driven into waves without getting wet. The suggested motors have ample power for the 260FR and are much lighter than 4's or bigger. They run at least an hour & half on a tank at sensible revs.

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