Seago, Wetline or Avon dingy?

[Jcorstorphine]

I am thinking of buying a new dingy this winter and was looking at the SEAGO 270 or 290 Airdeck models. Having had a total disaster with a Campari dingy a lifetime ago I am a bit reticent to go for a low price dingy rather than an Avon (problem is the Avon is twice the price) I have a new Suzuki 2.5HP 4 stroke to use with it.

Can anyone give the benefit of their experience with a Seago or any other dingy in this price range. Also, is the 290 too big for the 2.5 HP Suzuki?


Thanks

John

 

[rivonia]

I presume that a 290 is a 2.9 meter dinghy? if so you will need a minimum of 4-5hp if you want to carry more than one person. We have a waveline Rib with a 4hp and it JUST gets up to plane with two up. It is 2.5 meter.

Peter

 

[sarabande]

Avons are pricey, but lasting and quality. Have you thought of looking out for a second-hand one ? I had a Redstart with a 3.5 Tohatsu, which planed down wind and down waves occasionally.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have had a Quicksilver 270 for six years of Med cruising. We almost always tow it astern and do not have a sun cover for it. The original airdeck material failed, went sticky due to plasticiser loss, but this type has now been superseded (by most other manufacturers too) The dinghy itself looks perfect, performs well and has been a very good buy. It rows OK and is quite quick enough with a Tohatsu 3.5.

 

[doug748]

I had a Campari years ago as well, disaster. It had a clip on outboard bracket, to which I proudly attached my seagull motor. Before I could blink the whole thing capsised backwards, with the bow sticking up and the outboard two feet under water. I never dared sit in it after that.
I have been in the same quandary as you and have just bought a 2.8 Avon Airdeck. I found these people very helpful (Ron Hale Marine):
http://www.ronhalemarine.co.uk/superbasket/category/10/Used_Inflatables_&_RIBs
I notice they have a demo model Avon 2.8 at around £1100. Ignore the other used one as I have just bought it! If you need a less expensive one they seem to have a regular turnover. The Seago was on my shortlist but it is rather heavy and I need to lift the thing on deck, I rather liked the Avon type rollocks though.
At the moment I use an old, very heavy, 11ft Avon with my small outboard so I can say that your 2.5 will be fine - but your progress will be steady rather than spectacular. I have a 2 1/2 mile trip to my mooring, pretty open water so I try to have the tide with me when I can.

 

[VicS]

If you are only going to be using a small engine is there any point in the weight and cost of either of the Seagos mentioned. The 290 will take 4 persons and a 10 hp engine while the 270 takes 3 persons and a 6 hp engine.

You could consider one of the other boats in the Seago range
There is a 270 with a slatted floor which costs less and is lighter.
A 240 with an inflatable floor, still with 3 person capacity but costs and weighs even less but has slightly smaller tubes.
A 240 with a slatted floor
and a 230 round tail with an inflatable floor, the lightest and least expensive of the range and capable of taking an outboard up to 3 hp but still with a 3 person capacity.

They are all made from the same PVC coated 1100 Decitex material but therein lies the big difference between them and the equivalent Avons. The Avons are made of Hypalon coated material, the feature that gives them their legendary longevity and resistance to sunlight.

 

[Tranona]

A 290 is big for a tender and heavy. The small engine will move it but not give the performance the boat is capable of. A 2.4 or 2.6m is more than adequate. The PVC boats are much improved and the difference in performance and life compared with an Avon is much smaller than it used to be.

From what I have seen there is little to choose between boats in similar price brackets - the "test" in the mags also find little difference overall. So the choice is based on features you want - type of floor particularly and your assessment of fittings etc - plus of course weight.

I use both a budget Plastimo and an Avon and think they both give good value - if you have a very long time horizon at least 10 years or more the Avon may be a better buy. I shall be replacing the Plastimo when I need to with a £400 ish airfloor - not hung up on make will just look at what is best to me at the time.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I am thinking of buying a new dingy this winter and was looking at the SEAGO 270 or 290 Airdeck models. Having had a total disaster with a Campari dingy a lifetime ago I am a bit reticent to go for a low price dingy rather than an Avon (problem is the Avon is twice the price) I have a new Suzuki 2.5HP 4 stroke to use with it.

Also, is the 290 too big for the 2.5 HP Suzuki?


Thanks

John

For me it's Avon or Zodiac every time. More expensive but worth it, they'll last for years and years, probably more than can be said for most other brands.

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Experience with a SEAGO 270 Airdeck

We have a SEAGO 270 Airdeck with a 2.5hp Suzuki, which we use as a tender, it carries 2 people plus a very large dog (really 3 small people). It’ll plane with just one on board, and it’ll go a lot faster than I can row with 3 on board. The rowlocks (AVON style) are good, but the oars supplied are useless, I bought a pair of Plastimo 1.8m jointed wooded oars which work well. We didn't buy a bigger outboard because of the weight, the 2.5 is heavy enough to get on and off the stern of the SEAGO.
The foot pump is a bit small and slow and the air hose, which has a bayonet fitting, comes undone because the inflation hose is stiff and twists off of its own accord. I’m fixing that by buying an electric pump this winter.
I’ve also fitted a pair of extra pad eyes on one side to help store the dinghy on its side across the stern of the boat, they help me get it high enough so it doesn’t drag in the water when going to windward.
The only problem we've had is the dinghy flipping over whilst moored astern when we are anchor. I suspect that’s to do with the large tubes rather than the particular design and it has to be blowing hard, it happened in Loch Toridon, where we had mini tornadoes spinning across the loch. The Suzuki got dunked, very briefly because the dinghy did a 360 roll, and I had to strip the Carb’ and clean all the water out. I also changed the oil as a precaution, but there wasn’t any water in the oil. However, the engine started 1st pull after cleaning and has been going OK ever since.
So all in all it works OK, I got a good deal for the SEAGO and the Suzuki from Duncan’s in Glasgow. We've had it for 2 seasons and if I was buying again, I’d probably buy the same.