V hull yacht tender

[simonck]

Hi, opinions please on the best yacht tender in the 2.7m range ?

The Sun Odyssey I bought last year came complete with a nearly new flat bottomed Plastimo raid 2.7m dinghy, Steering it is akin to steering porridge, if you don't concentrate and get the approach to your final destination perfect there's a pretty good chance you'll need to go around to try again. When it's just me in it, the engine is steered at an angle of about 20 degrees from the direction of travel just to maintain a semblance of a straight line. I know that the dinghy itself is probably perfect for the charter market or weekend sailor but we're living aboard and I've had enough.
My question is does a v shaped hull solve my problems and which is better a solid aluminium v or inflatable. I'll be using it with an epropulsion electric and have no intention of getting a petrol outboard and racing round anchorages pi$$ing other yachties off.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Tranona]

V bottom will be better but the reality is light weight, lots of windage and not much underneath is not a recipe for precise control! Trim is all important and 2.7m is a large boat for one person who needs to be sitting as close to the middle as possible. Inflatable or aluminium is always a trade off - weight against convenience if you are planning to deflate when underway.

For 30 years or more many liveaboards preferred choice was an Avon Redcrest. Flat bottom doughnut shape but tough as old boots and one learns to live with its dynamic deficiencies.

 

[Humblebee]

A V bottom is fine when actually using the dinghy but can be a PITA when going onto a gently shelving beach or even a slipway. I got rid of ours after one season and went back to a flat bottom inflatable. Steering is a bit more of a challenge but hey, that's all part of the fun!

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I've been using a Seago 2.7 with an inflatable floor and keel for at least 12 years now.
I find them, I've had 3, easy to row, and have good directional stability, for an inflatable.
Originally I used a Suzuki DF 2.5, and that planned one up, but you have to sit forward and on the centerline.
I'm now using a Epropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus, that will also plane, one 70kg person, as above.
The first 2 disintegrated with UV, used 6 month of the year NW Scotland, my latest one, new this season, is Hyperon and it will be interesting to see how long that one lasts.
I have noticed that the Epropulsion has different drive characteristics at low speed, and a tendency to go sideways, probably due to the very different type of prop. It took awhile to get use to that, but having mastered slow speed maneuvering, a sideways drift can be quite useful.
As for coming ashore on a beach or a slip, I tilt the outboard and row in backwards, there's much less draft at the stern, and you can see are going. I can than step, over the transom, out without getting my feet wet, most of the time.