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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Another dinghy discussion!

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ColinR
1st Mate

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Canada
28 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/24/2010 : 21:05:47

Hello everyone,

In a bit of dilemma here.

Looking to buy a dinghy for my Dads- birthday/fathers day gift

To get to the point,

The boat will have to be a roll up.
We will not be towing this boat.
There will be large dogs (claws on an inflatable floor??)
The boat will probably be anchored close to the beach and then rowed towards the beach (hull type for rowing? what about beach landings?)

We were looking at this dinghy here on the West Marine website, and the only information that I have found about the "Solstice" brand is a post on sailnet advising someone not to buy their less expensive 400.00 dinghy.

The one that was presented to me as a possible choice is the Solstice Sportster Dinghy, this one here,

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=36637&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10110&subdeptNum=10594&classNum=10642

The slats look great and would protect the bottom of the boat from the dog claws, there is also a motor mount, which may prove useful in the future for getting to the boat on its mooring if we can't keep it at the dock any longer. It would be a short >100 yard trip though.

I also hope the bottom is durable enough for traveling to the beach and bouncing off the unforeseeable rock.

Now, the West Marine inflatables are made by Zodiac I understand, and come with a 5 year warranty.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=98504&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10110&subdeptNum=10594&classNum=10596

This would be the other idea.^

Through research though, it kind has become apparent that with dinghys; you have to buy one that suits your needs and you kinda have to 'pay to play'

I have checked the used local ads on craiglist and there are a few, but I am a bit weary of buying a boat with no warranty and not knowing how many times it has had to be repaired or if it has a slow leak.

Let me know if you need any more specifics. I appreciate your time and help on this.

Thanks!

1981 Catalina 25
Midland, Ontario

Edited by - ColinR on 06/25/2010 10:19:36

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 05:27:29

Hi Colin, I think the second dinghy would be a better choice. It seems like the beam on the first is lacking a little, and I think it's important with dogs that will bee stumbling around, etc.
I've got a 8' Quicksilver inflatable rollup with an inflatable floor and a 60 lb. Golden Retriever. The floor doesn't seem to be a problem but I only use the dinghy a couple times a year.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 06:34:48

Somebody also recommended against the Solstice on the [url="http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f2/solstice-dinghy-29629.html"]Cruiser's Forum[/url], but they seem to be talking about a different model. I'm guessing it's a Chinese knock-off of a Zodiac.

I'd put my money into an Achilles, Avon, or Zodiac for durability and dependability. Most WM boats used to be Avon and some were Zodiac (same corporation now)--you should be able to find out who makes any given model.

Friends have hauled their lab around in their Zodiac for years--no problems I know of... (I'd stay away from high-pressure floors with a dog--they're more expensive anyway.) My roll-up Achilles seems very strong, although the 3-piece wood floor adds a lot of weight--I replaced it with three pieces of 2" construction poly-foam.

Hypalon (Achilles) stands up better to a lot of sun exposure, and PVC (Avon) is lighter-weight for the same strength--take your pick.

A flat-bottom inflatable with little aluminum/plastic oars is not exactly a joy to row... It's hard to maintain your heading or course, although it does move along OK, and it's easy to make it spin around on its axis! (I run a little Honda 2 on my Achilles, and even that can be "interesting" to steer in tight spaces.) A hard dinghy like a Walker Bay or a RIB would be better for rowing, but obviously they don't roll up. Every boat's a compromise!

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 06/25/2010 06:36:52

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 09:28:55

Ditto on the Zodiac. This is where you want quanlity. I've had the 260 model for a dozen years and it's used a lot including towing on cruises. As with any rollup without a skeg or keel, it's a little finnicky rowing, but managable over a short distance. I use an eletric trolling motor on mine. I also had to finally replace two of the boards this year. Zodiac wanted $90 for a set of six. I cut them from a scrap seet of treated 1/2" plywood and painted them navy blue. They look exactly the same a the originals.

If you need to tow it tracks well with little or no loss in boat speed.

If you are concerned about your dog and beach wear, don't be. The hypalon zodiac uses wears almost like iron. When I broke the floor boards last year I installed a suitably-sized piece of 1/2" treated plywood that almost spanned the entire floor area. It worked so well that I intended keeping it and not replacing the broken boards. I may still use the one I have with the new boards.It tends to support the occupants better when standing or moving around the boat.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 09:32:20

I second the name brand idea. Our Avon is a Hypalon roll up with slatted plastic floors. Our 85lb chocolate lab has yet to do any damage that we've seen, and she likes to wander around a bit on the boat, but you hardly notice it. I'm more worried about her jumping out after something interesting than creating instability on the boat.

Hypalon is the way to go if you're looking for longevity (ours is a '94), it has a single repair on the underside of the deck which was there when we bought it. It's never leaked. PVC is less sun resistant, but an annual application of 303 will help with that. It's also less puncture resistant.

Ours didn't come with oars, so I found a pair of 6' wooden oars instead of the aluminum/plastic ones that I think came with it. With the inflatable keel, it tracks OK, not great, so it's a bit of a challenge to row, but I like doing it. It's fun to ghost along in the shallows looking at starfish & whatnot in it.

There are paints you can apply to the bottom to help reduce abrasion when beaching, etc., and you can also buy flip down wheels that mount on the transom so you can roll it up or down the beach w/o touching the hull.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 13:24:09

Good point about the oars Dave. The blades on the stock oars are not large enough and will not propell the boat well in wind and wave. I use a pair of aluminum canoe paddles with a "T" on the end to keep them from slipping through the oar lock.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 06/27/2010 : 04:35:57

One other thing to consider is the repairability of pvc vs. Hypalon. Most of my raft/dingy experience is in whitewater paddling. You do lots of repairs on rocky river trips. You can repair hypalon a lot easier than PVC. It's almost impossible to get a good repair on PVC. but of course there may be some new repair systems out there now, but hypalon is worth considering the extra up front costs. I like the plywood floor idea.
I own an 8 foot Achilles hypalon dingy with inflatable floor. The floor is removable and will make a good floaty toy by itself. I put a 3 hp motor on it.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 06/27/2010 : 07:27:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Gloss
 ...The floor is removable and will make a good floaty toy by itself. I put a 3 hp motor on it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Interesting ride!

Edited by - on

ColinR
1st Mate

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Canada
28 Posts

Response Posted - 06/28/2010 : 13:01:09

Thank you for your help everyone! We took all your advice and went with the WM 260 model. Also, thanks for sharing what you've learned and done with your dinghy after getting it. Will definitely make its usage more enjoyable.

Edited by - on

Gloss
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1916 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2010 : 10:32:12

Yeah dave,
3 hp on the floor would be an interesting ride. I guesse I should proof my posts for intelligence. But then I wouldn't be allowed to post at all

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