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 Practical to store an inflatable in rear locker?		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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jfinnert
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts
Initially Posted - 04/20/2002 :  20:01:52  Show Profile
For years I towed a hard dinghy behind the Irish Mist. I've got the dings in my rudder to prove it. I use the boat differently now, and while I will occasionally need to row ashore to an island, most of the time I'm just day sailing and don't need a dinghy at all. I'm considering the idea of getting an inflatable and keeping it stowed in the port-side locker.

West Marine sells a couple of 4-person inflatable dinghys with rolled up dimensions of about 15" x 20" x 38"; one with rollable slats (66 lbs, 8' 6"), and the other with a "high-pressure" inflatable floor (63 lbs, 9' 4"). By removing part of the fibreboard in the rear locker, it appears that either one could just fit on the shelf, assuming that the boat can be deflated and rolled up to that dimension again from the deck of a Cat 25.

Has anyone tried stowing an inflatable in the port locker? I've heard that it's only 3 minutes to inflate the smaller one, and 10 minutes to inflate the larger one... but in practice, and attempting to do this from the deck of a Cat 25, is this just too much effort? (even if I only do this 3 or 4 times a season)?

/Jim Irish Mist
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jandrus
1st Mate

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USA
79 Posts
Response Posted - 04/21/2002 :  20:08:14  Show Profile
I have the West Marine RU260 Dinghy - Its a great little boat and moves along at about 12 knots with a 3.3 hp as long as its just me aboard. It doesn't stow as well as advertised, though. Yeah, you could get it in the locker, but not without a lot of hassel and some moderate swearing.

I tow mine or roll it and stow it on deck.

Justin

c25 #1942 s/v tako kichi
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Mark Rials
1st Mate

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USA
39 Posts
Response Posted - 04/21/2002 :  20:32:07  Show Profile
I used to stow a Seveylor (sp?) 4 man in the
lazarette. It had a wood motor mount as an
optional purchase that would support a small
outboard. It fit well when stowed but was
ungainly to handle on deck while inflating
or deflating.

Mark

Mark & Pat Rials
C25 # 5450 "Garget"
Homeport Tampa, Fl.
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jfinnert
Deckhand

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USA
4 Posts
Response Posted - 04/22/2002 :  07:48:58  Show Profile
Yesterday I measured the dimensions of the opening to the port locker, and found that the smaller dimension is less than the 15" minimum required for the rolled-up dinghy, so getting it into the locker would require stuffing it in without rolling it. Sounds like a mess and a big effort. Not practical.

Since on-deck storage is only going to be used while aboard anyway, usually after going ashore but not yet returned to the mooring, it sounds like it might be most convenient to just leave it inflated and tow it, with (small) outboard stored in the port locker, until the end of the trip. That way there's at most one inflation and deflation per outing.
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Bristle
Admiral

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USA
834 Posts
Response Posted - 04/22/2002 :  12:23:34  Show Profile
BTW, at least the inflatable won't ding the rudder... But if you don't want to tow it, you could deflate it and bungee it to the pop-top or forward of the mast. It could make a good shield for keeping the forward hatch open a few inches in the rain...<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> Seems like a lot of horsing around, though--unless you get the Seveylor(?), which seems a lot lighter than the Avon/Achilles types.

Dave Bristle, 1985 C-25 SR-FK #5032 "Passage" in CT
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.