# Recommended Engine for Walker Bay 310 RID (10ft)



## jonb (Sep 23, 2006)

I have going through the dinghy decision tradeoffs and am likely to go with a Walker Bay 310 RID (10').

I was considering either an inflatable RIB (10') with 9.9hp outboard as a fast, heavy carrier with the obvious issues of motor weight, lousy rowing etc.

vs a lower power, lighter motor solution of a Walker Bay 10 with the RID kit with a 6hp motor (max rated and considerably smaller/lighter than a 9.9hp). 
We want something that in most cases will be rowed but occasionally will be used to get around with the motor. 
Given that the Walker Bay is not a planing hull does it benefit from a 6hp or should I go to a 3.5hp for a lighter still solution.
If anyone has experience with a motor on the Walker bay 10 (or 310) it would be appreciated.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I had a walker bay 10 for awile. I mostly rowed it, but did use a motor on it for a little wile. My motor was a 1991 Johnson 3hp. It pushed it ok, but it made one hell of a wake at full speed. 

I sold it and went back to my Avon since it was too heavy to haul up on deck. Also the 3hp makes my Avon plane off.


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## jonb (Sep 23, 2006)

I too am concerned about the weight of the Walker Bay 10 but felt I could handle the weight of the boat on a halyard lift more readily than the weight of a larger outboard. The dinghy would only be lifted for storage when the boat is not in use as normally it would be towed. Maybe this thinking needs to be revisited and I should look for a lighter, rowable solution with a modest motor.

Any other input on the weight of the Walker Bay 10 as well as whether there is any performance benefit to going with a 3.5hp vs a 6hp would be appreciated.
The Walker Bay data suggest you can get to 12mph with a 6hp. It sounds like it might be optimistic.


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## mountforever (Apr 19, 2009)

I too would be interested- I was thinking about getting the Walker Bay 8' rigid dinghy with the RID kit and trying an 8hp 2 stroke suzuki (Which tend to be fairly light)


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Last year we bought a Walker bay Odessey Air Floor 270 AF (8ft 10 in). The advanatage was its weight as well as the 17" tubes and the many D rings and 4 lifting rings for the davits we have all ready installed in the tender. ($1000 at Defender) Very stable tender with a maxc load over 1100 lbs but easy to stow delated in the bow area for long trips like when we go to Mystic this summer and dont want it hanging off the davits in the ocean.

With it we coupled a new 4 HP 4 stroke Tahatsu. Plenty of power for what we use it for. Not really caring about planing either. The advantage of the of the 4 hp vs the 3.5 hp was it had an integrel tank + a connection for an external tank. Anything small hp did not. we bought a 3 gallun moeller external with a quick connect so we can take long cruises up some of the rivers and creeks here in the Chesapeake our main cruising grounds. 

Dave


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## jgeissinger (Feb 25, 2002)

I have had a Walker Bay 10 for some years now, and have used a variety of outboards on it. For putting around the marina or going from boat to shore, a 2hp works fine, We used a 3hp and made 3-4 mile ocean trips along the shoreline at Catalina at 4-5 kts loaded. A later 4hp made the same trips at 5-6 hp heavily loaded. It has great interior room and a dry ride through chop. (This is the non-inflatable, rigid hull version) We got it up to 8-9kts with a 6hp, but that is really pushing it. It only barely partially planes, it's a displacement hull, after all. A 9.9 would be useless weight and money. A 3-5hp lightweight 2 stroke would be my recommendation.


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## MSter (Apr 1, 2008)

I recently purchased the 310 RID and use a 4hp merc 4strk. This seems (to me) an optimal combination. I have found I mostly row this dink as I am able to anchor close to my destination with only a 3'8 draft. I have used the engine for poking around more distant shorlines and the 4hp is perfect. Good power for the weight and the tank is still internal with no mixing. Overall I am very pleased with the Walker Bay. It is roomy, very stable with the RID, and IMO more versital than most other dinks I have looked at. 

I initially tried to store the dink on my foredeck. This was quite a chore as it took up ALL my foredeck real estate to the point I could not untie the bow lines or even get to my anchor. So, needing to store it when not in use, I installed davits on my boat which seems overkill on a '27 but I only use them when docked at my home port. When underway I tow the dink and keep the motor secured to the stern rail.

Bottom line...I think the 310 RID with 4hp is a great combo. I have no doubt this dink will far outlast the engine, which will be replaced with another 4hp.


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## Aloha82 (Jul 31, 2009)

*WB 310 Rid*

The WB310 will not plane. I would opt for a 6hp (max rating with an inflatable tube option) for heavy hauling. I use the Merc 3.3 2-stroke on mine. I opted for this engine because it is verly light (abt 30 lbs). The stern plows badly in this boat. Heavy motor + operator is a bad combo. I have my passengers sit up front to help level it out. My crazy brother has a 8 hp on his and he installed whale fins on his motor to help dip the bow. Hope this helps.


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## bigbrownpilot (Sep 17, 2014)

I know this is an old thread, but we're also considering a Walker Bay 275 or 310 RID for our Hunter 380. We have a Lehr 2.5 propane short shaft engine, which I think would do great on the 275 but might be a but underpowered on the 310. I don't think we would ever try to haul it onto the deck since we're looking at either the Ocean Marine Systems davit kit or possibly a Weaver tip-up system. If we get the tip, up, we would probably only use it in port and would tow the WB while underway. My wife would prefer the 310 because of the nonskid floor panel, but I've been favoring the 275 for lighter weight and the fact that the Lehr 2.5 will probably work great on that size boat. Would love to hear thoughts and comments from anyone who has experience with the WB RID.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Each boat sold in the US has a plaque on it with the max payload, POB and HP rating on it. I would guess this information is available through the vender or manufacturer, as well.
Given the maximum POB and HP rating you can then figure the optimum HP for your needs; One person, less HP, 2 or 3 people then more HP to achieve your desired speed/comfort.
Then its a simple matter of going to the bank and taking a second (or is it third?) mortgage out on your home, to finance your dink.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

we have a new-to-us walker 310 on which we run a 2.5 suzuki 4 stroke. With 420 lbs aboard, full throttle in mild winds and 1 ft swells saw 5.1 knots max, according to gps.


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## IStream (Dec 15, 2013)

bljones said:


> we have a new-to-us walker 310 on which we run a 2.5 suzuki 4 stroke. With 420 lbs aboard, full throttle in mild winds and 1 ft swells saw 5.1 knots max, according to gps.


I have exactly the same setup and love it. We've got two adults three small kids, and a dog and it works great. It's very stable and does everything we need. The only negatives as far as I'm concerned are the 150lb weight, which makes it a chore to store on deck, and the fact that the stern plows if there's only only one person aboard, which requires the use of a tiller extension. Otherwise, its fantastic.


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## HankOnthewater (Jan 26, 2007)

I have had my 8ft Walker Bay for many years, which also has tubes, but I actually never use them.
On that I have used a 3HP Yamaha 2-stroke and a 2HP Honda 4 stroke. The Yamaha pushed the boat a bit faster, but caused a much bigger wake.
I used a 4-stroke 4HP Yamaha on a 10 ft WB: I thought was far too heavy with not much gain.
For me 2HP is better, and either the Honda (now with 2.5HP) or the Suzuki that the 2 previous posters have, would be my preferred choice because of:
* light weight: easy to get on and off, and better boat balance
* 4-stroke: no mixing
* built in tanks (about an hour of motoring at WOT)
* reliability (hmm, I think all new engines are reliable)
my 2 cents


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## mountforever (Apr 19, 2009)

Had my walker bay for sailing around the bay. I had the 8'er. This would be fine for in port. I wouldn't recommend the 310 because of the size and weight. We transported the 8' on the roof of a station wagon when needed. If you are going such a short distance with a small motor I wouldn't go with the 310. Sounds like you've made up your mind and just needed a little nudge . The 275 is super stable and will be perfect. Especially for towing.


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## Ciarars (Apr 11, 2019)

What speed could you get with this combo?


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

A 2 hp eggbeater outboard will push a WB hard dink at hull speed. Anything more is wasted.

NB I STRONGLY recommend that any of the WB hard dinks get the inflateable collar. It may save lives when the WB is swamped and sinks.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

Ciarars said:


> What speed could you get with this combo?


Full throttle on my Honda 2.3 is more than my Walker Bay 8 can handle. %50 throttle its moving along pretty well. These boats don't need much power.


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