# Dinghy - High-Pressure Inflatable Floor



## jorgenl (Aug 14, 2006)

I am just in the process of determining what type of dinghy I will buy.

Intended usage is on Chesapeake Bay during short term (weekend cruising).

I have a 30’ boat.

I have read thru all the old threads I could find about dinghies and cannot find the info I am looking for, hence the new thread.

I do not want an RIB (I think) because of limited space on foredeck. Right now I am looking at the following West Marine dinghies:

1. RU 3-Person Rollup Boat - $1,049.00
2. HP4 High-Pressure Inflatable Floor Sportboat $1,799.00
3. 4 Person Sportboat - SB4 Sportboat - $1,399.00

I am especially interested in pros and cons for alternative 2 and 3 as per above.

To the point:

It seems to me that it might be nice to have the High Pressure inflatable floor boat and not having to deal with floorboards? Is it worth an additional $400?

For the Outboard I am thinking Merc 3.5HP.

Thankful for and advice and opinion.


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

I have an Avon R280HP high pressure inflatable floor and love it. We can't put as large a motor on it as a RIB, but we can also easily store it away and it weighs a lot less. I have heard mixed reviews of the West Marine dinghies. They are made by Avon and Zodiac, but not to the same level of quality from what I understand. We had a Johnson 3.5HP on it which worked OK (for slow putt-putting around) but now we're upgrading to a 6HP Merc.


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## AtlanticBryan (Jun 27, 2001)

I have an HP floor on my Avon. It works well, although the valve is poorly designed and inclined to leak slowly. I'm not sure it takes up less room than a roll-up floorboard - I've never seen the floorboard version rolled up. The inflatable floor rolled up is about four inches thick.

I agree with Labatt about the power issue. My dinghy is rated for 8 hp with the inflatable floor, but an 8 hp motor is a pretty heavy beast to hoist onto the back rail. I've traded the 8 in on a 5 hp Mercury (the lightest 5 hp available) and am more than satisfied.


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## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

Good question. Dinks are a tough subject. I have had 4 (I think) so far and have not found the perfect one yet. The RIB is by far the most useful, durable, fun and easy to tow. If you are going to bring it along for short cruising in the bay than towing is a reasonable option. 

All you need to do is inflate a dink once on deck and you will realize how difficult it is. Inflatable floor is a cool idea as it saves weight, but if you deflate it it is just more to inflate and beaching can cause damage. Tinker is another option. 

Whatever you get I doubt it will be your last, so you might go cheaper with used. 

Some questions you might want to answer for yourself. 

Do you want to park the boat at anchor and go touring in the dink? - get a RIB and a big engine.

Do you plan on multi day passages offshore on a 30 footer? - go small roll-up and small engine.

Do you plan on running around the home harbor with your dink and plan on keeping at your boat? Get the RIB setup OR get a sailing dink, walker bay or Fatty knees.

Engines are a whole other subject, but I see a use for 2 for me, a lighter weight 5-6 hp and a 15hp cruiser.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

We have a 10' Avon inflatable bottom that we leave on the davits...love it. Currently with a 2 hp Honda.

Before you buy from Worst Marine, check out Inflatable Experts and Maritime Solutions, both in Annapolis...theres also a Avon dealer. Definitely get hypalon material.

Heres a link to some used boats from MS...
Maritime Solutions Inc (Annapolis, MD)

Oh yea...and forget the wood slat floor boards, you will hate it

Buying used you may have enough to buy a davit?


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Another consideration is the material used. Hypalon is much more durable and UV resistant than PVC. I believe most, if not all, of the West Marine inflatables are PVC. I have a small Achilles with a wood floor which I tow behind my 30 foot Cal when cruising. I love the Achilles, but putting the wood floor together is a bit of a pain. The wood floor however is definitely sturdy once put together and the inflatable keel makes for a boat the handles better than a rollup.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I asked this same question a while back and what I got was the HP floors are the best soft floor out there but not near as good as a RIB. Id have to say without having owned a HP yet, it HAS to be better to deal with than wooden floorboards. Those I have owned.
A coat of UV paint when new will make a PVC boat last much longer I would think. Less money/weight than Hypalon, just not as durable.


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

My suggestionn would be to focus less on inflatables and more on hard dinghies. For weekend cruising on the Chesapeake, on a 30' boat, your best option is to tow. Otherwise you will be spending an inordinate amount of time loading the inflatable on/off deck and/or inflating/deflating it. Towing an inflatable is a pretty poor option due to drag and tracking.

Of the common hard dinghies (Fatty Knees, Trinka, Dyer, Gig Harbor, Walker Bay, etc), my least favorite is the Walker Bay (wobbly) and my preference goes to the Dyer (flat bottom -very stable). Most of these offer a sailrig option, which if you have kids is the only way to go (the sailrig is fun for adults too). Also, with a hard dinghy you can skip the outboard and just row.

If you have the time, you might also consider building your own dinghy. Chesapeake Light Craft (in Annapolis) offers two very nice tenders as kits, the 8' Eastport Pram and the 11.5' Passagemaker Dinghy. For most purposes the Eastport Pram is more than adequate. We needed a larger sailing/expedition dinghy for our family so we built the Passagemaker. I cannot commend either of these dinghies highly enough. Links to both below.

http://www.clcboats.com/boats/eastportpram.php

http://www.clcboats.com/boats/passagemakerdinghy.php


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## jrd22 (Nov 14, 2000)

We have had both(RIB & HP floor) and the HP air floor is the only way to go IMHO. The RIB will plane better but will require a bigger, and heavier, engine to do so. They are also heavier to hoist on deck and then you have to be careful when setting them down or turning them over because of the hard hull on your gelcoat. Ours is an 11' and one person can pull it up over the lifelines with ease. We have a Mercury hypalon which was rated highest by Practical Sailor. After a year of use we love it and would never go back to a RIB.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Anybody ever try one of these?
Porta-Bote Dinghy


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

USCGRET1990 said:


> Anybody ever try one of these?
> Porta-Bote Dinghy


I have a 12' 6" Portabote that my better half bought me for use as a fishing boat. I'm using it as a dinghy for my boat as well. I like the Porta-botes a lot. They're very durable, easy to row, stable, and can carry a lot of cargo. I will be fiberglassing the transom piece, since it is plywood, and is showing its age.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Well, that's what I was thinking as I don't have a dink yet. They don't list a price though, so I'll have to do some more research.
Hey check this out:
A Folding Foldable Portable Boat Dinghy Porta-Bote Porta-Boat Portaboat Portabot


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

You might reconsider your space/weight concerns. Everyone I know with an inflatable keeps it in the water all season, tows it as needed. If you took frequent offshore pasages where you'd want it put up or away, your concerns would apply. 

We've had an RIB for a number of years and its just an absolute wonderful solutions, very stable, tough and fast. I for one would never go back to a soft bottom...


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## capecodphyllis (Dec 7, 2006)

jorgenl said:


> I am just in the process of determining what type of dinghy I will buy.
> 
> It seems to me that it might be nice to have the High Pressure inflatable floor boat and not having to deal with floorboards? Is it worth an additional $400?


No. Not unless the most important thing to you is weight reduction. Consider a collapsible tender in hypalon, such as the Caribe C27 with an inflatable keel, 17" tubes, and a fiberglass slat floor - they just pop right in - what's the big deal? The slats make for a firmer ride with less possibility of puncture.

if you move up to a 5hp you'll be able to zip along on a plane with one or two people. I doubt it with a 3.5 unless you're real light.

Caribe Fleet - C27 Picture


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

I agree with Phyllis...the inflatable floor is nice and light but subject to damage. I'd go for slats...hypalon is a must and an engine of 3hp is fine for the Chesapeake and getting into shore and back. It is totally inadequte for cruising so think about your longer term needs when buying if cruising is in your future. 
Suggest you give defender.com a call when you get ready to buy and know what you want...they can deliver many brands of dinghys and will beat prices of others. You need to CALL for a price as they do not advertise their dinghys on line due to mfr. price restrictions.


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## Gene T (May 23, 2006)

otaga05 said:


> I've been kind of fascinated by this dinghy. Portland Pudgy multifunction dinghy--the fun boat that could save your life!
> Does anyone have any experience with it?


It's cute, but looks like a 2 person boat and is kind of heavy and expensive for that size. As a boat junkie I want one though.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

*Clarification*



T37Chef said:


> Oh yea...and forget the wood slat floor boards, you will hate it


All of these can be rolled up:

These floors good...
 
wood bottom ---------------inflatable bottom

This type of floor bad...


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

USCGRET1990 said:


> Anybody ever try one of these?
> Porta-Bote Dinghy


Yup, have one. It rocks for what it is. Survived a 30 kt storm in the bearing sea for four hours in mine. Last year duck hunting it was gusting to 70kts ( why do we pay weather guessers? Forecast was for 30 kts) but we were in a foot of water. When we got out the boat and motor were blown 100 yards away. Yea, it was ugly. BUT the fold a boat was fine. I have a rack on the side of my ATV to carry it. All that said, it would be a royal pain in the butt to open up on the deck of a sail boat.


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Dinghy Selection

Some good insight on this link, however they don't talk much at all about traditional dinghies


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## jorgenl (Aug 14, 2006)

Gents,

Thanks for all your info, most helpful.

I am leaning towards the High Pressure inflatable.

Will buy one before my upcoming 4th of July cruise of the Cheasapeake and will let you know the result.

Thanks again.


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## Beneteau63 (Mar 22, 2009)

*Zodiac 285*

I bought this last year and it has wooden floorboards and two aluminum rails that attach to the sides. it worked fine last year but after the winter (it was stored upside down outside and didn't get much weather) the boards won't snap down no matter what i do. Any ideas?


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Bene—

You'd really be better off starting your own thread, since you're Off-Topic here. Read the POST in my signature to learn how to do that... also, posting photos of the boat would be helpful too... You'll need a minimum of 10 posts to post links, which is the easiest way to post photos, also mentioned in the post in my signature.


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