370 lb RIB dinghy on Kato davits.... too much weight ?
- Thread starter Anuska
- Start date
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- #24
FWIW, the dinghy in discussion is not a center console.
That's a very nice tender, but it seems like way too much boat to hang off the back of a 38' Island Packet, on any kind of davits.
Panoramix
Super Anarchist
If I were to bother with davits, I would consider a hard dinghy with a small outboard, a good pair of oars and a small rig. You may not go as far away but exploring a new bay silently under sail is fun, you can carry a lot in some of these and they look good on davits. You can get all these features for half the weight of your RIB!
I know that lot of cruisers swear by RIBs but I am not convinced, you get the disadvantages of the risk of leaks combined with the lack of foldability...
I know that lot of cruisers swear by RIBs but I am not convinced, you get the disadvantages of the risk of leaks combined with the lack of foldability...
kent_island_sailor
Super Anarchist
My dinghy weighs 178 pounds with a 75 pound engine. That is plenty heavy for us, I am not sure I would go heavier.
I actually have thought of getting a pure inflatable I can store in a locker and a 2-3 HP engine for times when I can't or don't want to tow a dinghy.
* you also have the "don't want to go backwards* issue, I existed for a long time with an 8 foot Dyer. Now I can take 4 people and 2 big dogs for miles at 18 knots, I feel like I need to do this
I've been through that same process with dinghies over the years. Can't even remember them alI.My dinghy weighs 178 pounds with a 75 pound engine. That is plenty heavy for us, I am not sure I would go heavier.
I actually have thought of getting a pure inflatable I can store in a locker and a 2-3 HP engine for times when I can't or don't want to tow a dinghy.
* you also have the "don't want to go backwards* issue, I existed for a long time with an 8 foot Dyer. Now I can take 4 people and 2 big dogs for miles at 18 knots, I feel like I need to do this
I now have a small (9') AB aluminum RIB with 8hp 4-stroke outboard. All-up weight is about an honest 200 pounds (91 kg). It lives in davits on the back of my powerboat.
The final dinghy on my last sailboat (40') was a slightly larger and much heavier fiberglass AB RIIB that lived upside down on the foredeck. Had an 8hp 2-stroke Yamaha, so the all-up weight was closer to 240 lb (109 kg)
Frankly, dinghies like this spoil you. We've treated both of them like pickup trucks, sometimes going miles to grocery stores at 15 knots. I regularly take my current one the 3+ miles from our mooring in NE Harbor to the town dock in SW Harbor to go to Hamilton Marine. If I do it early in the morning, when It's calm, I can easily get there in 15 minutes door-to-door. It takes about 45 minutes to get there by car.
If all I ever needed to do was go back and forth to the dock, or get around an anchorage, a nice rowing boat, may even with a sailing rig, would be a more rational choice. (I had an 8' Dyer with a sailing rig many decades ago.)
It's all about how you use your dinghy.
Not two big adults.
Let me introduce you to proper dinghy wheels. These work with 2 people. Little plastic ones do not. These are standard equipment in Mexico which has a fair bit of surf landings.
Panoramix
Super Anarchist
I've never cruised on a boat with davits and I've always used an inflatable, sometimes oar or paddle powered, sometimes with an electric motor, sometimes with a 2HP petrol motor, once with a 3HP motor (good enough to plane with one on board!).
I sail in an area with strong tidal currents and the only times when I wished I had a stronger engine (a 6HP would have been perfect) / more stable boat was at times I was trying to bring lines around / pushing around boats in strong currents as people where rafting / unrafting . There were also times when I wished I had capacity to carry 6 people in one go. Nevertheless I don't think that it is an unreasonable compromise considering the economy of weight, space and hassle you make.
But then as pointed above with the inflatable choice, you don't use the dinghy as a utility vehicle, you just row to the nearest point, carry the dinghy up the beach (super easy to do!) and then walk on land. By the way, when you are 4 on board, paddles are surprisingly efficient, alone a pair of oars work better even if it takes some concentration to row a boat with a flat bottom! Also you can deal with strong tidal currents under "human power" as long as you go perpendicular to the current direction.
Panoramix
Super Anarchist
Ok, if you carry on board bif adults who want to plane then get an American sized 8HP then...
You have a point here !
If you're cruising full time a good dinghy is essential. Generally the largest practical dinghy and motor combo is going to be carried by the yacht. Most cruisers will opt for an open dinghy and tiller steering, it's more versatile, carries more gear and crew. Launching and retrieving easily is key, cats have a real advantage here. We store a 13' AB aluminum rib with a 25 HP Yamaha on deck. It works well for us unless the anchorage is very rolly, then it can be a challenge. I'm waiting for the day when the dinghy sweeps me off the deck, it hasn't happened yet but I'm under no illusion it won't.
