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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Dinghy

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sailboat
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USA
149 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/18/2015 : 21:41:53

I know this must be an age old question but we are looking for a dinghy to complement our Cat 25. The cruising area is Puget Sound, beaches are sometimes rough (rocky), speed is not an issue, and probably never more than three 200lb persons on board. The dinghy would also double as a liferaft should the Cat 25 hit a dead head or some such folly. The water in Puget Sound is mighty chilly at times.

For grins we tried a new West Marine Classic Dinghy (hard shell)...it is a Walker Bay look alike and at 9' 9" and 100lbs with a capacity of 3 persons we thought it just the ticket...especially with a Boat Show special of 25% off. Wellll, my son, 2 year old grandson boarded it for sea trials and realized we were 80 lbs over the now noticed 348lb limit. The two inch freeboard on the stern was another clue. So it goes back to the store Friday morning...and no problem there.

A local store has a clearance on Quicksilver Nemo 275 with an air deck and a very robust rubber hull. It is advertised as a beach inflatable because of its extra thick rubber hull. It weighs in at 100 lbs with a payload of 705 lbs. Clearance price in the box of $699.

Any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
Chariots of Fire
1981 Cat-25. sail number 2230
SR/SK Dinette Version

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 02/18/2015 : 22:39:47

Just one opinion: An inflatable is the answer. Much more stable and safe for people and stuff. Little rigid dinghies are nice for playing around, but obsolete as tenders. Hypalon and PVC laminated inflatables can take quite a bit of abuse (such as beaches)--light-weight vinyl won't do as well. My 8.5' Achilles Hypalon roll-up accommodates 3 people easily. It's well under 100 lbs--not sure what, but I reduced that weight a lot by replacing the wood floor sections with rigid polyurethane foam pieces that, IMHO, are as effective but simpler than a high-pressure floor. The tubes are very robust, and my Honda 2 pushes it nicely.

I'm not familiar with the Nemo, but WM and Defender have lots of choices.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

dasreboot
Admiral

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803 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 04:51:37

I think for 600 lbs capacity, you'll have to be at 12 feet with a hard dinghy, or a very boxy hull shape. saw a neat catamaran hull plywood dingy that could probably do it.

you can easily get your 600 pounds with an 8-9 foot air floor inflatable.

Todd Lewis
Eowyn 87 TR/WK C25 #5656
ARWEN 84 TR/SK C25 #4031
www.mainsailsailingschool.com

islander
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Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 07:21:03

Just a word of caution with inflatables. If you plan on stowing it onboard, !00lbs can be rather heavy to haul up over the side. The second word of caution is they are impossible to row against the wind. Plan on a small motor. They are tough and will handle beaching without any problems. They are stable, The larger the tube diameter the better. Hypalon is better than PVC not that PVC is bad just that Hypalon is more UV resistant

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

awetmore
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Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 07:26:23

I disagree with Stinkpotter on rigid tenders being obsolete, they are great in a lot of ways and still popular around Puget Sound for a reason.

However on the C-25 an inflatable is the better choice. Any tender needs to be able to be carried on the boat, not towed behind the boat, so that it doesn't become a hinderance in rough conditions. The C-25 is too small to carry a reasonably sized rigid tender on the foredeck, so an inflatable is the way to go.

In April Defender will have it's large annual sale. Three years ago we bought a Zodiac Zoom 260 there for about $500 and it worked well for us on the C-25. It wouldn't fit in the lazarette (dumpster), but it would fit into the quarterberth or under the dinette nicely. It could be pumped up in under 5 minutes with the included floor pump. It weighed around 50lbs, which made it easier to handle.

If you shop used the more raft looking dinghies like the Avon Redcrest and Achillies LT-3 provide more buoyancy is less weight and size than other options. These style dinghies aren't made anymore because they are limited to low power (2-3hp) outboards, but they scoot along plenty fine with such a motor.

Alex W
Seattle, WA
Express 37 "re-Quest"
previously owned 1984 Catalina 25 "Lutra"

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 09:05:29

Defender's big Warehouse Sale is generally in the last week of March. (I go every year--it's a blast!)

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 09:13:52

quote:
Originally posted by awetmore

I disagree with Stinkpotter on rigid tenders being obsolete, they are great in a lot of ways and still popular around Puget Sound for a reason...

So are square riggers.

But if you want people to be able to get into and out of your small tender safely, you want an inflatable--even if it's a RIB.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/19/2015 09:16:22

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2015 : 12:28:22

A lot of dinghy use in Puget Sound is for tying up stern tie lines on rocky shores. This is hard on any tender, but harder on inflatables.

I used an inflatable with my Catalina 25 and have used a rigid dinghy (Dyer Dhow Midget originally, now a Gig Harbor Ultralite) with a variety of guests on my Pearson. We've never had trouble getting in and out of the rigid. It rows about a million times better than the inflatable, which is really nice, and it has more interior space for carrying gear which is sometimes helpful.

All designs have their pluses and minuses.

Alex W
Seattle, WA
Express 37 "re-Quest"
previously owned 1984 Catalina 25 "Lutra"

Akenumber
Navigator

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USA
247 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2015 : 08:07:51

We love our 8' RIB. And it tows great behind our C25. Which is important because who has davits or deck space on a C25?

Ken
San Diego
84 C25 SR/FK 4116
The KRAKEN

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 02/28/2015 : 09:22:25

A rib also rows and tracks under power better, but from what I've seen, towing it is the only realistic option (unless you have davits). And there are circumstances where you don't want a dinghy in the water behind you.

For rowing, another feature that some high-pressure-floor roll-ups have is an inflatable "keel" (V-bottom). I've been noodling on something I could add to my Achilles to accomplish the same thing--perhaps a shallow rubber fin on each tube, positioned so they don't affect folding up the boat.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 02/28/2015 09:24:13

sailboat
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149 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2015 : 11:31:50

So we returned the West Marine Classic Dinghy...no problem. They had a 9' inflatable complete with oars, solid wood floor, pump, gage, repair kit, seat, inflatable keel, reinforced keel strip, and heavy duty bags for the gear and inflatable. Regular $1100, boat show special $900. I asked if there was any flexibility in that their competition was the 9' Quicksilver Nemo for $699. They asked if $675 would work. Sold. 1100 lb capacity or three persons and gear or a small child. Weighs 90lbs and will take up to a 10 hp motor (although I see a 2.5hp in the future).

Mike
Chariots of Fire
1981 Cat-25. sail number 2230
SR/SK Dinette Version

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 03/02/2015 : 13:14:43

The PSB-275. Looks quite robust (although Hypalon would be a little better than PVC if it is to be exposed to sunlight long-term).

I also have a boat with a "segmented wood floor" (three segments of 3/4" heavily impregnated plywood). It turned out to be a significant component of the boat's overall weight, which I decide to try to reduce. I stumbled upon a 2" thick sheet of closed-cell polyethylene foam that was adequately rigid, and made three pieces that fit nicely as a floor--just large enough so they wedge into place. (I put them in separately.) They make the bottom adequately stiff for stepping in and out, although they might not give the boat the rigidity desired for planing. (The boat is no threat to plane with my Honda 2.)

BTW, for sheer light weight, reliability and simplicity, I recommend the littlest Honda--even though it's a tad noisier than water-cooled motors. A friend bought a new Suzuki 3.5--light and water-cooled... Two years later had to borrow my Honda, then sold the Suzi and bought a Honda 2.3.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

sailboat
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149 Posts

Response Posted - 03/04/2015 : 21:11:29

Thanks, Dave. I have had this type of floor in other dinghies and concur in its weight contribution. I'm not sure how thick it is but will research an alternate and lighter surface. Cheers, Mike

Mike
Chariots of Fire
1981 Cat-25. sail number 2230
SR/SK Dinette Version

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