Center Console dinghies

D

DLL

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exMember
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Jan 1, 2000
RO Number
1777
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429
The boss wants a dinghy, center console, and I need a bimini top. Then I will probably need Isenglas around it, so I can run my HEPA air cleaner and even the concentrator while out.

Hard bottom....jet type are good because you don't have a prop to ding up in the Delta, but they get poor milage.

We want a trailer so we can pull it out in the winter. But if we get a little smaller dinghy, we can leave it in front of our boat in the same slip. At least WB used to allow that.

The Boston Whaler is great for the Delta, but I was told it will beat you up in the Bay.

So which dinghy has a semi-displacement hull? :)

And what size dinghy do you need to be comfortable in the Bay?

Engine size? Is HP needed computed on the dinghy's length or weight? Of course you need to know what the manufacturer says is the max engine size to put on it.

This handicapped stuff is getting complicated. We would LOVE to find a used golf cart that would fit in the cockpit. Use the Davit to lift it in and out.

We found 3 or 4 that look like they might fit our needs. Am I forgetting anything?
This center console would be too heavy to carry up top, so we either tow it, or set the boat up to carry it on the swim platform area.
 
I've seen RIB type CCs which seem to have a bunch of different options/configurations. You might consider one of those.
 
Sure, I am not locked into one name or brand, just brainstorming as to what the best approach is. I don't want a 14 ft rig with a 25hp engine. Nor a 10ft with 100hp.

We missed exactly what we wanted a year ago, but my health was still the downward spiral and I didn't know where I would be...it was listed in Bay & Delta. We are just looking, but the best source right now seems to be Craigslist.

Bay & Delta hasn't had much in this category, Boat US, Yachtworld.com.....limited.

It would be nice to have something large enough to tow up to Lake Tahoe on a hot summer day.
 
Dave,

I would consider either a hydraulic swim platform that raises and lowers for carrying the dinghy or a setup similar to ours where the dinghy is stored on the foredeck. As in any kind of boat, a dinghy will be a series of compromises; there is no perfect dinghy for every situation. Try and pick where most of your boating will occur and select a dinghy that meets those needs. A Bimini enhances the comfort in a dinghy but makes it more difficult for boarding and unboarding. There are also a seat/steering unit constructed from SS which allows more legroom while providing a remote helm and real seating.

We are currently using an Avon RIB that has a small fiberglass bow cover that your legs slide under and the seat has back to back seating for four. It also has a bimini top on it which allows my wife to stay out of the sun. It is 11'-6" or so and is powered by a 25 HP two stroke. It will plane with the three of us and flys with just two of us in it. Over the last weekend, I rigged up a bridle and we tried pulling Daniel on a wakeboard. He got up and loved riding behind it. I suspect that wakeboarding behind the dinghy will become a regular thing every time we go out. It may go up for sale when the big boat sells or we may hang on to it for a few years as it will be so easy to trailer.
 
That sounds great. I bet he loves it.

We were skiing in a lake many years ago...took a buddies wife out skiing and couldn't get her out from behind the boat. Got back, found out she did not have her contacts in and was not even able to see the boat clearly.

After that, I ALWAYS ask people if they wear contacts or anything else that would get them hurt.

It will be a week or so before we can come down to the Bay. I am looking forward to it.
When I am on Prednisone and breathing well, I am full of energy...sure wish they could clone that drug but have fewer side effects.
 
Dave,

Luckily Daniel doesn't wear contacts ;-) Daniel has been wakeboarding primarily on one side of the boat, but we talked about how to do a toe turn and now he is enjoying steering back and forth and is playing with the board right in the turbulent water at the edge of the wake. He has also started trying to jump up and down to get the board to bounce. I don't think it will be too much longer before I can convince him to try and jump the wake.

Glad to hear you are feeling better; hope you enjoy the Bay. I jonesing to get out and chase some tuna, but money is tight and it takes a lot of fuel. Hopefully I can get out and bloody up the decks later this week or early next week. I also need to catch a salmon to enter in our club's derby. Oh well, there are worse things to have to do than fish. I start a new job in a couple of weeks so I figure I better enjoy my time off now while I can.
 
Fishing is a rough way to spend the day.

The Boston Whaler 13 Sport is nice in the Delta, but I have been told it would beat me to death if I get into much chop. We have an 11 ft Caribe with a 15 horse Honda on it, and we were told they can mount a center console on it, but....part of me thinks this may be something that should be done at the factory.

I keep searching, Yachtworld doesn't have much, Iboats, and craiglslist, ebay, etc. I have the time, I will find it. It would be nice to be able to run around the delta in it. Put a bimini top and isenglass and it could be used in colder weather.
 
quote:
Originally posted by DLL

jet type are good because you don't have a prop to ding up in the Delta

Click to expand...


I don't recommend a jet in the delta. Too many weeds.

With an outboard you can simply lift the engine and clear the weeds from the prop and lower unit. Often times it is just a matter of lifting the engine and all the weeds float away but occasionally I have to yank the weeds off. Just need to get the bulk off, the rest comes off by itself.

On a jet drive, sucking weeds up the intake makes it impossible to proceed. Now you need to either get it on a trailer or be real good at working under water. Even when you have it on a trailer it can be a real pain to reach up into the jet intake and get the weeds out. If what you sucked up was a rope you could be in a real mess.

I would be a bit concerned about a really light dinghy with a delta enclosure on it. A typical dinghy, especially an inflatable, has such little draft/keel depth that if you add a significant sail (the enclosure) you might have a hard time docking.

Operating medical equipment from a dinghy will be problematic as well. You certainly want to make sure that you have a dry boat so that the equipment doesn't get wet. I doubt that any samm outboard will provide enough 12 volt power to keep up with the inverter demand so the length of your cruise will be limited by the size of your "cabin" battery. I recommend that the inverter operate off its own battery so that you can start the engine and go home when the inverter battery dies. Bring a bottle of oxygen along as well!

Have you thought about how you get the concentrator in and out of the dinghy? My mother-in-law uses one of those and I have had to carry one a few times. I wouldn't want to try and set one of those into a dinghy that was bobbing around off the swim platform.

To be comfortable in the bay will depend on the conditions you want to be comfortable in. There have been days when the entire bay was like glass. I have also been in the bay when my 36' Carver was being tossed and shaken.

Rod
 
Good input Rod! After last Saturday's experience with a jet boat, I agree with all of your points. At one point the skipper had to take a dive to clear the weeds from the jet. When I have gotten weeds on my prop, I have just put the boat into a sharp, quick reverse and all weeds were removed. 100% of the time. But if you continue to go through the weeds after you know you have them wrapped, you may damage your prop and/or shaft. So don't do that!
 
Good points. I have no experience with the jet type rigs, thought maybe it would be better than losing a prop. Sucking weeds in could indeed be a problem.

I would not be taking an oxygen concentrator, mine is 51+ pounds and draws approx 400 watts. My HEPA filter draws about 65 watts from the Inverter. I can also take E bottles, 45 minutes continuous use and M6 bottles...etc. When I head out to Angel Island, I will have the Platinum XL and Home Fill II units on board. Combined weight is about 85 pounds. 33 and 51 plus a rack. I could get LOX for extended time in a dinghy, but if I am having problems breathing, I just stay inside.

As for the isenglass causing docking problems, I would just unzip it.

I am really hoping Angel Island, etc. will be good clean air. A good V hull would be nice, but as Dave said earlier, all of it is a compromise. Chris is the reason I am looking...she wanted a jet ski, but her knee's wouldn't handle it, so we are looking for a center Console Dinghy...used. I may still have a fast trip to UCLA's hospital if I get in with a cancellation (like I did in Denver).

Oh well, we will keep checking.
 
You could also look at a Sea Doo Sportster. It would be too big to load on your boat but at 15ft it would probably fit off the back of the boat in your slip since I'm guessing that your slip is wider than 15 ft. I see them on CL from time to time.
 
That is what I rode in last Saturday. It does not handle even the slightest chop well. Very uncomfortable and WET! And every wake we encountered we got wet regardless of how hard the skipper tried to prevent it.

They also have a Bayliner jetboat which is much more comfortable and much drier! They are going to sell the Sea Doo.......
 
I never rode on one, but I thought about somehting in the 15 ft range and there isn't a whole lot out there.

That's intereing that it would be a wet ride. Because I stay pretty dry in the wave runner.
 
quote:
Originally posted by abdiver

quote:
Originally posted by DLL

jet type are good because you don't have a prop to ding up in the Delta

Click to expand...


I don't recommend a jet in the delta. Too many weeds.

With an outboard you can simply lift the engine and clear the weeds from the prop and lower unit. Often times it is just a matter of lifting the engine and all the weeds float away but occasionally I have to yank the weeds off. Just need to get the bulk off, the rest comes off by itself.

On a jet drive, sucking weeds up the intake makes it impossible to proceed. Now you need to either get it on a trailer or be real good at working under water. Even when you have it on a trailer it can be a real pain to reach up into the jet intake and get the weeds out. If what you sucked up was a rope you could be in a real mess.
Click to expand...


A friend of mine has a jet in his older (70s) Cobalt. It performs great, but we do have to watch out for weeds. In the past it wasn't unusual for us to get stuck in the weeds, but we know where ALL the weedy spots are in our area now! Found out the hard way! When we get weeds caught up in there, we have to stop what we're doing and jump in the water to pull them out. On some jet pumps from what I understand you can open an access hatch from inside the boat and reach into the jet pump to clear the weeds. But yeah, it's definitely harder to do on a jet pump than with a standard prop.
 
One of the great things about this forum is that a rookie can increase their knowledge base
exponentially here.

I doubt that we will get a jet boat of any kind, I was also told they don't get the best milage.

I found a couple of inflatables in the 15-17 foot range, side console, but nice. A lot larger than I had wanted for us to poke around in. As I mentioned, you get to a point that you can buy a nice boat, not an inflatable, with a V type hull for almost half of what they are asking for some of the inflatables. Supply and Demand I guess.
 
There are so many small boat options available. Keep searching and you'll find the one right for your needs!
 
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