Presumption here is this dinghy is for a cruising boat that will travel with the M15, and not be left at the anchorage or mooring field? Towing is far from ideal, but not many good options when your "big" boat is only 15 or 17 feet to begin with. In some worlds, an M15 IS a dinghy. This is a 10' nesting dinghy I built. Even nested, it will not fit in or on an M17. Video is of it being towed behind an M17: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n_n_z77Y-A It weighs around 90 pounds and is a planing hull that skims along on top. It may slow the boat down, but not by much. There is a 9 foot version as well. Again, this one nests, but even the one piece models could be car topped or carried in the back of a large pickup, especially so with the 9 footer. These are also large enough to haul a passenger or two and cargo if that is the goal. On Dec 18, 2012, at 11:55 AM, W David Scobie wrote:
Though I haven't purchased mine yet, I am of the opinion that a kayak is the best 'dinghy' for our small boats.
Having watched others the reasons for a kayak are -
* light * low drag * easy to put on roof of tow vehicle -- ie, light * quick and easy to paddle * put a full-cover, different than a sprayskirt, over the cockpit area and if the kayak is rolled it will not fill full of water (also keeps out rain)
I had an inflatable West Marine 'donut' type dinghy that I used on one trip ... didn't paddle well, couldn't be towed, was BIG even when compacted and took up 1/2 of v-berth or all of the foredeck. a PITA to get air out of to fit back into storage bag to put on foredeck or v-berth. Sold the 'dinghy' after the trip.
A 'hardshell' dinghy is nice ... especially if you have, say, an M6.8. rows great being the most important. But a hardshell will slow the boat a LOT more than a kayak and you need to figure out a way to haul the dinghy on your tow vehicle. a hardshell will not fit on the foredeck of an M15 or M17.
:: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com
--- On Mon, 12/17/12, Jim Sadler <jimsadler@jascopacific.com> wrote:
Any skippers have ideas for a small dingy that I can carry on my M15? Just need to row from the anchorage to the dock approx 50 yards.
Captain ePoohJim skipper sailing vessel Pelican M15