Andrei: Are you looking for a way to just go from shore to boat? Will you be towing the dinghy or leaving the dink at the mooring and going for a sail/cruise? :: Dave Scobie :: SV SWALLOW - https://sv-swallow.com :: Montgomery 6'8" #650 :: Truck camper - https://truckpopupcamper.wordpress.com/ :: Ramblings - https://scoobsramblings.wordpress.com/ :: former M17 owner #375 SWEET PEA - https://m17-375.com/ <http://www.m17-375.webs.com/> :: former M15 owner #288 - http://www.freewebs.com/m15-name-scred On Thu, May 20, 2021 at 8:40 AM Andrei Caldararu via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Hello fellow Monty owners,
For this year I have decided to moor my M17 in a small bay on Lake Michigan, by our house. To get to it I need some kind of dinghy. I don’t want something expensive, and I narrowed my choices to two options. One is an older Zodiac 8’ inflatable (C250, with rigid flat wood floor), the other is a West Marine 9.4 trihull tender. Either of them would come with a 2.5hp outboard, and the WM one would also come with oars.
My research shows that each has its advantages. The inflatable can be easily stowed under the deck when I go away for a trip for a few days. For the winter it does not take up space in the garage. Being lighter, I can lift it up easily by myself. The trihull can be left outside over the summer; can be rowed; and I can drag it over our beach (which is made of crushed up shells, so would puncture the inflatable). Plus it probably has a longer life. But I would not be able to take it with me to use as a tender, and would be a PIA to move anywhere. (I don’t have a trailer or a pickup truck, so putting it on top of the car is hard.)
I am now slightly leaning towards the inflatable, but I am concerned about its age. It is 32 years old, but appears to have been mostly kept in its bag. It holds up air just fine, a week after being inflated it was still hard.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks, Andrei.