I currently moor off a 20'r and use an M-10 for getting to and from the boat. The dink stays at the mooring when I sail and on the dock when not. I also have an 8' Walker Bay but don't use it much...but the light weight of the poly boats is very handy. The M-10 is a much better sailboat than dink...it doesn't tow worth a darn but sails like a dream. Neither of those two have great initial stability so loading from boats is more tedious than a hard chine flat bottom type. Way back I had an 8' inflatable and sold it after a few months...too much hassle and time to inflate/deflate and not really durable compared to hard dinks. However, I do keep a spare "mini" inflatable (like the West Marine) for emergencies. It stows in a bag but like others said, even the small inflatables take a good bit of storage space if you want to stow onboard. Two (on different boats) of the best and practical dinks I have owned were Sportyaks...used and cruised them with about 3 years of daily use. They cannot be beat for initial stability and are lightweight poly (55lbs).They tow with much less resistance than anything else you will ever compare to. They are real ugly though. My future plan is buying another (the 3rd one) one for crusing the Bahamas in my 20'r.This is the ideal dink for an M-15 in my opinion.. I will say this about kayaks for dinks...try it before laying down your cash. They aren't easy to get in or off from docks or boats and plan on having a wet butt with them (even wetter with inflatables). I've been actively kayaking for about 20 yrs (had 5 but now down to 2) and the worst dink to me is a kayak...they don't make my dink list in any way. Bill P. in Fl -----Original Message----- From: Jim Sadler <jimsadler@jascopacific.com> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tue, Dec 18, 2012 2:31 pm Subject: Re: M_Boats: Dingy for M15? Thanks for all of the ideas In my case the dingy only need to carry one person. I can sail the M15(dingy) right up to the dock to load and unload passengers and provisions but the M-15 cannot stay at the dock. It must ride on anchor at night and with nobody aboard. Just need to get myself to the dock and back after setting the anchor. But I want to stow it easily without using any space or deck area. Merry Christmas skippers IpuJim skipper of sailing vessel Pelican (M-15) ________________________________ From: Howard Audsley <haudsley@tranquility.net> To: For and about Montgomery Sailboats <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2012 11:17 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Dingy for M15? 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