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.
In your considerations, don't underestimate the toughness of the Hypalon type fabrics in that Zodiac inflatable (I'm assuming it's Hypalon or equivalent - if it's PVC then it's past life expectancy, see below). If you've never seen what river rafts and inflatable river kayaks etc. (same material) go thru...that stuff can take a lot of punishment. I've borrowed a friend's inflatable river kayak that is probably 20 years old at least and had a *lot* of use. It's scuffed up some but otherwise solid. Unless those crushed shell beaches are cutting up the soles of your shoes when you walk on them, they will probably not be a problem for pulling the Zodiac across them now and again. The west marine tender might row a bit better, but otherwise I'd go with the Zodiac for the reasons you mention. Inflation and deflation can seem a hassle if you do that frequently for transport or storage. But with a power blower it's not that bad. Age would be my one concern. If the boat is little used and stored inside it's less a concern. However aging of the glues could be a factor. Here's one article on what to consider: https://pumpupboats.com/life-expectancy-inflatable-boats/ If you do a search on life span of zodiac inflatable you'll get more info to consider. My hunch would be the build quality was better that many years ago. cheers, John On 5/20/21 8:40 AM, Andrei Caldararu via montgomery_boats 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.
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com
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.
After having tried a few dinghy options for the M15, a Sea Eagle 330 inflatable kayak is what I would go with, if I didn't already have a bigger heavier Sea Eagle model I use. It weighs only 26lbs, inflates in only 6 minutes with good high flow boston valves, and paddles efficiently so you don't even need a motor to cover substantial distances. Inflatable kayaks are extremely stable, not tippy like hard shell sea kayaks. https://www.seaeagle.com/SportKayaks/SE330 Sincerely, Tyler ----- Original Message ----- From: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Cc: "Andrei Caldararu" <andreicaldararu@yahoo.com> Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2021 8:40:05 AM Subject: M_Boats: Inflatable or rigid? 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.
Thank you all for your responses. Some answers to the suggestions that were raised. In my place there is no dock available; I need to be able to haul my family to and from the boat. So a kayak or small folding dinghy won’t work — I need whatever I get to carry 3-4 people when needed. What I described above would be the main use of the dinghy, but definitely being able to carry it with me on the boat (or tow it behind) would be something I could use in the future, when I will make longer, overnight trips. In the end I decided and got the Zodiac. It seemed to be in very good condition, and it holds air really well. There are a few seams that are unrelated to the air bags that seem to need a bit of attention, but these should be easy to reglue. BTW, does anyone have a recommended glue for this? Two new questions. 1) What kind of oars would you guys recommend for it? 2) I know this has been discussed many times over on the list, but what is the consensus about how to attach an M-17 (newer, teak toerails) to a mooring buoy with a floating pendant? I saw many people suggest using a big stainless steel carabiner attached to the towing eye on the front of the boat, combined with a second line going to the bow cleat. I am just concerned about chafing against the side of the boat for the second line, because I have no rail chocks. Thanks!
A few thoughts about keeping the boat on the mooring: My M17 has lived on a mooring for the last 7 years, and my VN23 for about 30 years. I use the method you describe with a large ss carabiner to the bow eye and a longer safety (and pickup line) to the bow cleat. There is no chafe because this second line is normally slack. Chocks are still a good idea.. It is important, of course, to make sure the bow eye is securely attached and well backed, just as you would the deck cleat. Make sure to use only a LOCKING carabiner. The regular kind can and will get itself twisted in such a way that it opens itself. Ask me how I know. Thank goodness for the second line. A 1/2" stainless locking carabiner has worked well for me and never come undone. I row out to the boat in my dinghy--an 8' El Toro with oarlocks. The first thing I do is disconnect the carabiner from the bow eye and attach it to the dinghy painter. The boat is still attached to the buoy by the second line to the bow cleat. I board the boat, raise the sails, drop the line from the bow cleat and get under way. The process is reversed when returning. No need ever to use the motor. I have have a couple of sections of pool noodles on the back up line to make it easy to pick up with the boat hook. Drop the eye over the bow cleat, drop the sails and get everything ship shape, get in the dinghy, hook the carabiner to the bow eye and row away. On Thu, May 27, 2021, 8:45 AM Andrei Caldararu via montgomery_boats < montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
Thank you all for your responses. Some answers to the suggestions that were raised.
In my place there is no dock available; I need to be able to haul my family to and from the boat. So a kayak or small folding dinghy won’t work — I need whatever I get to carry 3-4 people when needed.
What I described above would be the main use of the dinghy, but definitely being able to carry it with me on the boat (or tow it behind) would be something I could use in the future, when I will make longer, overnight trips.
In the end I decided and got the Zodiac. It seemed to be in very good condition, and it holds air really well. There are a few seams that are unrelated to the air bags that seem to need a bit of attention, but these should be easy to reglue. BTW, does anyone have a recommended glue for this?
Two new questions.
1) What kind of oars would you guys recommend for it? 2) I know this has been discussed many times over on the list, but what is the consensus about how to attach an M-17 (newer, teak toerails) to a mooring buoy with a floating pendant? I saw many people suggest using a big stainless steel carabiner attached to the towing eye on the front of the boat, combined with a second line going to the bow cleat. I am just concerned about chafing against the side of the boat for the second line, because I have no rail chocks.
Thanks!
participants (5)
-
Andrei Caldararu -
casioqv＠usermail.com -
Dave Scobie -
Henry Rodriguez -
John Schinnerer