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DinghiesYour dinghy is your car when you're out cruising. Get the best one you can afford. A decent-sized dinghy with an outboard big enough to plane is worth its weight in gold. Far too many cruisers spend upwards of $100,000 or more on their sailboat, and then skimp on their dinghy. This is false economy, since a capable dinghy can considerably enrich your cruising experience. Think of how much you've spent to get out to Paradise, and whether it makes sense to go cheap on the dinghy. Believe me, it doesn't. A big, fast dinghy allows you to get to those unbelievable diving and fishing spots outside the reef, or to anchor in a safe spot and take the dink to town shopping or out somewhere exploring. You can use it as a tugboat, as a survey vessel, as auxiliary power if your engine fails; tons of things. Your dinghy is one of your most valuable pieces of gear. The Ideal dinghy:
Yes, I know that hard dinghies are more traditional, row better, and can be equipped for sailing, which is fun. They are also hard to stow, slow, have a very limited range, are not as seaworthy as a good inflatable, and have limited carrying capacity. We think nothing of running several miles in our dinghy to fish, dive, get groceries, or whatever. We also have far more anchoring options because it's no big deal to travel in and out a little further. Topics
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