Inflatable Dinghy

[Steve Hansen]

I am looking for some input from those who store their dinghy upside down on the fore deck. What is the max length of your dinghy, what brand, type i.e. air deck, rib . I am looking to purchase an air deck for it's weight and capacity considerations and I'm trying to get an idea of what length would fit without compromising the fore deck too much. This would be our first dinghy so I'm a little unsure as to what size will fit up there. I believe the transom to peak length would be critical in the determination but that is not listed in the specs so I'll ask for some practical info from the board before I start making any calls to the manufacturers.

Steve

[Joe Kern]

I have a Mercury Marine 310 w airdeck.  Inflated, upside down with the transom up against the mast the dinghy pretty much fills the V to the bow on my MKII.  Still can get around it a little bit but not much.

Joe

[ken003]

Here is a picture of the Mercury 310 Airdeck.  You can set on the bow of the dinghy and work with the anchor with plenty of room.  Squeezing by the sides is a pain, but not too bad.


Ken

[Ken Juul]

I have Plywood floor WM 9.something.  Takes up about the same amount of space as the 310 in the picture.  I think the bow is a bit narrower though because I get around it easily.  It is heavy.  Have to use the spare Jib halyard to get it off and on.

[Stu Jackson]

We have a Cadet Fast Roller 10'-2" HP air floor.  Fits just fine on the foredeck.  Enough room to inflate there, too.  We just "flop" it into the water over the lifelines, use the backup jib halyard to retrieve it.  While space on the side deck way forward is compromised, if you slide it one side or the other there's clear room to get forward (since you only go forward on one side at a time  ).

[Steve Hansen]

Gentlemen- Thanks for the replies.
I'm leaning toward a Walker Bay Odyssey 10'2". Very close in measurement to the Mercury 10'2" and weight is comparable.
Transom to bow is 3 '' longer but I don't see that as being much of a problem. It's rated to carry 1430#.

Steve

[Ron Hill]

 Steve : I've found that the best length is a 8'6" dink.  That way you have plenty of room to walk around it to the bow.
A thought