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From: Faure, Marin (no email)
Date: Fri Feb 01 2008 - 19:13:18 EST
>Could anyone with experience with one of these dinghies please give me
a feel for the pros and cons versus a high quality RIB?
The one I've had personal experience with is the Bullfrog, made in
Bellingham, WA. Based on this experience, were we in the market for a
new dingy I would never buy anything that contained air in fabric tubes.
Why spend a ton of money for a boat with a finite life? The Bullfrog
(and Boss Boat and Aldura and whatever other makes of "non-inflatable
inflatables" are out there) combine the attributes of a hardshell---
pretty much indestructible, last forever--- with the attributes of an
inflatable or RIB--- good freeboard, high weight capacity, stable ride,
fast. At the same time they eliminate the disadvantages of a
hardshell---- low freeboard when loaded down, low stability of some
types--- and the disadvantages of an inflatable or RIB---- finite fabric
life, air leaks, damage from rocks, barnacles, etc., difficulty of
mounting hardware like downriggers, etc., need for periodic pump-ups.
With boats like the Boss, Bullfrog, Aldura, etc. available, I can not
fathom why anyone would want an inflatable anymore, unless they wanted
the one advantage an inflatable has which is that it can be deflated for
storage. In this case, an inflatable makes great sense. But most
inflatables and RIBs on power boats seem to remain inflated (in theory
if not in practice) on their mounts for the duration. Sailboaters seem
to be the only folks interested in a dinghy that can deflated and stowed
out of the way.
The only downsides I can think of for a Boss, Bullfrog, etc. is they are
heavy for their size and they are expensive. However, I don't think
they are any more expensive for their size than a brand-name RIB. And
since they'll last damn near forever and never develop air leaks that
have to be fixed, or have their fabric tubes rot out eventually, at
least you're getting long-term value for all the money.
A common argument in defense of inflatables and RIBs is that they are
their own fenders. This is true. But it's easy enough to rig fenders
if you are going to tie a dinghy alongside your boat, or if the dinghy
doesn't have an effective rub strip. But I'll take the minor hassle of
rigging fenders in trade for avoiding the much larger hassles of dealing
with an inflatable or RIB as it ages and develops leaks and other
problems.
Inflatables obviously have many proponents and these folks have reasons
why they like them. But based on my experience and observations, a
fabric boat that holds air for buoyancy is a waste of money now that we
have the Boss, Bullfrog, Aldura, etc. boats.
______________________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington
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