Sorry, a bit excited here. Our dinghy is our car, our truck, our tow, our sunset chaser, our fishing boat…so much to a cruiser. So why get a new one? And why now?
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| Our trusty 10-year old Walker Bay Genesis heading out on a hunt in Bahamas. |
We got our Walker Bay Genesis Hypalon RIB about 10 years ago and she has served our family well. Lots of cozy seats, a nice dry floor, and a rotomolded hull that could handle any shoreline. But as the kids got older (bigger) we noticed that deck flexing under the weight of all our gear, we couldn’t get up on plane anymore, and our trusty old truck was just looking a little abused. And we had budgeted to replace it around the 10-year mark. Add in our first tube leak and we decided to start shopping!
We have several friends that are really happy with their Highfield aluminum-hull RIBs and their 310 model looked perfect for our size boat. We all liked the idea of a stiffer hull and shiny new hypalon tubes! The Skipper wanted the “classic” model with its dry floor and a locker (and 25+ pounds more weight) while the 1st Mate was leaning towards the more spartan “ultralight” model (in hopes that our small outboard would get us up on plane in a lighter boat and recognizing that we aren’t getting younger/stronger). The debate carried us through the whole cruising season in the Bahamas and up half the east coast, but thanks to my solid reasoning (and COVID-related supply issues), I won and we placed our order for the 310 UL (ultralight)!
As getting a dinghy requires a freight shipment and we are on a Navy base we sort of expected some drama, but working with Defender Marine and their chosen freight carrier, A. Duie Pyle, went so smoothly. Cost quotes and shipping schedules were clearly communicated and our delivery arrived right on time. And the driver was awesome and darn near dropped our freight right on the boat ramp so we wouldn’t have to carry it too far! There are a lot of agreements about inspecting the shipment and unpacking carefully to cover everyone, but the boat was packed really well and as we peeled back the layers of cardboard, plastic, more cardboard, foam sheeting, and more plastic we found a pristine, new dinghy!
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| Totally impressed with how well this item was packed and shipped! (And happy for cardboard recycling right on base!) |
Trent pumped it up to spec while Frank prepped the packaging for recycling (as much as we could) and I unpacked and assembled all the accessories. From initial contact with the driver to tying the new dinghy up next to our boat took an hour and a half. It was awesome!
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| Trent's hard work paid off! |
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| The Fleet--S/V Lehe Paine, Ol' Sara, and Saratoga |
The next day Frank knocked out annual maintenance on the outboard and we were finally able to take the new dinghy out for a spin! She really planes easily with two people, and we even managed to plane with all four of us. We still may go for a bigger engine later this year, but we will play with this configuration for a bit.
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| Skipper, small engine mechanic...all in a day's work for this guy. |
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| First family outing! We got up on plane, but that was without anchors and gear. |
So we are ready to say goodbye to “Saratoga” and welcome “Ol’ Sara” to the fleet! (QUIZ—Where do our dinghy names come from?)
~Jo, 1st Mate
Battleships!
ReplyDeleteOh wait. Maybe aircraft carriers...that makes more sense. Dinghy carries stuff? Not using the "rectangles of knowledge" for this BTW!
ReplyDeleteThe carrier USS Saratoga is sort of it, but both versions of the name were mentioned in a classic sailing movie that is a family favorite! 🙂
DeleteWe carry ALL our stuff via dinghy when cruising as we are rarely at a dock for more than fuel. We’d be lost without Ol’ Sara!