Canadian Yachting Special Feature: Dinghies and Davits Spring 2020 - 4

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Dinghies,
Davits and More
Story | Rob MacLeod, The InformedBoater
LAST JANUARY, as Dinghies & Davits came out in
time for the Toronto International Boat Show, I was
asked to participate in the inaugural Women's Day by
presenting a seminar in The Lake called Love Your DD
(Dependable Dinghy). I met a number of wonderful
ladies who wanted to know more about handling a
dinghy, including starting, casting off, maneuvering and
docking. The two seminars were very successful, and
the feedback is that more boaters (not just women)
want to know more about how to handle dinghies - all
types. We will be covering more of that in this year's
Women's Day at the Toronto International Boat Show
Women's Day (January 19) - titled - "Love me Tender."

Trends in the Market
To understand changes in the market, what is being offered and how people use their dinghies, I met with a
number of industry leaders who represent the major
brands sold in Canada - Jamie Small at C02 in Oakville
and Midland (Highfield, Zodiac and Walker Bay), Ed
Learn and Neil Blain at Bridge Yachts in Port Dover
(Zodiac and Innovocean), Patrick Hardy and André Robitaille of BCI Marine (Brig, Capelli, Gala and Inmar)
from Otterburn Park, QC., and John Bamford of Stainless Outfitters in Barrie, ON.
Jamie Small kicked off the conversation talking
about the trends in boat ownership related to RIBS.
Among cottagers and larger powerboat owners, one
trend is multi-RIB ownership. After a few years of trying to tow and stow larger, higher powered centre console RIBS, cruising boaters have returned to smaller 10or 11-foot (3.1 to 3.4 meters) models, with tiller steering outboards while cruising. On returning to home
port or the cottage, they switch to the larger boat for
errands and for fun.
In fact, Jamie noted, many boaters who may have
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Dinghie s & Davi t s

preferred a fibreglass centre console boat, are finding
when the weather is a little more boisterous, a RIB is
more stable and as Jamie stated, "Just more fun." Long
thought of as the purview of law enforcement and
search and rescue, the larger RIBS in the 18- to
22-foot range have become the sweet spot in the
recreational market.
A second trend is towards aluminum hulls. Over the
past decade, as cruisers moved to larger boats and larger
engines with steering wheels for better control, the
weight of fiberglass-hulled boats increased until boats
weighing 600 - 800 pounds are being hoisted on davits
intended for lower weights.
According to Jamie, the shift to larger inflatable boats
actually caused a temporary slump in RIBS in the 10foot range for a few years, but it did not last and with
lighter 4-stroke engines, the dinghy weights have
dropped below the 600-pound mark. 40 HP engines,
once in the 160- to 170-pound range are under 130
pounds. This makes a big difference when hauling the
engine up with the dinghy or onto its own mount on the
transom of the boat. An aluminum hull further reduces
the weight of the boat compared to most fiberglass hulls.
As far as tube material, in Northern waters our experts feel PVC is the way to go. Because of our shorter
summers and the lower sun angle, the boat's surface is
not subjected to the amount of UV rays as a boat in
Florida or the Islands would face. If you are taking your
dinghy south, then choose CSM / hypalon. (For more
detail on this, refer to Dinghies & Davits at www.canadianyachting.ca) Regardless of the material, a boat cover
is wise investment to protect your inflatable when it is
not being used, and a coat of quality protectant to
protect the tube material when the inflatable is in use.
More on protectants when we discuss maintenance.
SPRING 2020

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Canadian Yachting Special Feature: Dinghies and Davits Spring 2020

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