What is the best dinghy to buy for a yacht or motorboat?
I need a new tender for my 38-foot sailing yacht. We will be cruising the Med next summer and anchoring out a lot. There are so many options, slatted, air floor, RIB, PVC, Hypalon. What is actually the best dinghy to buy that won't fall apart or weigh a ton?
Answer
The best dinghy depends on where you will stow it on the mothership and whether you drag it up shingle beaches or board from a pontoon. For most cruising yachts, a 2.7-metre aluminium-hulled RIB or a high-pressure air-deck inflatable strikes the best balance between weight, stability and performance.
PVC versus Hypalon
The tube material dictates the lifespan and price of your tender. PVC is the standard for budget and mid-range inflatables, typically costing between £500 and £900 for a 2.7m model. It is lightweight and perfectly adequate for UK or Northern European waters. Intense ultraviolet light will degrade the glued seams and the PVC fabric itself within five to seven years if you take it to the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.
Hypalon (often using the trade name ORCA) is the professional choice. This synthetic rubber resists UV, chemicals and abrasion. A Hypalon dinghy from top-tier brands like AB, Zodiac or Highfield costs upwards of £2,500, but it easily lasts 15 to 20 years in the tropics. If you cross oceans or leave the tender exposed on davits year-round, Hypalon justifies the premium.
Three Main Tender Types
Your choice of floor and hull design determines how the boat rows, motors and stows.
- Roll-up Slatted or Air Deck: If your tender must live rolled up in a cockpit locker, this is your only viable option. Slatted floors are cheap but flex terribly underfoot and row poorly. High-pressure air floors, like the Honwave T27-IE or Zodiac Cadet Aero, are vastly superior. They form a rigid V-hull when pumped to 11.5 psi (0.8 bar) on the floor and 3.4 psi (0.24 bar) on the tubes. They weigh around 30kg to 35kg and plane nicely with a 5hp outboard.
- Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs): If you have stern davits, snap davits on a bathing platform or ample foredeck space, a RIB is the best performer. They track straight when rowing, cut through a nasty chop and will not fold in half when you step aboard with a heavy jerrycan. Traditional GRP hulls are heavy, making single-skin aluminium hulls the modern gold standard. A Highfield Ultralite 260 weighs just 33kg and takes a severe beating on rocky beaches without cracking.
- Hard Dinghies: Rigid plastic or fibreglass boats like the Walker Bay 8 or a traditional clinker pram row beautifully and never puncture. They are notoriously unstable when stepping aboard from a yacht, carry less weight than an inflatable and will severely scratch your topsides if you do not fit heavy rope fendering.