Dinghy Diana – Michael Jackson style

As we sort and prioritize our project and wants list, one thing was clear: we needed a new dinghy.  All the research and post on different sailing forums discuss the need for a reliable dinghy and motor as the dinghy is like your car and you use it every day to get back and forth to land, carry precious provisions, and to explore.  Further discussed on the forums was the issues of theft.  Trevor and I went back and forth on what we should do: What size dinghy, what type of dinghy (inflatable, hard, or kayaks), what type of outboard motor (propane, gas, electric), what size motor, what type of weight our davits (attachments to the back of the boat that can lift a dinghy) could hold, weight of hoisting the dinghy by myself on to the deck of the boat when the dinghy is not in the davits, and what is our budget.

In the end, we decided on a Hypolan 10 ft. inflatable dinghy that weighs 113 lbs with a 15 hp motor at another 130 lbs.  This combination will easily fit both of us with plenty of room for provisions/supplies and cart around my scuba gear to explore the underworld.  We had an 8 hp motor we drove down with from Seattle and ended up selling it on Craigslist to make up for the new equipment.

To combat theft, the forums discussed the below:

1. Get an old dinghy so that nobody wants to steal it
2. smaller hp motors are not attractive as larger hp, also painting the cover of the motor a hideous color helps to deter theft

As you can see, we did neither. So we will need to trust our luck and buy locks for each boat and motor for on land and while the dinghy is on the davits.  We are still considering painting our motor with a neon color, both for safety and prevention of theft.

Further, we went for an inflatable, even though they are prone to holes being tied up to dock that have sharp protrusions like nails and mussels.  If we can keep her from being stolen for 3 years, it will be a decent investment.

So you may be asking why is the title of this post “Dingy Diana”?  Our friend Diana, who lives in the LA area, was visiting when we purchased the new dinghy. Trevor and I were discussing the fact that we name some of our systems to keep things fun and clear.  For example: our handheld VHF radio is named “Wookie” and our anchor is named “Spock”.  Diana named the Dinghy “Diana, aka Dinghy Diana”, not to be confused with Dirty Diana sung by Michael Jackson…. (sorry Diana, had to).