Going Fast

Matching the new, heavier and stronger outboard, the need for a new dinghy became more urgent. We had a new (to us) dinghy on the shopping list for a while now. 

The selection of dingies that fit on the bow of our sailboat, between babystay and removable inner forestay, is limited.  It can not be an inch more than 8 feet. For this we need to know the distance of transom (outside) to the front of bow tube.

None of the manufacturers' lists that dimension in the spec sheets or drawings, the red line is what we need to know:

sample drawing of a differnt dinghy

By knowing the tube diameter, one can estimate that distance, but most transoms are angled a bit, which gets in the way, and we don't have an inch to spare.

So you often found us with a measuring tape, in stores, or also measuring dinghies at the dock while noting down brand, type, length of the dinghy. 

As things go, we got a contact from a friend who had just sailed off for Australia. That contact was selling a  dinghy in good condition. With initial information we checked the published dimensions and calculated that critical distance and determined that dinghy could fit!

We moved quickly, anchored outside of a gated community with canals and access to Nadi Bay. Next morning we arranged to be picked up at a small marina inside that gated community and got a first glance of that dinghy. Measurements confirmed it would fit, barely. After a bit more negotiations, the dinghy was ours and we towed it out to Lison Life.

Back at the boat we immediately hoisted the new dinghy for a test fit.

Good deal, it fits. The kayaks will have to go, this dinghy is wider (good!) than the old one and one cannot safely pass the kayaks on the way forward.

As during every cyclone season in Fiji, we store the kayaks with friends in their cyclone pit in Vuda Marina, and we got that done same day:

A few miles past Vuda marina, where anchoring out can be pretty bumpy, we anchored in calm Saweni Bay. There we started moving things from one dinghy to the other. 

After adjusting the angle of the outboard a bit, we are happy. The deeper Vee makes it a more comfortable ride.

Next day we delivered our old dinghy to Vuda Marina to be used as a chase boat for the sailing school.

The old dinghy had a fitting name, "Tenderizer". The new one is quite a bit heavier and runs much smoother through the chop. It will need a name, though...