Dyer Dinghy

Don't ge me wrong. The Dyer is a capable dinghy. We purchased a sailing dinghy on the used market and added about $200 and a weeks worth of work refurbishing it. We repainted the insides, added a new rubail, recaulked and rescrewed all the seats, added a new support for holding in the floatation in the stern, added a new set of oarlocks for a new steering station, replaced the keel, and bought new line for the sail.

IIronically, after two years of cruising; we've not yet had the sailing rig out. The floatation for the forward part of the dinghy keeps coming out. It's held in place by a sheet of plastic that is wrapped around the floation. The plastic was then stappled into the bottom of the seat. To balance the dnghy, generally the wife is in the forward station rowing while I regally sit in the stern. She is pettit, all of about 100 lbs and just siting on the seat bends it enough that the screws keep popping out! I've now added some Al angle and secured it so the seat won't bend and pop out staples or screws.

We've tried having me row in the forward station but then we're close to submarining. There is no comfort for the two of us to use the dinghy with the oar ans me rowing.

This dinghy is great in flat water. Rowing isn't all to bad. To balance as earlier stated I have to be in the stern and W/ in the bow. In St. Martin we had a long way to go to shore. A long way. It would have tanken the better part of a day to row in and back and with her rowing me I figured I would be coming back alone. So we bought a small 2hp Yamaha.

I put it on the stern a little offsides so it won't come in contact with the keel. To go in reverse we must rotate the engine 180 degrees. Again, mostly to balance W/ is in the bow and I'm on the stern. The ride is wet. Unless we have flat water we almost always 99% of the time, get wet. No matter what I do, fast (and even with an engine fast isn't FAST, or slow we get spray. I've tried leaning over to one side, spray, we've tried to put all the weight in the stern till we're almost shipping water over the stern , spray. We always get spray.

Too, with the engine and the displacement hull we plow through the water. I've seen another cruisers 8' or so dinghy with a 3 hp planning, carrying him and his dog (a real animal) !