Inflatable versus Hard Yacht Tender .

In the last 30 years the inflatable type of dinghy has overtaken the hard dinghy in popularity so at the present time they account for about 90% of all dinghies used on boats. Their advertising and marketing campaign has been steady and effective. Nowadays when a person thinks about a dinghy for their boat they usually only consider the inflatable. Indeed there are only a few hard dinghies that are mass marketed to choose from. These seem to be lack luster designs made out of plastic. Not much to choose from. There are, however, many small manufacturers of specialty rowing, sailing and outboard powered dinghies available but you have to seek them out. They are not usually displayed at your local marine stores next to the large array of inflatables.

So, aside from availability, advertising campaigns and market share, what exactly are the relative pros and cons of inflatable and hard dinghies?

Lets start with advantages of the inflatables.

• Availability. It is easy to find and buy them as they are in every marine store and boat sales yard.
• There are a wide variety of choices such as soft bottom, hard bottom, lengths, tube material and price.
• They are relatively stable in the water so that when you step on the side to get in the inflatable does not tip very much.
• There are built in fenders. The inflated tubes do not harm the mother boat when coming alongside.
• Most boaters have an inflatable. So if you like to be one of the crowd having the same type of dinghy is comfortable.
• They can be deflated, rolled up and put into a bag then stored below or taken home. This allows smaller boats with limited deck space to carry a much larger dinghy than otherwise. This does not apply to RIB's which have a hard shell of a bottom which will not fold so it takes up just about the same space even when the tubes are deflated.

Now lets look at some of the inflatables disadvantages.

• Cost. Common yacht tenders cost anywhere from about $1500 to $5000 and on up.
• Because of Uv damage and wear and tear they may have to be replaced in about 5 to 7 years if not protected from the sun and punctures. This Uv damage is not as pronounced in higher latitudes as it is in the tropics. The ones made from a material called 'Hypalon' have much greater resistance to Uv degradation so will last longer.
• Inflatables are subject to punctures from anything relatively sharp like nails, bolts and metal edges on docks, rocks and shells on the beach or vandals with a nail file. Most punctures can be repaired with patches by professional inflatable shops.
• Inflatables can be rowed as they are all supplied with oars of that range in effectiveness from just about useless to ok. The combination of poor hull shape for rowing and short ineffective oars makes it an exercise in frustration if one wants to get somewhere in reasonable time.
• One of the tasks for a dinghy is to be able to row out an anchor if the wind comes up. In moderate winds and above this becomes just about impossible because of this poor rowing performance and excessive windage. Also handling a sharp pointed anchor and the chain while bouncing around increases the chances to puncture the tubes.
• The size of the inflation tubes restricts the useful interior volume for carrying cargo like groceries, water, propane tanks, etc and passengers.
• Most inflatables are rarely deflated. One of the benefits of the inflatable, indeed its greatest benefit is its ability to store it in a relatively small space while deflated.
• The inflatable is a bulky object that takes up a lot of room which makes it awkward to store. Most boaters have developed means of storing it inflated aboard the boat while under weigh. 
• Poor planing performance under power because of lack of bottom rigidity and shape. There are quite a few ways manufacturers have developed to alleviate this by the use of inflatable floors and , of course, the RIB with a hard bottom made of FRP, plastic and aluminum. The RIB design performs as well as a hard dinghy under similar power but are much more costly, heavy and cannot be reduced much in size even when the tubes are deflated. These are essentially hard dinghies with inflation tubes.
• Some inflatables have a soft floor which provides poor footing when getting in and out especially for those who are not as agile. Falls and injuries are reduced when the inflatable has a floor with solid footing.

This post is becoming too long so it will have to stand on its own. The next post will continue with the pros and cons of hard dinghies.