On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 21:36:00 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

Before you give West Marine some outrageous amount of money for this
cutesy milk bottle boat, how about do a little simulator testing on
the Hunter to see how it's gonna work out?


I can get one a lot of places cheaper than Waste Marine, Larry. Like
for $495 in one case, and $595 in several others - vs $748 list.

It's a lot cheaper than a $2k Dyer Midget in price. I just want to
know how much cheaper in quality it is.

The character of the cheapo plastic is specifically what I was after,
as the title of the posting indicated.

Assuming you can't borrow one from your neighbor for a weekend, drop
by WalMart or some other big store and get a box that's 8 ft long, 4
ft wide by 3 ft high (about the same dimensions as the Walker Bay).
Strap the box down on your foredeck for a while to see if it's gonna
be in the way and what problems it will be. Haul the box on and off
of the dock over the rails and riggin' with enough junk in it to match
the weigh of the WB8.


I've measured the fore-deck space (mostly fore-cabin-top, actually)
and have a 110% jib that will clear it and is on a Furlex that has not
required unfouling from the foredeck, anyway (thus-farg.

The side-decks will be well clear, and there will be some limited
space before it. Its height at the transom and most of the way to its
bow is more like 2 ft - not 3 - and the dink's bow will be on the
lowest portion of the H310's foreward-sloping cabin-top.

(It is, at least not shaped like your cardboard box. I just wonder if
it'll have the same durability. g)

One of the attractions of the Walker Bay 8 is an empty weight of 71lbs
vs 80 for a Midget. However, I think either will be tolerable for two
people with a simple 3-point line-harness to my spinnaker halyard.

I was interested to hear if anyone here had actual experience trying
to duplicate the Walker Bay marketeer's (posed) photo of the guy
apparently trying to life-test his life-lines by dragging one over
them onto his fore-deck.

I have no problem towing it, but not if I run into heavy weather. I
have litle use for anything that plays sea-anchor, or can't be easily
rowed. Hence, my lack of interest in de-flatables. But, I'm only
interested in a hard-dink if I have a place to put it - if I want to.

That's also why I'm interested in a Niccolls Lite NN10 nestable, but
they don't seem to answer emails.

I'm asking you to do this because a boater just gave me a Watertender
9.4' little tri-hulled dingy from E-dock at our marina, here. He's
been trying to give it away to another yacht for a year, but it's been
sitting gathering amazing biology docked in front of his sloop. I
offered to pump the water out of it one day and he said, "Do you want
it? It's YOURS!", and eventually signed over the title to me. He got
fed up doing what you're intending and bought himself a folding boat,
the kind you see fishermen use. It folds FLAT and mounts against his
handrail up in his bow using ZERO deck space. They hated the
Watertender but love the folding boat.....

I put the little boat on a little trailer with a 3hp Yamaha outboard
another yachtsman who sold his Hatteras gave me. Makes a great little
river boat for out in front of my home. Great for exploring the
little creeks, too......but not if you gotta haul it over the rail and
store it on deck....

Free boat/motors are fantastic performers...(c;



Amen, brother.

I'm not sure what I'd do with something that large on my little 310,
though.


On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:56:47 GMT, Albert P. Belle Isle
wrote:

I'm really attracted to the Walker Bay 8 as a dink that appears
sufficiently small to fit inverted on the foredeck of my little Hunter
310, and light enough to possibly be able to man-handle on-and-off
without using a jury-rigged harness.

However, I note that it's made of injection-molded polypropylene.

Can anyone comment on the ease-of-launch/stowage issue, or -
especially - on how effective their "UV stabilization" really is?

Also - is Niccolls Lite still in business? Their NN10 looks really
nifty.

Thanks.

Al
s/v Persephone


Larry W4CSC

NNNN

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:56:47 +0000, Albert P. Belle Isle wrote:

I'm really attracted to the Walker Bay 8 as a dink that appears sufficiently
small to fit inverted on the foredeck of my little Hunter 310, and light enough
to possibly be able to man-handle on-and-off without using a jury-rigged
harness.

However, I note that it's made of injection-molded polypropylene.

Can anyone comment on the ease-of-launch/stowage issue, or - especially - on how
effective their "UV stabilization" really is?

Also - is Niccolls Lite still in business? Their NN10 looks really nifty.

Thanks.

Al
s/v Persephone

I've had a WB 8 for probably 5 years or so, and it's sat upside-down on Far
Cove's foredeck the entire time. I haven't noticed any UV degradation.

To launch, I just pick it up and throw it in the water. I HAVE retrieved it by
just yarding on the painter, but it puts quite a but of strain on the lifelines,
so I usually rig up a rope "harness" (either end of the transom and the bow,
connected at the center of the boat) and winch it up with the main halyard.

I love the little boat, it's been dragged over rocks, it carries 3 "in a pinch",
runs beautifully with a small electric trolling motor, rows well...I haven't set
up the sail rig because I suspect the daggerboard is too far aft to allow it to
sail well.

Only downside (apart from the daggerboard location) is that it IS a tad on the
small side. Great for one, OK for 2, 3 adults is "marginal". I'd like the 10,
or maybe build a 9ft "blunt-ended" scow instead.

For the money, I'd say you can't go wrong. Remember, you could buy a new WB8
every 5 years for 15 years before you spend what you would on an inflatable...

Lloyd Sumpter
"Near Cove" Walker Bay 8

Many thanks, to

Bobsprit
Larry (W4CSC)
BinaryBillTheSailor
Dan Best
and
Lloyd Sumpter

for taking the time to help with my dink (in)decision.

Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone

Can anyone comment on the ease-of-launch/stowage issue, or -
especially - on how effective their "UV stabilization" really is?

I used a WB 8 for a few years, both with a Cape Dory Typhoon and a Pearson 30.
Good little dink that tows very well, but has limited capacity. I can't imagine
launching it from deck without cursing someone out and I'm stronger than most
sailors.
Several people here have been talking about portaboats as a better alternative
to rigids and inflatables.
On my C&C 32 I now use a Quicksilver 300 airdeck.

Good luck,

RB

Before you give West Marine some outrageous amount of money for this
cutesy milk bottle boat, how about do a little simulator testing on
the Hunter to see how it's gonna work out?

Assuming you can't borrow one from your neighbor for a weekend, drop
by WalMart or some other big store and get a box that's 8 ft long, 4
ft wide by 3 ft high (about the same dimensions as the Walker Bay).
Strap the box down on your foredeck for a while to see if it's gonna
be in the way and what problems it will be. Haul the box on and off
of the dock over the rails and riggin' with enough junk in it to match
the weigh of the WB8.

I'm asking you to do this because a boater just gave me a Watertender
9.4' little tri-hulled dingy from E-dock at our marina, here. He's
been trying to give it away to another yacht for a year, but it's been
sitting gathering amazing biology docked in front of his sloop. I
offered to pump the water out of it one day and he said, "Do you want
it? It's YOURS!", and eventually signed over the title to me. He got
fed up doing what you're intending and bought himself a folding boat,
the kind you see fishermen use. It folds FLAT and mounts against his
handrail up in his bow using ZERO deck space. They hated the
Watertender but love the folding boat.....

I put the little boat on a little trailer with a 3hp Yamaha outboard
another yachtsman who sold his Hatteras gave me. Makes a great little
river boat for out in front of my home. Great for exploring the
little creeks, too......but not if you gotta haul it over the rail and
store it on deck....

Free boat/motors are fantastic performers...(c;



On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:56:47 GMT, Albert P. Belle Isle
wrote:

I'm really attracted to the Walker Bay 8 as a dink that appears
sufficiently small to fit inverted on the foredeck of my little Hunter
310, and light enough to possibly be able to man-handle on-and-off
without using a jury-rigged harness.

However, I note that it's made of injection-molded polypropylene.

Can anyone comment on the ease-of-launch/stowage issue, or -
especially - on how effective their "UV stabilization" really is?

Also - is Niccolls Lite still in business? Their NN10 looks really
nifty.

Thanks.

Al
s/v Persephone


Larry W4CSC

NNNN

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 20:56:47 +0000, Albert P. Belle Isle wrote:

I'm really attracted to the Walker Bay 8 as a dink that appears sufficiently
small to fit inverted on the foredeck of my little Hunter 310, and light enough
to possibly be able to man-handle on-and-off without using a jury-rigged
harness.

However, I note that it's made of injection-molded polypropylene.

Can anyone comment on the ease-of-launch/stowage issue, or - especially - on how
effective their "UV stabilization" really is?

Also - is Niccolls Lite still in business? Their NN10 looks really nifty.

Thanks.

Al
s/v Persephone

I've had a WB 8 for probably 5 years or so, and it's sat upside-down on Far
Cove's foredeck the entire time. I haven't noticed any UV degradation.

To launch, I just pick it up and throw it in the water. I HAVE retrieved it by
just yarding on the painter, but it puts quite a but of strain on the lifelines,
so I usually rig up a rope "harness" (either end of the transom and the bow,
connected at the center of the boat) and winch it up with the main halyard.

I love the little boat, it's been dragged over rocks, it carries 3 "in a pinch",
runs beautifully with a small electric trolling motor, rows well...I haven't set
up the sail rig because I suspect the daggerboard is too far aft to allow it to
sail well.

Only downside (apart from the daggerboard location) is that it IS a tad on the
small side. Great for one, OK for 2, 3 adults is "marginal". I'd like the 10,
or maybe build a 9ft "blunt-ended" scow instead.

For the money, I'd say you can't go wrong. Remember, you could buy a new WB8
every 5 years for 15 years before you spend what you would on an inflatable...

Lloyd Sumpter
"Near Cove" Walker Bay 8

Many thanks, to

Bobsprit
Larry (W4CSC)
BinaryBillTheSailor
Dan Best
and
Lloyd Sumpter

for taking the time to help with my dink (in)decision.

Fair winds,
Al
s/v Persephone