I will continue to talk about the things in our cruising life that really work for us. Hopefully this will help others who are just starting out cruising or give some ideas to veterans.

Number 3: The Dinghy

Our dinghy is a very important part of our lives. We don't just use it to get around, we need it to step out our back door without going for a swim! We are literally stranded without it. There are few marinas in the Caribbean and we don't go to any of them. Marinas are crowded, noisy, dirty water, stifled breezes and cost a lot! Putting Uproar at a dock would cost from $35 to $400/night! Anchoring is free but you need that dinghy to get to shore.

We started out our cruise with a beat up rib (rigid bottom inflatable) and a Merc 8hp. I bought these on Craigslist and spent a lot of time and money getting the boat to stop leaking and the Merc to run. Our last night in Milwaukee, I dropped the Merc 8hp in the Milwaukee River. Read my first blog if you want the gory details. But Ken and Missy brought our 1964 Evinrude 3hp to the rescue. Rudy worked great in the Great Lakes but we knew this was not the long term solution.

Craigslist again brought us to our present dinghy. I told Lisa we should search in the Great Lakes for a new dinghy. The operating season is short and the water salt-free. We found our present dink in the Detroit area. We actually bought it from a Mike, a Canadian. The engine is a Merc 15hp 4 stroke but the cover had a big 9.9 on it. The owner told us, in Canada, you don't have to register a boat with under 10 hp. So they put 9.9 stickers on a 15. Voila!

We met Mike on a beach with a fist full of USD ($3200 for the curious). The dinghy is an Avon 3.1 (10 ft) Hypalon and looked brand new. Hypalon is a material that is the most UV resistant. It should last 10 years in the tropics. We went for a short test ride, then handed over the dough. One twist of the throttle and she was up and planing at a good clip, almost scary! Not only did we get a new dinghy but we gained a sportboat.

We towed it (still un-named) along with our old one to Detroit for a family reunion. I gave the old one to my brother Bob. Don't know or care what happened to it. Lisa suggested we keep Rudy as a spare engine. I reluctantly wrapped it in a sailbag and stuffed it in the transom,well out of the way. We have used Rudy a few times, one stretch for 6 weeks. Glad he stuck around for the ride.

Here's what I like about our dinghy. All ribs are quite stable. All inflatables are. He planes out easily with the two of us, labors with three and won't with four adults. I did get him going with two adults and three kids in St Lucia. We can really explore with the ability to go 15 knots. Lisa and I have traveled up to 5 miles with the dink, something we would never do with a slower one. We can explore snorkeling spots, beaches or even other towns not accessible to a slower dinghy.

Up on plane is a much drier ride. Trust me, we have had some wet dinghy rides. Getting on plane puts the spray aft and not on Lisa. Coming back with clean laundry is really the time when we need a dry ride. Lisa does double bag clean laundry just in case.

Features I recommend in a dinghy: Rigid bottom is the only way to go. Soft bottoms are not always secure underfoot. Those with floor boards have a swamp living below the boards. Soft bottoms can be damaged by rough beaches. We can haul ours over anything without worry. Our dinghy has a fiberglass bottom. Some are Aluminum. Aluminum is just fine except for the ones that do not have a flat floor or double bottom. Stepping into a single bottom Aluminum dinghy means you are stepping down an additional 8 inches. Stepping out means stepping up an additional 8 inches. It makes a difference! Ours also has a small cargo compartment in the bow. This is a convenient step getting in and out. It also holds our spare propeller, pump, flashlight, flares, extra gallon of gas, and engine kit (plugs, carb kit, starter rope and all tools to change any of this).

Now to the engine. There are plusses and minuses about a 4 stroke vs 2 stroke. Two strokes are not available in the US but everyone (but me and a few others) use them in the tropics. They are 25 to 30 pounds lighter! That is a big deal when that weight is hanging off the back of your 10 foot boat. I'm sure with a 2 stroke we would be able to plane out with 4 adults. But the 4 stroke uses less gas. I think a lot less. I am amazed how little the Merc 4 stroke consumes. I towed a 28 foot sailboat 6 miles and used only 1 gallon of gas!

The engine runs great. Lisa can easily start it too although she seldom uses it without me. She sure can though. We did have a problem with Ethanol rotting out the fuel squeeze bulb and polluting the entire system of filters, fuel pump and carb. I sorted that out and all is well. We also had a failure in the lower unit. I believe the gears were not adjusted properly. They started to slip and then started to break. This required a new lower unit. $1500 was the island discount! A new 2 stroke is $2500. I wasn't tempted.

Another cruiser with a dinghy the size of mine (no smirking), has a 15 hp 2 stroke and can pull a wakeboarder! He said his will hit 30 knots. Mine tops out at 20 which is all the faster I want to go!

The big deal about 4 strokes is emissions. Mine has a “very low emission” sticker. I believe it. Two strokes spew a lot more gunk over the water. I'm proud to use a low emission device. It fits with our off-the-grid lifestyle.

Yesterday, I made multiple trips to the marine store in Guadeloupe. One was because I left my wallet on Uproar. I didn't utter an oath, I just fired up the Merc and was privileged to go for another boat ride!

We aim to keep the dink for a long time. Contemplating life without it has caused us to be more diligent about locking up at a dock. We went through three rusted locks before we found one that really lasts in salt water. Buy only an ABUS Submariner for your dinghy lock. We also have a stainless steel motor lock called “Motor Loc.” We had a Masterlock unit that rusted away in three months!

Best of all, Sophie just loves the dink. She gets so excited when we head back there with her leash clipped on. She loves to ride on the bow and people laugh and wave when they see her. Our dink is a necessary and favorite thing for everyone on Uproar.