Quick Reference
| Best All-Round Choice | 9–10 ft RIB for most cruising couples |
| Best for Stowage | Roll-up inflatable (slatted or inflatable floor) |
| Best for Rowing | Hard dinghy (fiberglass or Nidacore) |
| Minimum Floor Standard | Aluminum rigid floor for any cruising inflatable |
| Brands Worth Trusting | Avon, Zodiac, AB Inflatables; Walker Bay (hard) |
| Avoid | Slatted-floor inflatables as a primary dinghy |
Nobody talks about the dinghy when they're planning a cruise. They talk about the boat — the rig, the keel, the engine, the navigation gear. The dinghy is an afterthought, and then you get to anchor and realize it isn't. The dinghy is how you get ashore. It's how you provision, how you socialize, how you explore a creek that the mothership can't reach. It is the most-used piece of equipment on a cruising boat, and the one most likely to have been chosen poorly.
The good news: the choice isn't complicated if you understand what each type actually gives you and takes away from you.
The Inflatable Dinghy
Inflatables dominate the anchorages because they're cheap, light, and stow easily. A roll-up inflatable can be deflated, rolled into a bag, and stuffed into a locker — a real advantage offshore when you don't want anything dragging behind or sitting on deck. A basic inflatable is also the lightest option you can put on davits or hoist aboard, and the cheapest to replace when the inevitable theft occurs.
What inflatables give up is performance. An inflatable hull creates drag and slows you down — a 3.5hp outboard that would push a RIB at 12 knots will push a same-size inflatable at 6. That's livable for harbor use, but it becomes wearing when you're making a long dinghy run in chop against a breeze.
The bigger issue is the floor, and this is where most cruisers make their mistake. Not all inflatables are the same:
- Slatted (roll-up) floor: Wooden or plastic slats that snap together inside the hull. The floor flexes underfoot, the boat is floppy and inefficient, and the slats are always slightly wrong. This is fine for a daysailer's tender used three times a summer. As a primary cruising dinghy used daily, it will drive you mad within a month. It's also the least efficient hull form — you're pushing a banana through the water.
- Inflatable floor: A drop-stitch or high-pressure inflatable floor panel that firms up the hull considerably. Better than slatted in almost every respect — more rigid, more efficient, better to row and motor. Still compressible enough to roll up, though the package is larger than a pure slatted-floor boat. A significant upgrade worth paying for.
- Aluminum rigid floor (transom dinghy): Interlocking aluminum sections that create a true rigid floor inside the inflatable tubes. This is the minimum acceptable floor for a boat that's going to be your daily transportation for months or years. The hull behaves much more like a RIB, planes better with an outboard, and feels solid underfoot. The trade-off is that it no longer rolls into a small package — it breaks down into sections but takes up real stowage space.
The other persistent problem with inflatables is theft. An inflatable is easy to deflate and carry away, and unlike a hard dinghy, it's difficult to lock effectively. In popular anchorages with dinghy docks, inflatables disappear regularly. This isn't a reason not to buy one — it's a reason to think of it as a consumable and price it accordingly.
The Hard Dinghy
Hard dinghies — traditionally fiberglass, increasingly Nidacore (foam-core) construction — are the old way, and in some respects still the best way. A well-designed hard dinghy rows beautifully. This matters more than outboard sailors think, because outboards fail, anchorages forbid motors, and there are moments when you simply want to move quietly across still water at dawn. No inflatable rows like a hard dinghy.
Hard dinghies can also be fitted with a sailing rig — a small lug sail and a centerboard, and the dinghy becomes a boat in its own right. For cruisers who spend extended time in one location, this is genuinely useful. It's also a skill worth preserving: a competent dinghy sailor can manage situations an outboard-dependent cruiser cannot.
With an outboard, a good hard dinghy is faster than an equivalent inflatable — the rigid hull planes cleanly and is more efficient at all speeds. And hard dinghies are essentially indestructible. Fiberglass doesn't puncture. Nidacore doesn't absorb water. A hard dinghy that gets abandoned for a season, left on a beach in the sun, run into pilings — it survives things that would destroy an inflatable.
The problem is stowage. A hard dinghy lives on deck or in davits — there is no other option. On deck, it occupies real estate on the foredeck or cabin top, blocks forward vision, and needs a robust system of lashing and chocks to secure it at sea. Many cruising boats simply don't have the deck space for a proper hard dinghy without significantly compromising working the foredeck. This is the trade-off that eliminates hard dinghies for most passage-making cruisers.
The RIB — Rigid Inflatable Boat
The RIB combines a rigid fiberglass or polyethylene hull bottom with inflatable tubes. This is not a compromise — it is genuinely the best of both worlds, and it is the standard tender on offshore charter vessels, superyachts, and serious cruising boats for good reasons.
The rigid hull bottom gives the RIB its performance advantage: it planes at lower horsepower, handles chop far better than a soft-bottom inflatable, and provides a stable platform for an outboard. The inflatable tubes provide buoyancy and fendering — you can bang a RIB into a dock or another boat without damage, and if you swamp it (which is very difficult), the tubes keep it afloat.
RIBs are fast. A 9–10 ft RIB with a 6hp four-stroke outboard will run at 15–18 knots with two adults aboard. That's a different experience from a soft inflatable doing 6. In a choppy anchorage, across a wide bay, running to a fuel dock in a chop — the RIB's performance advantage is not theoretical.
The downsides are real: RIBs are expensive (typically two to three times the price of an equivalent inflatable), and they are heavy. A 9 ft RIB with a fiberglass bottom weighs 60–80 kg before you add the outboard. Hoisting that combination aboard on passage requires either substantial davits or a well-rigged deck hoist. And unlike a pure inflatable, a RIB cannot be rolled up — it stows deflated with the tubes flat against the hull, which is compact but not small.
Sizing: How Big a Dinghy?
For most cruising couples aboard a 35–50 ft sailboat, a 9–10 ft RIB or rigid-floor inflatable is the right call. Here's why:
Smaller than 9 feet becomes annoying. A 7 ft inflatable can carry two adults and a bag of groceries — but not comfortably, not in chop, and not with an outboard that's properly sized. Provisioning runs with jerry cans, laundry, and boat supplies in a small inflatable are an exercise in frustration. If you're regularly ferrying crew back and forth, small is very limiting.
Larger than 10–11 feet becomes hard to manage aboard. A 12 ft RIB is a serious boat, and hoisting it onto davits requires hoisting tackle or a mechanical system strong enough to handle 100+ kg of dinghy plus outboard. On a 40-footer, that's possible but awkward. Larger dinghies also take up more deck space and add more windage when stowed.
The 9–10 ft sweet spot gives you enough capacity for two adults with provisioning, enough hull length to motor efficiently, and a manageable weight for davit or deck stowage.
Brand Recommendations
Avon (UK): The benchmark for quality in inflatable and RIB construction. Avon tubes are thick, UV-resistant, and built to last. They are expensive — often significantly more than comparable brands — and the quality justifies it. Avon dinghies held up in conditions that destroyed cheaper alternatives. Parts and service are available through good chandleries worldwide.
Zodiac (France): The world's most widely distributed inflatable brand. Zodiac's quality across the range varies — their entry-level products are adequate, their professional line is excellent. The key advantage of Zodiac is parts: you can find Zodiac replacement fabric, valves, and fittings in more places globally than any other brand. For a circumnavigator, parts availability is not a minor consideration.
AB Inflatables (Italy): Strong quality, well-designed RIBs, increasingly popular with serious cruisers. AB's pricing sits between Avon and the budget brands. Their fiberglass-hull RIBs are well-regarded for performance.
West Marine / Walker Bay (hard dinghies): Walker Bay builds accessible hard dinghies in fiberglass and Nidacore construction at reasonable prices. Their 8 and 10 ft models are popular on the US market. West Marine's house-brand hard tenders offer basic construction at entry-level prices. For a hard dinghy that will live on deck and get daily use, Walker Bay is the sensible starting point.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the recommended dinghy for most cruising couples and why? A 9–10 ft RIB or rigid-floor inflatable is the right choice for most cruising couples aboard a 35–50 ft sailboat. This size provides enough capacity for two adults with provisioning, enough hull length to motor efficiently, and a manageable weight for davit or deck stowage. Smaller than 9 feet becomes annoying for provisioning runs in chop; larger than 10–11 feet becomes hard to manage aboard.
Why does the floor type matter more than anything else in an inflatable dinghy? The floor type determines the hull's rigidity and performance. Slatted floors make the hull floppy and inefficient — fine for occasional use but maddening as a daily cruising tender. Inflatable drop-stitch floors provide significantly better rigidity. Aluminum rigid floors are the minimum acceptable standard for a primary cruising dinghy, making the hull behave like a RIB and providing a solid-underfoot feel. The article states explicitly that slatted-floor inflatables should not be used as a primary dinghy.
What are the specific performance advantages of a RIB over a soft inflatable? A RIB's rigid fiberglass or polyethylene hull bottom planes at lower horsepower, handles chop far better than a soft-bottom inflatable, and provides a stable outboard platform. A 9–10 ft RIB with a 6hp four-stroke will run at 15–18 knots with two adults; the same-size soft inflatable with a 3.5hp outboard runs at approximately 6 knots. The RIB's performance advantage is described as not theoretical — it is felt particularly on long dinghy runs in chop against a breeze.
What makes hard dinghies still worth considering despite their stowage disadvantages? A well-designed hard dinghy rows beautifully — no inflatable matches it — which matters when outboards fail, anchorages forbid motors, or when moving quietly across still water. Hard dinghies can be fitted with a sailing rig for an independent boat capability. They are essentially indestructible: fiberglass doesn't puncture, Nidacore doesn't absorb water, and they survive conditions that would destroy inflatables. The fatal trade-off is stowage — a hard dinghy must live on deck or in davits, which many cruising boats cannot accommodate without compromising foredeck access.
Why is global parts availability a significant brand consideration for circumnavigators? Zodiac is described as the world's most widely distributed inflatable brand, with replacement fabric, valves, and fittings available in more locations globally than any other brand — making parts availability not a minor consideration for a circumnavigator. Avon's quality is the benchmark but parts are harder to find in remote locations. AB Inflatables offers well-regarded quality at mid-range pricing but with narrower parts distribution than Zodiac.
Why are inflatables vulnerable to theft and how should cruisers account for this? An inflatable is easy to deflate and carry away, and unlike a hard dinghy it is difficult to lock effectively. In popular anchorages with dinghy docks, inflatables disappear regularly. The article's recommendation is to think of an inflatable as a consumable and price it accordingly rather than investing in the premium end of the inflatable market for a dinghy that lives ashore at night in high-theft anchorages.