Cheap Dinghy Comparison - Rigid vs Inflatable

Quick backyard test to see which I like better for use on my sailboat.

Inflatable:
Bestway HydroForce Caspian 7'6"
Rigid:
West Marine (also SunDolphin) Water Tender 9.4

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[vanstreun]

I didn't have a whole lot of money, so i bought both of them.

[nz_planespotter]

i dont have a whole lot of money so i bought both and tested them in my beautiful pool. I need the dinghy to tow behind my sailboat

[chrisfederoff]

“I didn’t have a lot of money so I bought both!” My kind of thinking so I had to watch

[mufuliramark]

I'm not a even boatee type of person and have no intention of buying a dingy but this guy has gone out of his way to inform us of his opinions whilst trying to decide which one to buy. I think its really good and practical. Well done mate.

[retrocny]

I used to have one of those 10ft rigid tri-hull row boats. It was my first boat as a kid and I used to fish with it. Threw a trolling motor on the back with a battery and I had loads of fun. Great for getting into little backwoods ponds. More room for storage than a kayak but light enough to hand launch reasonably easy. I would throw it on the back of our small utility trailer and tote it around that way. Could even back the trailer down a concrete launch ramp, then flip the boat off and go.

I still had it up until about 2 years ago. I beat the crap out of it and it held up well for the decades I had the thing. I don't even know who made it, I won it in a raffle. Eventually I put a small 4 inch fish finder on it, mounted the transducer and put a 45 lb/thrust transom mounted trolling motor on it. That trolling motor moved that little boat really well. Even a 30lb/thrust TM would've been sufficient for that little boat. For a while I looked around for a used 5HP outboard like a Mercury or Johnson but decided against it because I didn't want to put the extra weight of an outboard and portable fuel cell on an already very light boat. The trolling motor was more than enough propulsion for small lakes and ponds anyway.

[beatzyoutodeath]

The rigid one is better it has more space for cracking open a cold one with the boys

[rosevillainsrosevillains]

I clicked this video to see just how much I could actually learn, however I’m totally shocked. I feel very confident knowing which I’d choose now. Thank you for going through these test and documenting your results.

[msamour]

I have the 12.5 feet version of the hydroforce and I love it. It light for it's size, it handles ny 20hp motor like a champ. It's awesome all around.

[seventhcircleracing]

A Home Depot bucket - the great equalizer.

[myslice]

"I didn't have alot of money".... "so I bought both" lol not hating just laughed super hard when I said it back to myself! Love the video though brotha!

[wudgee]

Thank you that was a really useful video. I like that you showed getting back onto the boats as well. Great idea to fill the boat and see if it still floated, that reassured me, I'm hoping to get a second hand dingy rowing boat in the future. Unloading was a good idea, I'd never have thought of that.

[FelixDaHack]

I rarely make public comments BUT CMON MAN! if the traditional dinghy wasn't tied up, as soon as you were on the bow, WITH OUT THE ROPE it would have 'over ended!'

[ralphnicosia-rusin]

EXCELLENT, thanks for helping us budget boaters get some better understanding of these boats.

[rjturk]

Thank you for this video. I have an inflatable, but thinking of buying a rigid one. Your last point about loading is very true!

[stevenhardy]

I have had 1 of the plasti boats for 16 years now along with a 3.3hp that I use as a tender. Top speed 6mph and its planeing (with a little ballast in the front.) I have discovered its also fun to use exploring the beaches and backwaters in my local area...I take it to places  I didn't even know existed before because sometimes the inlets are only 6 inches deep. My left arm works great as a power tilt. If I wanna drive it up on the problem.If I wreck it ...i'll just buy another. Its also great for taking into the local waterfront restauraunt...because I can park it where no one else does...theres always a spot available.  :-)   oh..2 gallons of premix lasts me the whole summer.  :-)

[MatthewFordVictoria]

I chose an Inflatable because it deflates, and can be rolled up and stored in a duffle bag, and tossed in the back of our car, while a solid boat requires a roof rack and tying it down so it doesn't blow off. Plus you need a large place to store the solid one, but the Inflatable can fit in a storage cupboard. The biggest benefit of the Inflatable is that it's so much easier to carry than a heavy boat that requires a person at each end.

[tamimaliraqii]

Thank you for taking some time to make this great informative video! Keep it up dude!

[Franco]

I used to fish offshore here in PR with the west marine tender! It’s was pretty well ridged and filled with foam, overpowered with a 9.9 merc, which put it on a plane pretty easy but really scary, boat would stick pretty hard to the sides but overall thou dangerous, sailfish and small Marlin were a blast from that ‘boat’...also I bought it back in 2006 Puerto Rico cost was $650!

[flyingdutchman]

I came here because a friend was thinking about getting the West Marine Water Tender to fish on a small lake. It looks like we'll need to pop the seal and pack it with some butyl tape before he hits the water. It seems like a perfect little and cheap fishing boat for one person. Thanks for your review.

[SkyIrony]

How did I go from watching WWII videos to this, lmao thanks recommended