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| Do-mini on the flybridge in Huahine |
TENDER Do-mini
February 19, 2015
Faré (Huahiné – French Polynesia)
Meet our new tender, Do-mini. This is JP’s 3rdhard dinghy construction, after Scrappyand Pitufina. Hopefully, three is the charm. From what I can tell at this point, Do-mini seems to deliver the performance and service JP was seeking.
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| Side-by-side: the AB 7 Do-mini |
1. No room inside, most available space eaten up by the inflatable tubes; once the gas tank and anchor are on the bottom, where do you put your feet?
2. Impossible to row;
3. The outboard sits too much aft, which sinks the stern of the boat. As a result, the dinghy rides bow up.
4. The effective length at the waterline is only about 2/3 of the total length of the boat.
5. (3) & (4) make the boat extremely difficult to get on the plane and the boat slams down in even a small chop. The AB could not plane with more than 3 (light weight) passengers on board, in spite of our 18 HP outboard.
6. There is no step-down to board the AB, which makes it hard for people with limited knee range of motion to get in and out.
7. Boarding from the water isn’t easy. Hopping up into the RIB’s pontoons requires strength. We’ve seen people using strap ladders or stirrups to manage the re-boarding.
8. And, of course, inflatables deflate and become unglued. A small fishing hook perforation can wreck havoc in the Hypalon, and we’ve ripped several handles while carrying the craft ashore.
9. Cleaning is a bear as well.
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| Bringing Do-mini in: see how the AB rides bow up? |
For my part, I did like the rugged aluminum bottom and the soft inflatable tubes: I could blissfully bottom-scrape over coral heads and bump softly into other yachts!
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| Do-mini fists just between the hulls |
- A 3.29 meter width between the hulls: the dinghy had to be no longer than that if we wanted to hoist on the davit.
- Need to optimize the LWL for stability and efficiency.
- Find a way to float the stern
- Fit on the davit aft of DOMINO without limiting the view from the aft deck
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| Trimmed nose, fitted with fenders for shock protection |
How did JP do?
- Length: Do-mini is 3.00 meter long, 1.33 meter wide
- LWL: 2.88 m
- Construction: All built of Corecell/glass epoxy, with expanding foam for the floor and boarding platforms. The bottom consists of 11 cm of foam, making the boat self-bailing and unsinkable.
- Moderate V in the bow, almost flat bottom at the stern
- Two aft boarding platforms extend 48 cm astern of the transom bulkhead with a 9 cm thickness for buoyancy, separated by a cut-out sufficient to allow the outboard shaft to rotate. These aft platforms not only keep the boat flat in the water at rest, but also make an easy start for planning (the boat planes easily with 6 passengers and the same 18 HP outboard); the platforms make re-boarding from the water a cinch!
- The all-around bench would allow room for 10 passengers… not that we’ve tried (yet).
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| Removable bench, oars, gas line neatly stowed under the port side bench |
- Oars, rowing bench, gas tank, gas line, and ground tackle are all stowed out of the way and tucked under the benches.
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| Clutter-free sole; a big dry locker at the bow; step-down access; stowed gas tank and ground tackle |
- Never forget the fuel filter: the Racor fits under the bench as well.
- There is a large dry locker at the bow.
- Boarding is easy with 3 levels of stepping down.
- Rowing is sweet! Just pop in the removable bench, slip the oars into the stainless steel oar locks and row away!
- Don’t forget the 2 fishing pole holders for trolling and room for a fish bucket!
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| Rowing away in Cook's Bay |
- Hard dinghies are notoriously… well… hard and need shock protection. The boat is entirely surrounded by fenders: at the bow (whose nose has been cut-off to maximize waterline length), behind the platforms, and all around. Two more moveable fenders can be taken in and out as needed.
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| Hoisted on the davit: nicer to look at than the AB and less obtrusive; Carrying handles; permanently-fixed fenders for protection |
- Cleaning? We coated the bottom with antifouling paint and the rest is Awlgrip topcoat: just wipe it off. As for repairs, nothing is easier than a bit of epoxy compound!
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| Aft boarding platforms are also fitted with permanent fenders for shock protection |
The first sea trials yielded some very wet rides. JP had to tweak the bow a bit. He added some bow-wave deflecting wings. He cut some triangular length of foam and epoxied them in place, strategically to deflect the bow spray. Now, we have a very dry ride.
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| Wave-deflecting ridge at the bow |
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| At the dock, against an army of RIBs |
That’s Do-mini: roomy, easy to get on the plane, clutter-free sole, easy to board, easy to stow, and, at roughly 90 lbs, not any heavier than the AB. We love it! Well done, JP!
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| The best part: fishing! |
Dominomarie
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| Up on the flybridge, stowed for long passages |