On many yachts, the dinghy is taken out of the back box and inflated at the latest when the anchor is dropped. On the typical yacht size between 30 and 40 feet, an inflatable dinghy is usually the most practical, unless there are davits or enough space on deck for a rigid-hull dinghy. The inflatable version can combine the supposed contradictions of small pack size versus good space in the boat and low weight versus high tipping stability. That is why it is so popular. Especially the size around 2.50 metres in length just fits into the back box on many yachts when packed and still offers enough transport volume for a small crew.
But even if the small inflatable boats are similar, there are still major differences. These are particularly evident in the construction of the floor. The simplest variant is a foil between the tubes, which is reinforced with inserted boards for better stability in the boat. However, this construction is rather unstable and does not form a V-shape in the underwater area. Models with a high-pressure floor have an advantage here.
The high-pressure floor in the inflatable boat
The in Drop stitch process The part is similar in design to a SUP and is inserted into the dinghy. A nice side effect: the hollow space with the keel hose between the underwater hull foil and the high-pressure floor acts as a bilge. Rain or spray water collects here and your feet stay dry when you step into the dinghy.
This advantage does not apply to the second variant of the high-pressure floor - the 3D air floor or high-pressure V-floor. This is inherently V-shaped and part of the fuselage construction, so it is not inserted separately. Advantage: one less part and easier to assemble. Disadvantage: Due to the V-shape, there are two sloping surfaces in the boat and no straight floor. In addition, a puddle of water quickly forms in the centre.
There are three dinghies from the group with floorboards in the test: one model each from Plastimo, Seatec (SVB's own brand) and Yamaha. These dinghies are usually cheaper. There are six models in the group with a high-pressure floor. One each from Osculati, Plastimo, Seatec, Talamex, Yachticon and Yamaha. In this group, the boats from Plastimo and Seatec have a 3D air floor.
Differences in the floor construction
The EZ Raft from the Netherlands is a special case. Its hull consists of three tubes and resembles a trimaran. The centre tube is used for rowing. So there is no interior space like on the other boats. Instead, rainwater simply runs off. The big advantage of the EZ Raft is its low weight and extremely small pack size.
The equipment of the dinghies
Before we went out on the water, however, we determined the dimensions and weight. This also revealed the differences in equipment. Starting with little things like the repair kit, which often lacked something instead of patches, glue and a valve spanner. This was the case with the dinghy from Osculati, Talamex and Yachticon.
The Talamex is the only pump with a double-stroke floor pump, all the others have a foot pump. Most of them also have the option of reducing the stroke and then pumping with more pressure. Only the Yamaha models have an even simpler foot pump. If the quality of the pump is not right, it can be difficult to get the pressure recommended by the manufacturer onto the tubes.
The pressure can only be checked using a pressure gauge, which was included with the Plastimo Fun, the Seatec Aerotend and the Yamaha 240 Air. One trick to achieve the desired pressure, even with a less powerful pump, is to inflate the dinghy properly when it is cool, for example in the evening. Then the air in the tube heats up in the sun to make it plump.
Handles and skirting boards
The Plastimo Fun PI230 VB shows how important even small features can be: it has neither a mooring line nor handles. Lifting the boat into the water and only being able to use the side handles is impractical. The majority of the models can be lifted better, the EZ Raft with 31 handle loops has the most handles. These and the reinforcements on the rubbing strake and under the keels are made of webbing from automotive seat belts.
Most of the other dinghies also have rubbing strakes and reinforcements on the keel. The latter protect the material when the boat is pulled onto the beach. The rubbing strake fulfils a dual purpose on many dinghies: It is fitted with an anti-splash lip on the lower side. On the Osculati, Seatec Aerotend, Talamex and Yachticon 250 AMF, this stops the water splashing up during the journey.
The stability of inflatable boats
Stability is important as soon as you take the dinghy out on the water. Is it easy to climb on board or is it so wobbly that special care is required? The width of the boat and the diameter of the tube are crucial for a safe floating position with plenty of righting momentum. The larger, the safer. The Talamex gets top marks in this discipline.
But the model from Yachticon, Osculati and the Plastimo Raid II P240 are also convincing. The latter is particularly impressive because it is still very wide even in the bow area.
Models with a high-pressure V-bottom as part of the hull construction are a speciality. Here, the floor itself generates quite a lot of buoyancy and is fitted with an edge on the side due to the design, which makes the boats quite tippy. This is particularly noticeable on the Plastimo Fun.
Good and bad details
How the inflatable boats row
When rowing, a good sitting position is important first. The distance between the bench and the mirror and the oarlocks is crucial. Then come the straps: is the length and size of the blades right? If the oars are too short, your back will be hunched over; if they are too long, you will bump into your own knees when rowing. Then, of course, the manoeuvring characteristics are particularly exciting, with straight-line travel and as little drift as possible in bends. The models from Osculati and Talamex rowed best.
However, the straps on the latter are a bit narrow, which is why we swapped them for Osculati straps as a test. That worked much better. The Yamaha 240 T had a rather bow-heavy floating position, which meant that it could only be rowed with a lot of effort. It was similar with the Seatec Nemo, where a lot of spray water came into the boat via the bow. On the Yachticon 250 AMF model, an eyelet for the side handle line was fitted in such a way that the oars hit it every time the boat was pulled. This is a pity, because otherwise the boat was convincing.
The EZ Raft is again in a special position here. The seating position is not particularly comfortable, there is no bench, you sit on top of the centre tube. At least your feet can be supported on the mirror, which is located a little further down, so you can at least build up strength when pumping. The straps are fastened with webbing and can be telescoped twice. This allows them to remain on the packed boat, which saves time during assembly and disassembly. It's possible to roll, but it's not comparable with the seating position in the other dinghies. However, with the very large air tubes, the EZ Raft offers a very high level of stability.
Which dinghy can glide with a motor?
We used a Yamaha outboard motor with 4 hp for this. With a small electric drive, all the dinghies were easy to manoeuvre. However, the differences became apparent when gliding. It is also important to know whether this is possible at all.
The good news: this was not a problem for most of the boats. Only the Osculati, Yamaha 240 Air, Yamaha 240 T and the EZ Raft did not slip. One reason for this is the very high transom on the Yamaha 240 T, which would require an outboard with a long shaft. The propeller sucked in air during the test. On the EZ Raft, the transom is very narrow, which is why it is twisted by the thrust of the propeller and the resulting torque. The super-light model is definitely not made for a heavy combustion engine. However, it handles well electrically. The small boats start to glide at just under 20 kilometres per hour.
The models with a slatted floor also glided off well. The Plastimo Raid II P240 was the fastest at 22.2 kilometres per hour. The Talamex, the heaviest and widest model, took a while to get going, but was then able to impress at 20.8 kilometres per hour with a particularly safe ride and little drift in the bends. One incident with the Seatec Nemo is unfortunate and the only breakage in this test: when the rider's own tail wave passed quickly, the wooden seat cracked with an audible crack. In general, aluminium benches have the advantage that they are less bouncy, which is particularly pleasant when rowing.
The towing behaviour of the dinghies
On a summer cruise, the dinghy should not be packed away every day and put in the back box if it can simply be towed. It is crucial that it runs well behind the yacht and has the lowest possible towing resistance.
This was measured with a towing scale at a towing speed of 6.5 knots. The length of the towline is decisive here. It should not be too short, around ten metres long, and must be set precisely. This is because even a little further aft or forward is decisive for whether the dinghy goes down the stern wave or gets stuck in the wave trough. This difference can be recognised by the floating position of the dinghy and even more subtly by the towing resistance.
The same line length was always selected for the test, but then fine-tuned so that the value on the scales was the lowest. This ensured that all inflatable boats could be compared fairly. Sailors also make this adjustment when towing their dinghy. Only instead of using the towing scales, they use their instincts. The values on the scales were between 3.4 and 7.4 kilograms. That's not a lot, but the difference is important.
At 3.4 kilograms, the Plastimo Raid II towed the lightest and the Yamaha 240 Air the heaviest at 7.4. Surprisingly, the heaviest dinghy in the test, the Talamex, was below this value at 6.9. This shows that the towing resistance cannot simply be derived from the weight of the boat. The hull shape naturally has the greatest influence here.
As by far the lightest boat in the test, the EZ Raft had an average towing resistance of 5.3 kilograms. However, the value alone does not tell the whole story, the decisive factor is also how the dinghy behaves behind the yacht. The models with a moulded underwater hull scored well here. They are superior to those with a slatted bottom when towing. The Seatec Nemo and the Yamaha 240 T in particular were bumpy when towing, travelling in serpentine lines, and the Yamaha 240 T repeatedly dipped heavily with the bow. Due to the unsteady towing behaviour of the Nemo, no measured value could be determined; it weighs between 3.4 and 4.3 kilograms.
Fastening and holding options
The rating of the inflatable boats
The Talamex Comfortline achieves the best results across the board. However, it is also the largest boat.
The Seatec Aerotend and the Osculati also followed with good results. The latter would also have been the test winner if planing had been possible in the test. Nevertheless, it is an excellent choice for sailors who only row or use slower electric motors. Especially as it is also attractively priced at 800 euros.
At 430 euros, the cheapest dinghy in the test is the Nemo from Seatec. However, there are significant compromises in terms of stability, ergonomics when rowing, the floating position (splash water) and towing behaviour. It is a shame that the Yachticon Crazy4Boating 250 AMF loses a lot of points for the plastic eyelet, which gets in the way when rowing. It can be a very good choice for owners who only want to travel with an outboard motor. The dinghy offers plenty of space, high stability and is well equipped.
The Yamaha 240 T brings up the rear. Standing on the narrow slats of the floor is unsafe, rowing is difficult with hardly any lateral guidance, gliding is not possible, and even the 14.1 kilometres per hour did not feel safe and controlled in any way, and it is not so easy to tow. Definitely not recommended for purchase.
The EZ Raft is not so easy to compare, it would finish in the lower midfield. It can do some things worse than the competition (seating position, rowing, planing), but in terms of weight and pack size the others don't even come close. So if space on board is very limited or the yacht is very weight-sensitive, the EZ Raft may have no alternative, regardless of its weaknesses. The low weight has the advantage that the EZ Raft can be easily lifted over the railing into the water with one hand.
With the Talamex weighing over 30 kilograms, the large halyard is more advisable for launching the dinghy. However, the heavy test winner also offers almost the comfort of a rib, i.e. an inflatable boat with a GRP underwater hull, which increases stability and ride comfort, but makes the pack size much larger. We measured this after packing and not when the boat was new. The former value is much more realistic, but can also vary slightly. If it no longer fits in the back box after packing, it is all the better if the dinghy can be towed easily in case of doubt.
