New Highfield Dinghy!

/ shellerina
New Highfield UL260LT 8’7” dinghy.

This RIB (rigid inflatable boat) has an aluminum floor, weighs only 80 pounds, (9 pounds more than our older 8’ Walker Bay), and its aluminum transom is welded to the floor. This is small, but is all we need and Highfield is the best of the best. Zero shipping, no assembly, it’s exactly what we needed.

Our Davit was designed for 8 foot hanging points, and this dinghy’s hanging points are 6 feet apart. So a minor structural cross member change/addition is planned.
Temporarily, this red strapping will be used to hang the bow from the welded aluminum towing point to the davit. (Strapping will cause less chafing than a rope would until the structural modification is made to the davit.). The intended hanging point for this dinghy is a welded eye in the forward-most part of the inside of the boat, about 6 feet from the transom’s welded hanging points.

Why the change? Shelly and I needed a more stable dingy, and this will certainly accomplish that! “We want to go out exploring together and more often!” Shelly exclaims. I could not agree more. This one will more comfortably [and safely] handle both of us in the boat at the same time.

So, how could we afford it? Well, I’ve been researching the market for months, and I figured we’d have to settle for a cheaper brand, and maybe one without the solid aluminum floor and without the aluminum transom, which is more common in the smaller RIBs by other manufacturers.

Very close to our Slip #7 at Oriental Harbor Marina was this display of in-stock, fully assembled RIB’s. So I got inquisitive. Then, I came back later in the day to meet with Ben Chaplin. I explained my needs, and he helped me pick the best match out from his stock. Then he gave me a great price offer that Shelly and I could not say “No” to!

We are thrilled with our new upgrade, and we’ll keep you all informed once we put our E-propulsion electric outboard on it and start to use it more!

Incidentally, Inland Waterways Provision Company was highlighted back in April 2022, over a year ago, when we first visited this cool village called Oriental NC. Here is a link to that [long but] informative blog post: https://shellerina.com/2022/04/06/grace-harbor-marina-at-river-dunes/

Well, today, this local business in Oriental NC is where Ben Chaplin and I “talked turkey” and I was impressed at the deal we came to agree upon. I strongly encourage you to make a stop to meet Ben if you have a dinghy “itch” to scratch. Most importantly, he’s got in-stock, diverse inventory. Where other vendors I have talked with simply whine, “We can’t get them in a timely manner!”

Everybody in this town is friendly and accommodating at all the businesses. The tiki bar here at the marina and inn has lots of locals who will welcome and befriend you in a minute. In 24 hours we’ve exchanged contact info with many other couples both locals from here or visiting. One example of many: a woman, Mary Lou, who introduced herself to us (while I was fiddling with old and new dinghies) had all kinds of questions for us about “Looping” … but after 15 minutes she had to cut the discussion off because her local realtor was calling her for their next showing!

This town is a must-stop for all Great Loopers or cruisers. I’d even go so far to say this: If Shelly and I ever decided to get a “dirt-home” again, Oriental will certainly be on our short list under consideration.

More to follow about Oriental NC!

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