9 foot is about the limit for storing on the deck. I have owned about 5 dinghies in 35 years. On that basis, I will have nothing but a hypalon no matter what any salesperson tells you. You want a stabilized v bottom in some manner---I have had the blow up and they are a disaster for a list of reasons I will not go into here--unless you want a beach toy type of dinghy. If you are never going to fold it up and store it, you might like a RIB. They are generally heavier than other options, but are sea kindly. But weight matters and storage matters to me. I just bought an Achilles 9 footer with aluminum floor boards as I have no place to store a RIB and think that carrying a dinghy on davits offshore is a safety hazard. I liked my other Achilles, which was same size and the one with wooden boards and is $500 cheaper, and IMHO better, as it is much lighter (20lbs less) to hoist and store, but I had a freak accident with that one and crushed the transom between my boat and the dock--it was not repairable and the salesperson talked me into "upgrading" Probably a mistake. I think Achilles is the best value in hypalon. The folks in the Caribbean all seem to like AB's but they are about $1000 more here in the US than Achilles comparable and I cannot see the difference. If you can get down to Panama or Columbia ABs are cheaper than most other options. There are a lot of no name brands made from PVC and if you are willing to replace your dinghy every 2 or 4 years, they might even make economic sense if you do that, but most are not priced competitively with the long term value of a hypalon and they are going to go to crap if left in the sun at a dock. Zodiac used to make all of West Marine's options and now owns Avon, and they are built to a price with the weekend boater in mind--I do not know any experienced boater or cruiser who has bought a second one. I have had them and had major issues with each one and will never have another. But if it is out of the sun and you keep it below most anything will work. They all can work OK if you are a weekend boater. Buy for the way you will use it and the value you see and you will be happy.
Ray Durkee Velera T37 #373
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