Purchasing and Storing A Used Inflatable Dinghy
New-to-me dinghy
It was 08 June 2024, and Harrington Harbor North was having its annual boater’s yard sale. My broker had suggested I stop by because the boat I was looking to purchase only had a little blowup dinghy that, for the most part, was mainly for bopping from boat to dinghy dock and back again. I preferred something more robust! He said he had found a decent one for himself for under $500.00 the previous year.
As luck would have it, my brother and I arrived right at 8 AM and found one at a super low price… less than half of what my broker paid the previous year. Other than its age, the owner said it was in good condition, but it had a slow leak that he hadn’t found.
I took a chance – we walked around to see what else was available – but we returned to purchase the dinghy. It’s a 2004 AB Inflatables Navigo 9VS with a rigid fiberglass bottom. This thing is heavy!
At 9’6” and 148 lbs, it did not fit into my little Honda Civic. I gave him $100.00, promising he’d hold it for me and we’d return within the hour with a larger vehicle to transport it away.
We got said larger vehicle, paid the balance, and he helped lug it onto the roof of our parents’ minivan.
This thing is h-e-a-v-y!
I called Beau, of Beau and Brandy fame, to share the news… and ask a few questions. Up until this point, they had no idea I was in the midst of my first sailboat purchase. They were excited and recommended G-Flex and a patch to fix that slow air leak. I also asked them for their Amazon link… and made the purchase!
We got the dinghy back to our parents’ place and were able to get it down off the rack and to the grassy side yard, where we could sponge it down with soapy water to try and find the small leak. Boom! A few minutes later, we found the leak and marked the spot with a Sharpie. That area will soon be covered with a patch. I went over the rest of the dinghy with soapy water to see if there were any other leaks, but we didn’t find any.
Finally, I rinsed it down and flushed out the hollow double-sided rails with the hose to blast out a nest of black ants living inside. Sorry guys (actually, sorry gals… [that’s another story that won’t be told here – google it!]).
Finally, we got it down into the backyard and the shed. Good night!
