Inflatable Dinghy for the Houseboat

by Carlo
(Ontario)

An inflatable dinghy would be my favorite accessory for the houseboat. I use it almost daily to go out for quick spins, or I take it out to go fishing with it.

It's an 11ft dinghy with a 9.9hp Mercury 4 stroke, and I have outfitted it with a small 12v sealed battery. This way I can run a depth sounder - fishfinder which really helps in finding the largemouth bass.

Those bass like to hide behind rocks in fast deep water, so the fishfinder helps me judge the depth so I can use a jig and not get snagged on the bottom.

I love the dinghy because it's small enough to be towable behind the houseboat, yet big enough so that two of us can go out comfortably. An 11ft inflatable boat with a 9.9hp can get two of us up on plane, which is important because we get to our fishing holes very quickly.

You'll see in the picture that I'm bring in a 2-3 pound largemouth on a jig, with the fishfinder showing 30ft and 69 degrees (water temperature).

The last thing that I love about the dinghy is that they are very safe and stable, especially in rough water. I find it's better than my buddy's small 11ft aluminum boat. His aluminum is so narrow, that I felt we would flip over in it, yet in the dinghy, two adults can stand on one side, and we don't feel in any danger. Just my thoughts though...