Alaska Series Feedback

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bshillam

Member
I am considering a tender right now. What's on the front of consideration is the LSI-88 and the Alaska Series 240TDS. I'd like to hear back from owners as to the performance, how they hold up and over all how easy they are to use.
In addition, we are considering purchasing a small motor for the dink. Where is the best place (price) to purchase such and what would you suggest? I am trying to keep the budget down so other options for make/model/engine would be considered. I'd like to get a dink that we will have for quite sometime. One of the bennefits of a little larger dink is that we can take it to the water if we only want to get wet for an short period of time.
We are primarly going to be using the dink to tender from an anchored position to and from the shore line - or exploring the shore. In addition, an occassional late spring/summer putting around. We need enough space for two adults at all times and one child + small dog.
Thanks much brats - hoping to see you in April! :hot :smileo
 
There has been considerable discussion on the Alaska Series dinks, they seem to be of good value, you might do a search to read some of the comments from the owners of them.

For size, I have a West Marine RU-260, 8' 6" long, hard transom. It is a very popular size. It's size is comfortable for 2 with some gear (dog, ice chest, scuba), or even 4 people but less gear. It deflates easily and rolls up nicely. We use a Yamaha 3hp, combination is great. :thup
 
Hands down the Alaska 240DTS versus the LSI-88. The Alaska is VERY much lighter and offers more interior room for its length because it doesn't have a hard transom and extended stern tubes which are counted in the length but subtract from interior space. The Achilles LT-2 or LT-4 is more along the lines of the Alaska series and encourages direct comparison along with the Avon Redstart and Redcrest.

Unless you *must* have a larger engine and a high-speed dinghy I believe the (what I call) doughnut dinghies (tube all around and no hard transom) are a better all around choice for small mother ships like the C-Dory. There are good reasons for exceptions so take this as a general observation.

There are 4 manufacturer's of small saltwater capable outboards on the market (there are more "brands" than that but they come from one of the 4) and I handle 3 of them. After all these years I still like that darn Honda BF2 beacuse it's light (28 pounds) and air-cooled (no impeller or water inside the engine) which makes it a good choice for the rotten life most dinghy engines are subjected to. In reality you can't make a bad choice so look at the weights, costs and maintenance and see which fits your needs the best. There's no sense in getting into "brand wars" here; they all come from great manufacturers.
 
I've had a number of dinghies over the years (currently have an Avon Rollaway with aluminum floor) and my _next_ dinghy is going to be an aluminum RIB Aquapro Sportmaster 860:

LINK

I have an Osprey Pilothouse (not a C-Dory), and I have to first increase the height of the radar arch a bit to get the 15" tubes under. I've also got a pedestal I'll install to make sure the radar itself is higher than the dinghy.

Aluminum RIBs are scarce in the US, but they are the standard dinghy "down under". Ballard Inflatables in Seattle has good prices on them (there's also a 710 that just appeared in the Seattle craigslist, but I want the larger tubes). As for outboards, I've purchase my last 2 Yamaha outboards from Jacobsen's Marine in Seattle (ironically, across the street from Ballard Inflatables).
 
For the Alaska C-brats, if your considering an Alaska Series Tender NOW’s the time to buy; Jim King has them marked down almost 50% at the Anchors Away Boat show in Anchorage. I bought A 240TDS with the Grizzly Claw Options for 1097.50, a great deal on a great tender for CD’s.
 
Now with the photo I recall these boats. The information about the 50% off sale was very enticing, if one is up to spending a chunk on a dinghy. Also the Aire Super Lynx 14 that Jim of Hartstene island wrote about also looks very appealing, again at a high cost albeit for a quality dinghy.

Thanks!

Anne
 
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