If you had to point to the most valuable item on your cruising yacht right now, what would you point to? Would it be your new chart plotter? Your radar? Maybe where you keep your cruising cash? Or your jewelry?
The truth is, the most valuable item on your cruising yacht is your dinghy. Any dinghy, and all dinghies, have the same value to a cruiser. It can be a cheap pool toy looking inflatable, or a fancy center console Boston Whaler. This little boat gets you from boat to shore, and into places where your yachts draft will preclude you. Without your dinghy, you would be stranded on your boat with no way of getting to shore, or on shore with no way of getting to your boat.
When you are anchored in a remote location, there is no amount of money or other objects that can get you back and forth from boat to shore. The only thing that can do it is a dinghy, and if you don't have one, you are stranded.
You might be wondering what kind of dinghy is best, and this is certainly a topic of much debate. Some swear by hard dinghies, others tout the stability and carrying capacity of inflatables. The truth is the best dinghy is the one you have on board, because when you need to get somewhere, any dinghy will do and any dinghy will serve the purpose of transporting you and your crew to shore and back.
