Sometimes when traveling our posts don't seem to make it to the list, so if this is redundant, I appologize. We have usually carried two dinghies. One a 12.5 to 13 foot Hypalong Inflatable (RIB or soft bottom), with 15 to 25 hp outboard. The second either a hard 10 foot fiberglass rowing/low hp boat, or a light weight (less than 40 lbs) inflatable, for surf. We have found that the average inflatable does not do well in serious surf--and one does not want to have any part of that boat drop on a foot! Wheels: Many dinghies on the West Coast are fitting with 12" pneumatic wheels, which can be either easily detatched or fold down when beaching. The balance point is such that you can easily pick up the bow handle and pull a 13 foot dinghy up a soft sandy beach. An alternate in some areas, with high ties,and limited shorelines, is an "endless line" out ot an ancher set some 100 or more feet off the beach, and after unloading the dinghy is pulled back out the the anchor--usually a pully to rope and chain directly to the anchor--the "endless" line is secured well above the high tide mark. Other items of value--having a way to lock the dinghy (eye bolts in the transom, which cannot be easily removed, with a cable. Also some locking compartment in the dinghy's structure for safety items. We also carry a depth finder and gps on the dinghy--along with a battery for lights, engine start and spotlight--plus the electronics. The larger boat has to be brought aboard either over the transom, on conventional davits or a crane davit. The lighter boat can be brought aboard by one or two people manually. There are situations were two dinghies are very handy--including if a dinghy is lost, or stolen, one crew wants to visit a boat, the other go ashore,--also the light dinghy can be easily launched in seconds in an emergency. We found that 15 hp was fine for 2 people--and 25 hp was necessary for longer trips and more weight. Also the small engine was used for a back up kicker motor for the larger dinghy on long excursions. More later. Bob Austin