Opinions on Walkerbay

[RBB]

Looking at a couple walkerbay’s. A 360
And 400 generation. Anyone have any
Experience or opinions on walkerbay
Dinghies.
Thanks

 

[bmac]

I have a 2010 Walker Bay 390 Generation with a 40HP Yamaha. Very nice dinghy, a little under powered. It is a heavy RIB but gives a very comfortable and dry ride. The only real issue I've had is with corrosion on terminal blocks. I rewired most of the boat last winter but sill need to track down some gauge wiring, including the fuel gauge. I would buy another Walker Bay. I've looked at the new ones and I think they've resolved some quirky design issues and some quality control issues since they moved production to Mexico. I've spoken to the factory and their engineering folks and they were all very responsive and helpful (in English).

 

[RBB]

What length is a 390? We r looking at a
400 generation 50hp.

 

[Jeremygavin]

I bought a generation 340 last year with a 40 hp Honda. We put 33 hours on it last season really enjoyed the boat. It gives us a dry comfortable ride with plenty of power. We enjoy the open L seating layout with nothing to climb over inside the boat. I have not had any quality issues with the boat so far. I would recommend them to anybody.

 

[bmac]

What length is a 390? We r looking at a
400 generation 50hp.

The 400 replaced the 390. I think dimensionally they are the same boat, I believe the same hull. I think mine measures out at 13' even, though with the engine up while on the platform it's more like 14'6" - 15'. Like I said above, the 390, or the 400, are under powered with the 40 but should be good with the 50. If I needed to replace mine I would buy the Generation 400, but at 10 years old it doesn't show any signs of needing replacement.

 

[RBB]

The 400 replaced the 390. I think dimensionally they are the same boat, I believe the same hull. I think mine measures out at 13' even, though with the engine up while on the platform it's more like 14'6" - 15'. Like I said above, the 390, or the 400, are under powered with the 40 but should be good with the 50. If I needed to replace mine I would buy the Generation 400, but at 10 years old it doesn't show any signs of needing replacement.

Thanks for the info. I believe the 400 has the 50hp. I am going to Somerset Ky next week to look at them.

 

[Charlesoceanone]

The 400 replaced the 390. I think dimensionally they are the same boat, I believe the same hull. I think mine measures out at 13' even, though with the engine up while on the platform it's more like 14'6" - 15'. Like I said above, the 390, or the 400, are under powered with the 40 but should be good with the 50. If I needed to replace mine I would buy the Generation 400, but at 10 years old it doesn't show any signs of needing replacement.

How well does this fit on your swim platform with that length? I’m looking for my 52 but not sure on the right size. I want to go as big as I can.

 

[Jeremygavin]

The 340 is as big as I would go on the 52. The 340 isn’t wider than the boat at the widest point but stern is does overhang the swim platform about 1ft on both sides. It is about 1ft short of the with of the boat on either side.

 

[RBB]

Fellas we bought a dinghy. Walkerbay Venture 14. Should have pictures in a week or so.

 

[RBB]

Can’t wait till it warms up.

 

[Jeremygavin]

View attachment 80756 View attachment 80755 Can’t wait till it warms up.

Looks great. Enjoy.

 

[slampe]

View attachment 80756 View attachment 80755 Can’t wait till it warms up.

 

[slampe]

Fellas we bought a dinghy. Walkerbay Venture 14. Should have pictures in a week or so.

RBB - Following up to see how your WB Venture 14 experience has been. I am looking at a new 2023 Venture 14 right now to buy before the year ends with Yamaha F70. We live in So California have a lot of good days to Boat and usually tow our friends Caribe 13 to Catalina Island frequently and do a lot of exploring. We have a larger 46’ mother ship now. We also would take a lot of day trips on the Venture and use our boat a lot just want to upgrade our 10’ Achilles dinghy. Can you share how the Venture 14 has been for you? Thanks in advance!
View attachment 80756 View attachment 80755 Can’t wait till it warms up.

 

[Stee6043]

@slampe if there's any chance you might eventually like to travel with the tender on the swim platform you may want to consider something smaller. That Venture 14 is a monster!

I've got 2 seasons on a Walker Bay 325 STX. I think they're great boats and we've put a lot of hours on ours. That said, I'm wildly outnumbered by Highfield just about everywhere I go. Walker Bay is a rare bird.

 

[slampe]

@slampe if there's any chance you might eventually like to travel with the tender on the swim platform you may want to consider something smaller. That Venture 14 is a monster!

I've got 2 seasons on a Walker Bay 325 STX. I think they're great boats and we've put a lot of hours on ours. That said, I'm wildly outnumbered by Highfield just about everywhere I go. Walker Bay is a rare bird.

Thanks for the feedback. I like the Highfield - it’s less but don’t like the aluminum hull. We have a 10’4” Achilles with a 5 HP Mercury that we pull up on Weaver Davits. Have been towing a friend’s 13’ Caribe with Honda 60 to Catalina (26 miles) as practice. We love the ability to do more exploring and with a large family we often have a total of 6-7 of us. Unless there are any maintenance issues with the WB we would love to pull the trigger on that purchase. How is the fit, finish and reliability of your WB? Any delaminating of material or issues and experience with customer service good or bad?

 

[RBB]

It’s a great dinghy. It’s is very stable, we loved that about it.

 

[Stee6043]

Thanks for the feedback. I like the Highfield - it’s less but don’t like the aluminum hull. We have a 10’4” Achilles with a 5 HP Mercury that we pull up on Weaver Davits. Have been towing a friend’s 13’ Caribe with Honda 60 to Catalina (26 miles) as practice. We love the ability to do more exploring and with a large family we often have a total of 6-7 of us. Unless there are any maintenance issues with the WB we would love to pull the trigger on that purchase. How is the fit, finish and reliability of your WB? Any delaminating of material or issues and experience with customer service good or bad?

I've had zero issues with my Walker Bay. I'm running it with a Suzuki outboard which has also been fantastic...

 

[Jeremygavin]

I have a walker bay 340 generation and love it. I’ve had it for five years now and put about 160 hours on it. The steering has been an issue which I just replaced with hydraulic steering. It was stiffen up quite a bit. Other than that it has been great. I have a 40hp Honda on mine and I’m very happy with it.