Where to keep dinghy on trailer sailor?
- Thread starter Scandium
- Start date
If you have a small boat I think the choices are limited to towing or packing an inflatable. While a hard shell will be easier to tow I can think of situations where towing might not be advisable so the best or more versatile option would be the inflatable. Getting a small 7-8 ft dinghy strapped on the deck of a 22-24 ft boat might prove inadequate. Our use of the dinghy mostly depend on where we are going, if we need to sail hard to reach a destination the dinghy stays packed but if we are just taking our time to get where we may or the destination is a short distance away we will tow the dink. If we have other means to get off the boat the dinghy will stay packed but if not it will be deployed even if we need to repack it. Use your common sense as every trip is different .
Thanks! good to hear it can be done without issue. Nice setup! I'll take it in stages and start going without the dinghy, then try towing, then see if we need to bring the outboard for it. Hopefully not, as storing that would be a hassle. I don't mind the workout.. I have a 6 hp, might have to get a tiny one as someone here mentioned. I've seen people tow with outboard on the dinghy, but that just seems like a bad idea to me.. :O
You can put a kayak up between the stanchion posts and the cabin top. Get a two seater and you can put supplies in one of the seats and or the first mate. I'd recommend the "ocean" style that are self bailing, especially if you are going to tow.
These Magma Kayak racks keep the decks clear. We've used them on several smaller boats. The 8 ft. Walker Bay tows well and is great for getting the dog ashore or heading to the pub.
What about one of these: https://www.porta-bote.com
It could fold flat and strap to the deck pretty easily. No experience myself but the previous owner of my southcost had one.
It could fold flat and strap to the deck pretty easily. No experience myself but the previous owner of my southcost had one.
Most of the time we stow our 13-ft Avon deflated and "folded" bow over stern, and tied down on the coach roof and some of the time it gets towed. Don't really like towing due to drag and problems if there are rough conditions.
Really doesn't take long to inflate but launching is more work because it's about 115 pounds dry. Rigged up a "bridal" with two lines to the stern tubes and one to the bow, use the main halyard with a block-and-tackle (actually a Schaeffer-sp?) boom vang system) to launch and retrieve.
Don't like going into a marina nor on any long passages towing anything.
Made a suncover to protect it from UV when it is stowed on the coachroof. Looks good.
I've been using a Walker Bay Airis Sport. Only 15 pounds and paddles like a real kayak (high pressure). I alternate it with a hard kayak in the winter to minimize UV time. I like them both.
Beaching is not much of an option if there are waves or wakes. I'm no longer comfortable with the concept.
http://theotherchesapeake.blogspot.com/2017/09/need-inflatabable.html
Beaching is not much of an option if there are waves or wakes. I'm no longer comfortable with the concept.
http://theotherchesapeake.blogspot.com/2017/09/need-inflatabable.html
I have a small inflatable made by Bestway. It’s under 8 foot when inflated. I keep it in my cockpit locker. I did the same in my prior boat, O’day 240. I’m considering getting an inflatable SUP.
Might depend on the dinghy, motor weight and how you have the tow line rigged. We towed with the outboard on only once and didn't like how it effected the angle of the dinghy while towing. That was with a 60 lb. 5 HP though and the 40 lb. 3 1/2 HP we have now along with how we have the tow line attached...
... might make it feasible in good conditions. We now tow from the dinghy's stern as shown above ...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-17.html
... and that has worked great for a couple thousand miles. I wasn't fond of towing from the bow straps as much as we tow. Figured sooner or later that might rip off and the dinghy is a good one, a zodiac. We switched from the 5 HP to 3 1/2 as it was really hard at times to lower the heavier motor into the dinghy and get it on the transom if the dinghy was rolling one way and the Mac another way in waves.
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/mac-1/2015 Bahamas/1-Port Charlotte to Key Largo/PC-to-Bahamas-Page-2.html
I also added a pulley system that makes getting the outboard into the dinghy a lot easier. I'll be 75 in a few weeks so need help that a much younger person might not need.
Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
I'm leaning towards something like that. I'd love a hard kayak, but our house isn't that big so storage is an issue. With kids might need two tandem ones! The inflatables are appealing, despite their drawbacks. Just to/from the sailboat it should be plenty fine. A couple inflatable SUPs are also tempting. Or all of the above
I remember looking at those, couple on craigslist here. Looks ok. But kinda pricey, and still pretty long even when stowed. Assembling on deck of a 23 ft boat could also be tricky I think? (though probably no worse than inflating a dinghy)
We have an 8' Portabote and have carried it on our Seaward 25. Usually keep it folded against the stantions and lower it in the water with a halyard. Don't love towing it but it tows reasonably well if you keep it close. We've been able to pack 2 folding bikes in it and a bunch of other stuff to head into shore. Works great for that.
What we found we like even better (when we don't have our bikes to cart) is a Sea Eagle inflatable kayak. We blow it up at the first anchorage and tow it after that. It tows well and doesn't slow the boat down any. It's gotten more use than the Portabote.
What we found we like even better (when we don't have our bikes to cart) is a Sea Eagle inflatable kayak. We blow it up at the first anchorage and tow it after that. It tows well and doesn't slow the boat down any. It's gotten more use than the Portabote.
Google "folding dinghy" and you get a plethora of interesting ideas for small portable tenders. Here are just a few of my favorites.
-Will (Dragonfly)
-Will (Dragonfly)
Have you found a way to tow it in heavier air? We found ours would tow very well until the wind piped up into the mid/upper teens, then the kayak would go airborne and flip over, instantly turning itself into a drogue. Again and again and again, no matter how we tried rigging it. Grrrr!
Speaking of going airborne ... one time the wind picked ours up off the beach and tumbled it fifty yards across an exposed oyster bar at low tide. I thought it was history, but it only got two very small punctures. We were able to paddle back it out to the boat, deflate it and patch it. Next morning it was ready for action again. I was truly impressed.
We have a Sea Eagle, too. I bought the smaller one that is made for 1 or 2 persons (SE 330) and find that it useful mainly for beach purposes. I think it works only if you are ok with getting wet. It's fun for us to paddle it alone. It's way too much work for us to use tandem, so it is just very basic transportation for getting us to the beach with a swim suit on. First of all, I have to get my body low enough to get into it without flipping over. That means I have to get my feet in the water while standing on the ladder to sit in the kayak while it is stable enough. Then, we have to beach it to get out. That means wading in the water because you can't paddle it far enough on land to get out on land. There is no way we're getting in and out at a dock or from the boat without standing on a lower rung on the ladder.
It is very slow paddling when 2 are in it and it really only works when Sue is in front with her back against the bow. No matter how I do it, water is getting in the kayak from the paddles when I'm paddling. That means that we are eventually sitting in water. The seat keeps you higher and dryer, but still it's a wet process. With regard to the seat, I find that if I blow it up too firm, I am sitting nice and high. But the higher I sit, the less stable the kayak becomes, but you get used to it. I find that if I only half-inflate the seat, it is comfortable and the kayak seems far more stable. If I am paddling with Sue, I can't move the seat far enough back to make room for both of us, so I leave it behind in that case. The seat pinches too much on the sides, and it only seems to be useful when I'm paddling alone. We are pretty comical when the 2 of us are in it together, and we've noticed a few folks having a good laugh at our expense when we've used it to get to the beach from our favorite anchorage at Barnegat Light. I'm 6'1" and 215# and Sue is 5'7" and in great shape (nope, not going to mention her weight! that would be risking too much), so we probably don't count as 2 "small" adults, which they advertise that this model will accommodate.
Of course the 370 is made for 2 to 3 and would be far more suitable for us together, but I think most of the same issues would still arise. I can't ever see taking Sue off the boat for dinner or a casual day on shore with any kayak. We'll need a dinghy for that. This is a good thread because boat size is limiting for us, too, I think.
It is very slow paddling when 2 are in it and it really only works when Sue is in front with her back against the bow. No matter how I do it, water is getting in the kayak from the paddles when I'm paddling. That means that we are eventually sitting in water. The seat keeps you higher and dryer, but still it's a wet process. With regard to the seat, I find that if I blow it up too firm, I am sitting nice and high. But the higher I sit, the less stable the kayak becomes, but you get used to it. I find that if I only half-inflate the seat, it is comfortable and the kayak seems far more stable. If I am paddling with Sue, I can't move the seat far enough back to make room for both of us, so I leave it behind in that case. The seat pinches too much on the sides, and it only seems to be useful when I'm paddling alone. We are pretty comical when the 2 of us are in it together, and we've noticed a few folks having a good laugh at our expense when we've used it to get to the beach from our favorite anchorage at Barnegat Light. I'm 6'1" and 215# and Sue is 5'7" and in great shape (nope, not going to mention her weight!
that would be risking too much), so we probably don't count as 2 "small" adults, which they advertise that this model will accommodate. Of course the 370 is made for 2 to 3 and would be far more suitable for us together, but I think most of the same issues would still arise. I can't ever see taking Sue off the boat for dinner or a casual day on shore with any kayak. We'll need a dinghy for that. This is a good thread because boat size is limiting for us, too, I think.
BTW, I'm also pretty happy with quality of the inflatable kayak. Does anybody have any experience with the Sea Eagle 9 inflatable dinghy? It looks like a far less expensive option than most inflatables.
I have a West Marine PRU3 with a 2hp outboard. It is a good fit for the application in question as it rolls up & stores in a small area down below when deflated. 2 hp is more than enough to push it. a bigger motor doesn't push it any faster. The small size & flat bottom of the boat limits speed. I now see some really small & inexpensive outboards listed on Amazon. They look like they are built out of weed whacker motors. One of them might even be enough & they probably weigh even less than my Honda 2hp. I have 2, 3.5 & 6hp motors in my garage. I prefer to use the 2 because it weighs less & is easier to handle. If I use a small battery powered leaf blower to do most of the inflating, then finish to full pressure with a foot pump, I can go from packed in the bag to floating in the water with a motor installed in under 6 minutes.
A 30# thrust trolling motor gets it going probably around 3-4 knots & is enough for use in more protected waters. A fully charged group 27 deep cycle battery lasts more than half an hour with that motor. A Torqueedo would probably be a nice match, but I haven't tried one.
My biggest complaint with the PRU3 is that it is made out of PVC & not Hypalon. When I bought it, I was misled to believe that it was Hypalon. This little boat is lite duty & will probably not last forever, but I've been doing OK with it for a few years now. I've probably gone through about 3 gallons of gas in the outboard, so I've probably used it about 30-40 times. 90% of the time, I am inflating & rigging immediately before use.
A 30# thrust trolling motor gets it going probably around 3-4 knots & is enough for use in more protected waters. A fully charged group 27 deep cycle battery lasts more than half an hour with that motor. A Torqueedo would probably be a nice match, but I haven't tried one.
My biggest complaint with the PRU3 is that it is made out of PVC & not Hypalon. When I bought it, I was misled to believe that it was Hypalon. This little boat is lite duty & will probably not last forever, but I've been doing OK with it for a few years now. I've probably gone through about 3 gallons of gas in the outboard, so I've probably used it about 30-40 times. 90% of the time, I am inflating & rigging immediately before use.
thanks for all the info! very interesting to read your kayak experiences. Definitely something to thing about the relative "wetness" of kayak transportation To be fair you'd probably have to wade in from a dinghy too, at least 1 person would.. Don't think it's a major issue; the times we'd want to go to a beach it would be for picnic or play, so would get wet anyway. Don't expect many shore landing operations for black tie dinners..
I'll consider inflatable or hard kayaks as tender if we also want to use them for fun, not sure I'd get one just for that purpose. Two tandems would probably be fun for the kids. I do have a zodiac dinghy which takings more space to store, but only takes me about 15 min to inflate it and row decently for a short trip. The sea eagle dinghy you mention is interesting, store at 26"x26"x11" is pretty good! Mine is much bigger, but also much sturdier. This will be filed away in case we really see a need, buying one boat at time is probably good
To be fair you'd probably have to wade in from a dinghy too, at least 1 person would.. Don't think it's a major issue; the times we'd want to go to a beach it would be for picnic or play, so would get wet anyway. Don't expect many shore landing operations for black tie dinners..I'll consider inflatable or hard kayaks as tender if we also want to use them for fun, not sure I'd get one just for that purpose. Two tandems would probably be fun for the kids. I do have a zodiac dinghy which takings more space to store, but only takes me about 15 min to inflate it and row decently for a short trip. The sea eagle dinghy you mention is interesting, store at 26"x26"x11" is pretty good! Mine is much bigger, but also much sturdier. This will be filed away in case we really see a need, buying one boat at time is probably good