Dinghy on a small sailboat, Bilge pump, ocean sailing

[Kent Saturday]

1. I have a H25 and have been searching for a small dinghy. Any suggestions? The only storage would be deflated of on the fore deck I assume
2. Does Coast Guard or ones intelligence dictate the size of a bilge pump to install
3. Has anybody out there sailed to the Bahamas with a 25'er from Florida?

 

[sail sfbay]

1. Small inflatable roll up from say West Marine. Low cost. That is what I have.
2. 2500 gph for up to 25 foot sailboat.

 

[ggrizzard]

Lots of small boats, including 25 footers have traveled to the Bahamas.
The first question after that one is:
Is my 25 footer set up for 8 foot seas and 40 kt. gusts?
The Gulf Stream can be a pussy cat or a ravenous grizzly bear. I've crossed in both kind of conditions.
On one trip, the day after I got into West End, a 25 foot Catalina pulled in with two very tired
18 yo.'s on board. They crossed in relatively calm conditions, i.e. 5 foot seas and 20 kts. of wind.
On the other hand, an experienced U tube sailing couple in a seaworthy 35+ sized boat,
headed by "The Rigging Doctor", apparently took a week to cross when they lost their motor.

If you can sail around your lake in 30 kts. of wind for 12 hours, NONSTOP,
you probably could do the Bahamas.

Next Question: How you gonna get your boat to Florida?

 

[rgranger]

Next Question: How you gonna get your boat to Florida?

True... those don’t go 65mph to windward like the trailerable bigger sister ...BUT I would feel more confident in a fixed keel H25 than the H26 on a crossing.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I've cruised the Bahamas on my Meridian 25. with no problems at all. Just be sure to pick your weather crossing the stream. We left from Angelfish Creek and sailed to Bimini.
I use an Achilles 7'6 RU inflatable that I tow. Ive towed it over 12,000 miles with only one problem- I didn't notice it was low on air

The most important thing is checking weather and if it's blowing hard north, stay in port- you DO NOT want to be in the Gulf stream in a hard north wind- they call the waves then " when the elephants march"

 

[Kings Gambit]

1. I have a H25 and have been searching for a small dinghy. Any suggestions? The only storage would be deflated of on the fore deck I assume
2. Does Coast Guard or ones intelligence dictate the size of a bilge pump to install
3. Has anybody out there sailed to the Bahamas with a 25'er from Florida?

Kent,

Try the inflatable Zodiac 6.5-ft Cadet w/ the slat floor. It’s a roll-up. Get a 2.5-hp Suzuki outboard (30#) to power it. Carries two adults. I used one for many years on my P-30.

Regarding your bilge pump question, there are no CG rules of which I’m aware for bilge pumps on ”uninspected” vessels (i.e., personally owned and operated recreational vessels). As to guidelines most folks carry at least two—a manual one (diaphragm) and an (DC-12 volt) electric one. The capacity of the pump is always a matter of discussion. Some might conclude: small boat, small pump. BUT if your thought is that the bilge pump is there to help save the boat in case of serious water ingress or outright flooding, then small boats should carry HIGH capacity pumps IMHO. The reason is, is that in terms of displacement, a small boat can carry proportionally less weight (the water) than a large one. It will sink sooner than a larger boat with the same size breech; rate of ingress. That said, it is also known that 12-volt electric pumps can rarely save a boat from sinking unless the source of ingress is quickly found and plugged.

 

[capta]

As Charley said, pick your weather very carefully and make absolutely certain that you do not have any chance of the wind coming from anywhere out of the north.
As for pump size this chart might help.

 

[NotCook]

I use an Achilles 7'6 RU inflatable that I tow. Ive towed it over 12,000 miles with only one problem- I didn't notice it was low on air

I would never recommend to someone that they tow a dink offshore. Even between St. Croix and St. Thomas, only 40 miles, I’ve seen it be disastrous. I know of one whaler that was nicknamed the “Red October” after that short trip, which incidentally, ended up on a reef.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I would never recommend to someone that they tow a dink offshore. Even between St. Croix and St. Thomas, only 40 miles, I’ve seen it be disastrous. I know of one whaler that was nicknamed the “Red October” after that short trip, which incidentally, ended up on a reef.

Oh yes- you have to accept the fact that things can go wrong. But on a small boat you sometimes have no choice

I've cruised from Texas to the Chesapeake and back . Twice across the Gulf of Mexico Once single hand, thru the Keys, twice across the Gulf Stream. All through the Bahamas. then three round trips Texas to Pensacola and return. One single hand.. ALL with dinghy in tow. Part with hard dink a 6'6"Minipaw part with an inflatable.


Would I rather have it on deck? sure. Just no room. 25 footer with a 7 foot beam. One point- I NEVER tow with the outboard on the dink.

Remember- Bruce Bingham and Katy Burke towed dinghies for many miles, as have many other voyagers

 

[David in Sandusky]

We carry a Sevylor inflatable and a DIY plywood bottom for rowing ashore when needed. It has a motor mount, and a small electric motor would work fine (our good friends have that set-up on their H30.)

 

[CarlN]

Definitely go with two bilge pumps for redundancy. A small one for "nuisance water" that will get the bilge as dry as possible. 3/4" hose. 500gph-750gph. A second one mounted 4" inches higher with at least a 1 1/8" or bigger hose. 2000GPH-4000GPH. Since this 2nd one will hopefully never get wet it will last forever. The toughest part of bilge pumps is finding an automatic switch that lasts more than a couple of years. The only one that has never failed me is the Ultra switch (expensive at first but over time the cheapest) Pumpswitches™ ~ ULTRA Tef-Gel Anti Corrosion Protection

 

[srimes]

I haven't gotten a dinghy for my boat, but I have a large inflatable stand up paddleboard that should work and can fit below.
No bilge pump yet either. Planning on 1 manual mounted in the cockpit per ocean racing rules, and 1 electric.

 

[Kent Saturday]

Is my 25 footer set up for 8 foot seas and 40 kt. gusts?

Besides trying to avoid such extremes via seasonal sailing, weather reports and appropriate storm sails and reefing and safety equipment - what would you suggest?

The Gulf Stream can be a pussy cat or a ravenous grizzly bear. I've crossed in both kind of conditions.
On one trip, the day after I got into West End, a 25 foot Catalina pulled in with two very tired
18 yo.'s on board. They crossed in relatively calm conditions, i.e. 5 foot seas and 20 kts. of wind.
On the other hand, an experienced U tube sailing couple in a seaworthy 35+ sized boat,
headed by "The Rigging Doctor", apparently took a week to cross when they lost their motor.

If you can sail around your lake in 30 kts. of wind for 12 hours, NONSTOP,
you probably could do the Bahamas.

Next Question: How you gonna get your boat to Florida? Well, once it has been up graded for such a voyage. I'll tow it.

 

[Kent Saturday]

As Charley said, pick your weather very carefully and make absolutely certain that you do not have any chance of the wind coming from anywhere out of the north.
As for pump size this chart might help.
View attachment 183823
Thanks! Those numbers are quite scary. I'm trying to build an assortment of patch repair items - any advice?

 

[JohnShannon]

You are supposed to carry wooden plugs sized for all the holes you have in your boat. Depth sounder, propellor shaft etc. Preferably fixed in place near the hole they might need to plug.

Yachting monthly had a "crash test boat" series on U tube one of them was about what to do about holes, quite interesting.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

You are supposed to carry wooden plugs sized for all the holes you have in your boat. Depth sounder, propellor shaft etc. Preferably fixed in place near the hole they might need to plug.

Yachting monthly had a "crash test boat" series on U tube one of them was about what to do about holes, quite interesting.

LOL- I solved that problem I glassed over EVERY hole below the waterline on Tehani . I have deck drains with seacocks, but they exit 5 inches above the boot stripe. And yes, the galley sink lifts out and gets dumped over board when used.

 

[capta]

LOL- I solved that problem I glassed over EVERY hole below the waterline on Tehani . I have deck drains with seacocks, but they exit 5 inches above the boot stripe. And yes, the galley sink lifts out and gets dumped over board when used.

That's a bit extreme, IMO, but we are liveaboards. Bungs as mentioned above are good for thruhulls, and we carry a few sections of 1/4 and 3/8" plywood with these very thick threaded SS screws I picked up at Home Depot. I don't know what they are called but you need a square bit to drive them. Should we get a fairly large hole (say a foot or so) above the waterline, we'd heave-to, bringing that hole as far above the waterline as possible. Then we'd stuff everything from mattresses to pillows in it from inside and brace them on the inside and go over the side on a bosun's chair and goop (silicone, Boatlife caulk, etc) around the hole, overlay that with the ply and use the screws to hold it in place. Next, begin sailing very easily for the nearest land.

 

[NotCook]

That's a bit extreme, IMO, but we are liveaboards. Bungs as mentioned above are good for thruhulls, and we carry a few sections of 1/4 and 3/8" plywood with these very thick threaded SS screws I picked up at Home Depot. I don't know what they are called but you need a square bit to drive them. Should we get a fairly large hole (say a foot or so) above the waterline, we'd heave-to, bringing that hole as far above the waterline as possible. Then we'd stuff everything from mattresses to pillows in it from inside and brace them on the inside and go over the side on a bosun's chair and goop (silicone, Boatlife caulk, etc) around the hole, overlay that with the ply and use the screws to hold it in place. Next, begin sailing very easily for the nearest land.

It’s good to have a plan, Capta. Remembering Robert Redford in the movie “All is Lost”. I thought 90% of what he did was bogus, including starting his patch at the top instead of the bottom where the water was coming in!

 

[Will Gilmore]

If there is going to be crew, two hand pumps might be a good idea. Double your output.

I once read a story about a sailing ship that got holed at sea. They used a spare sail, wrapped over the hull, to stay the flow while they repaired from inside. There are some clever ideas.

I've been thinking about something like an airbag that can be inflated in the cabin space to keep water out in an emergency. It could effectively pump out the water in the case of a full swamping, then get deflated. It could also be positioned over a hole and inflated to seal it.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[ggrizzard]

Will, you build it...
I'll buy it!