Dinghy painter length
- Thread starter RAD88
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If the painter is the two lines off the bow of the dinghy at the D rings (left arrow and top right arrow) I just made it what looked good. Not sure if there is a correct length?
The two lines connect......
....to three chain links. The tow line hooks to.....
........... the middle link with a carabiner. The tow line goes through the..........
.......... carabiner at the end of the swim ladder and.......
.............. up to a cleat on the side of the boat. The cleat is at the lower left side of the picture. We can then let the line out or bring the dinghy in close to the swim ladder. For most conditions we have it right at the swim ladder. That way it isn't floating around when the boat is at a stand still and the tow line isn't getting wrapped around the rudder and/or the outboard prop. Had that problem before we went to this setup.
When docking we look at the dock we are coming into and pull the dinghy up on the opposite side from the dockside and tie it off along side the boat, so that it isn't in the way while at the dock or backing off the dock.
As you can see from the last picture the tow line we use is not the small yellow poly line, but some bigger old halyard line we had. I'm also going to replace the lines on the front of the dingy. We never had any of these fail, but I don't trust that cheap yellow line.
The tow bar build is here.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-17.html
c ya,
Sum
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I'd recommend using a longer painter, since when you're towing the dinghy, you want to have the dinghy one wave length behind the boat, and that distance will vary.
Also, you want to use a floating line for your dinghy painter and tow line. Spectra and Dymeena lines are good. Many use polypropylene lines, but these have the lowest UV tolerance.
Also, you want to use a floating line for your dinghy painter and tow line. Spectra and Dymeena lines are good. Many use polypropylene lines, but these have the lowest UV tolerance.
1- Just short of being able to foul the prop
2- Varies with speed; adjust length to allow dinghy to ride smoothly ... let the stern wave push the dink to reduce load on the tow line.
3- Painter should not have eye slice in working end. You should not be towing with the painter. Tow with a bridle, tie the painter to the tow line in case the bridle fails.
Randy
1 - This depends a lot on where you actually need to tie up the dinghy. In popular spots with a crowded dinghy dock you want the length to be at least the length of the longest boat permitted at the dock, 14' or so. This keeps the tied up boats away the dock allowing people to pull their dinghy's in for loading and unloading. It's considered extremely rude to use a short painter in these situations.
This conflicts with the "foul the prop" limit, but there are tradeoffs, just make sure the painter is in the dinghy before you start going (I've made this mistake a couple of times).
This conflicts with the "foul the prop" limit, but there are tradeoffs, just make sure the painter is in the dinghy before you start going (I've made this mistake a couple of times).
i use a net float on my painter so it doesnt have the ability to get down to my prop--works great--and since i donot tow my dink is even better---lol--is easy to apply one to the line----keeps the lines out of trouble .. lol.....gooood luck!!
If I tow my inflatable, and I only do so in calm seas, then I like to pull the bow out of the water up on the transom. This gives less drag and also eliminates the possibility of it flipping or filling with water. I really prefer to put it on deck, even if it means I partially deflate it.
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