Hoisting a hard dinghy aboard

[Taylor]

Its mixed snow and rain in the northwest today, and a perfect time think about boating. I'd like to know if anyone has advice on hoisting a hard dinghy aboard for storage on the fore deck. I have an 11' fiberglass lapstrake dinghy, about 250lbs, and I'd like to take it aboard once and a while. Mostly we tow it, but if I know we are going to be sailing for a few days or on a long down wind run in waves, it might be better stowed aboard. My boat is flush deck forward, and there is plenty of room. Do I just hoist it up by the nose with the spinnaker halyard?

 

[Dennis W.]

Hoisting Dinghy

Taylor, I would suggest as an alternative to that, do as I do with mine. I use a bridle (3-point) on the dinghy and an adjustable whisker pole as a boom. I have found that set at 100% of J and using a block and tackle connected from the bridle to the halyard I lift the dinghy out of the water, over the lifelines, and with the proper height on the pole, set it in the middle of the fore deck.Dennis W.S/V FullSailed

 

[Chris Burti]

To add to Dennis' comment...

A four part preventer or boom vang makes a pretty good tackle for lifting the dink.

 

[larry w]

I did something similar to Dennis

except my boom was made from a 1.5in. dowel cut into three pieces and joined by kitchen sink pipes, those chrome ones, with a snap shackle on the inboard end, to hook to the whisker pole ring on the mast, with a double U-strap on the other end. Being in three parts, I could break it down and store it in a locker. I also used a four-part tackle and with the boom raised on a halyard to 45 degrees, it was easy to lift an eight foot sailing dink onto the foredeck of my Bene 40.

 

[higgs]

Using a bridle

If you use a bridle, won't you have to turn the dinghy over once it is on deck? If you lift by the nose, you can place the transom where upside down and gently lower the rest right into place. I sometimes put my 8' inflatable on deck by the nose and understand that the weight issue is not the same.