Newbie Fresh and Green

[dLj]

Thank you dlochner for your sharing of knowledge. Dave here's another question then. Do certain dinghys tow better behind the boat than others? Soft vs. hard hulls. one brand vs. another? Also someone said the weight is not really an issue on a 42' boat. I'm not dead set on davits just on the aquisition of knowledge.

I've heard that different dinghy's may tow worse than others, but I don't have experience with poorly towable dinghy's. I guess some like to flip over, not a good thing. I currently have two dinghys, a hard bottom inflatable that tows fine, and a hard dinghy that also tows fine...

I wouldn't over-think this one too much. Just figure out what you like/need for a dinghy and pick one up. On your boat, you'd need one mighty heavy dinghy to worry much about the weight on davits. Just a FYI - crossing oceans I would not use davits in any case. It's not where you want your dinghy, in my opinion. Mine gets strapped to the foredeck. I used to have one I could deflate and store in an locker. That was very cool! I'd do the same now, but I own the two I have and it's not worth the trouble to change...

Let me give you my current thought process on my dinghy selection: I own two:
1) a hard dinghy - a wonderful sailing dinghy that rows great, sails and can take a small motor. Works with two people and stuff well, three people gets tight and better not have much wave action..
2) A hard bottom inflatable, carries a 9.9 Honda outboard, rows like crap, doesn't sail is big and bulky, weights a lot. But it carries 4 people and gear very well. I'm not sure you might even get 6 people in it in a pinch.

I'm about to head to Europe. Which dinghy should I bring? Can't take both. I love the hard dinghy and much prefer rowing to running a motor, but, I'm bringing three crew. So I'll really need a way to carry four people and gear efficiently. The hard bottom inflatable wins... It's the best option for this trip. Covers more of what I need even though it's not my "favorite".

Dinghy selection - What do you need? That answers the question. Problem - you don't know what you need yet. You just got the boat, don't have a ton of experience, hard to decide.... My suggestion: Get the cheapest available dinghy that looks like it will work for the next year or two that will nicely carry you, your wife and gear. If you think you'll have more folks joining often, get one big enough for your common usage. I'd likely buy second hand and after a year sell it if I then wanted another one.

Your boat, your choice...

dj

p.s. sorry - different Dave....

 

[dlochner]

Thank you dlochner for your sharing of knowledge. Dave here's another question then. Do certain dinghys tow better behind the boat than others? Soft vs. hard hulls. one brand vs. another? Also someone said the weight is not really an issue on a 42' boat. I'm not dead set on davits just on the aquisition of knowledge.

RIBs seem to tow better and I think are more stable when boarding and disembarking because of the hull shape and its rigidity. Other styles of inflatable dinghies tend to have flatter bottoms which are less directionally stable.

Weight alone isn't an issue, it is where the weight is placed and how it is secured. A 9' RIB with a 10 HP motor will weigh about the same or less than the average adult male. However, hanging that much weight on a set of davits is a different matter. The weight will be elevated and leveraged out by several feet. This concentrates weight on the very back of the boat, a very different case from a guy sitting in the cockpit or on the rail. Boats with broad flat sterns can accommodate the weight better than boats with skinny butts.

In general, it is best to keep weight out of the ends of the boat and to keep weight directly over the keel and low. When the bow and stern are loaded with extra weight the boat will tend to hobby horse in a seaway, bouncing up and down over wave rather than riding up and over the wave.

Between the dinghy, motor, and davits you could easily add 400-500 extra pounds of weight on the stern. That's a lot of weight hanging 2-3 feet aft of the transom, That translates to about 1,000 to 1,500 foot lbs of force acting on the stern. (the engineers can do a more accurate calculation ). Anyway, that's a lot.

 

[jssailem]

It has been my observation that when owners step aboard a 40ft plus sized boat their concern for center of gravity CG on the boat lessens. It is not like stepping onto a 18 ft center board boat where a wrong step might roll the boat. When sailing a small boat you learn about where to place your weight and that of the crews during various points of sail. Without the small boat experience one begins to add “essential things” like davits, enhanced battery systems to run all the electrical systems, TV’s, tenders, generators, etc. Then they go out cruising. If they stay coastal or in Inland waters the added stuff may not impact their experiences.

Get out on a 20ft ocean swell, that is beginning to break and spill onto the stern because the dinghy/20hp outboard/Bimini/couple of extra LP tanks/an extra holding tank or water tank for hot showers/ have lowered the stern 4 inches towards the water line. Waves braking over the stern can be a real challenge. They swamp the boat, maybe water gets into the companion way, at night it can be real scary carrying away all that are not tied down.

Reason to carefully think out all of your modifications. if the weather is favorable, many a dinghy can be towed without issue. If the sea is running under your hull faster than you are cruising, a trailing dinghy can ride right up your stern. Reason enough to haul the dinghy aboard and secure it to the deck. A ridged hull dinghy takes up more space than a foldable inflatable dinghy.

When adding gear and stowing gear on your boat consider how the boat is changing it's waterline. Balance the weight to keep the CG low and centered in the boat.
When going onto open water, a boat that is not weighed down with too much extra gear will better survive than one that is riding and inch or more below the design water line.

 

[Clay Smith]

Very good feed back from all of you, thanks for sharing all of your knowledge. If the rest of the sailing community is as helpful as you guys are I'm sure I'll love this new found great adventure.