Revised question. Cover dinghy while towing!
- Thread starter jackhart
- Start date
No.
I have an 8 foot Trinka - not too disimilar to the 8 foot Walker Bay. My Trinka tows really well, I'd expect your Walker Bay does also. While I primarily put my Trinka on my fore deck, you aren't going to do that with a 22 foot O'Day.
I can't see any advantage of doing that and I can see a number of downsides.
In the unlikely event the towed dingy flips over, what happens to the cover? I can't see much good there. Plus, will the cover increase the likelihood of flipping over? I don't know.
When you want to jump into your dinghy to use it, now you have to first remove the cover - how are you going to do that easily? How do you put that cover back on when you want it back on? Sounds like a major hassle.
Worried about rain or water getting into the dinghy? Well, the cover may help keep rain water out, but will it really keep waves completely out? I don't know, but kind of doubt it. so you could get water in your dinghy anyway that you want to get out. I have had significant amounts of water in my dinghy from rain. I just carry a hand pump - works a charm.
Your Walked Bay doesn't need the UV protection as an inflatable does.
I could see having a cover to put on when storing for a length of time. But don't see enough of an advantage when sailing and towing to make it worth the effort.
But hey, give it a try and see if you feel it's worth the effort. I just don't see the overall benefit.
dj
got it!
For what it’s worth, we’ve had dinghys of various type, brand and material for decades. Only time we ever covered it is winter storage up north under the whole boat cover. If there is a reason to cover it, I can’t imagine what it is.
One covers the dinghy when stowing it or when it is stowed. (As is done with other equipment.) If it’s in the water behind the boat being towed, then it’s not stowed; it’s “active gear.” (My term.) So, no. It would make no sense to do that IMO.
We had 2 different 8' dinghies over the years that we had our CAL 21, for the first 6 seasons we had an 8' plywood pram that my Dad built from a kit 15 years before we bought the CAL, then for next 32 years we had an 8' fiberglass Eli Laminates "Scout 8" sailing dinghy. Both dinghies were towed on a regular basis all over Buzzards Bay near Cape Cod, never covered either one. We never saw any reason to cover them, and the comments from dLJ above match my experiences, plus he added a few that I didn't think of! I don't have any idea how we would have managed putting the cover on and taking it off, then figuring where to put the cover while using the dinghy. About the only advantage that I can think of, and it is a debatable one, would be the ability to keep items like inflatable swim toys in the dinghy white towing, and not have them at risk of blowing away.
I now use the Eli as the dinghy for my DSII which I keep on a mooring for the Summer, I have occasionally considered making a cover for the various dinghies that I've had over the years, to keep rain out of the dinghy during the week when I am not there, and/or prevent birds from leaving "gifts" for me
! But, overall, I've never really looked into a cover even for those advantages. Inside of all my Dinghies had been paint or gelcoat or a combination of both, so relatively easy (if messy!) for just clean up. If any part of the inside like the seats were varnished, well that would be different!
I now use the Eli as the dinghy for my DSII which I keep on a mooring for the Summer, I have occasionally considered making a cover for the various dinghies that I've had over the years, to keep rain out of the dinghy during the week when I am not there, and/or prevent birds from leaving "gifts" for me
! But, overall, I've never really looked into a cover even for those advantages. Inside of all my Dinghies had been paint or gelcoat or a combination of both, so relatively easy (if messy!) for just clean up. If any part of the inside like the seats were varnished, well that would be different!