I need to upgrade my rigid tender to a 4 person and am considering going to an inflatable but a number of people I've talk to say they don't tow very well. Seeking comments if there's a good towing inflatable? Also, anyone use the stern brackets (not hoisting the davits) for holding an inflatable? Thanks
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Look at RIBs and Corn
Tom: You may want to look into a RIB (hard bottom). We have a Caribe and it tows very well. It does slow the boat down but you have to give up something. The other advantage of the inflatables is that you can swamp them and they do not sink. If you decide to go the inflatable route be sure to purchase one with Hypalon. Anything that is made of PVC or other products in the PVC family will leak if you leave it in the sun. Practical Sailor had articles on inflatables so you may look at these to help you make your decision. If I was doing it again I would still get a RIB and we are going on our 4th year with it.
Tom: You may want to look into a RIB (hard bottom). We have a Caribe and it tows very well. It does slow the boat down but you have to give up something. The other advantage of the inflatables is that you can swamp them and they do not sink. If you decide to go the inflatable route be sure to purchase one with Hypalon. Anything that is made of PVC or other products in the PVC family will leak if you leave it in the sun. Practical Sailor had articles on inflatables so you may look at these to help you make your decision. If I was doing it again I would still get a RIB and we are going on our 4th year with it.
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Glenda Wolfe
Rib on brackets
We have a '91 Legend 43 - we carry our Caribe 9' rib on Weaver snap davits (brackets) mounted on our swimstep. In order to use these you must buy 2 snap davit pads which are glued to the inflatable tube. We snap the dinghy onto the snap davits and pull up with a 4:1 block and tackle. In our marina these is also a '91 H42 which uses the same Weaver snap davits sold by West Marine to haul up a West Marine inflatable.
We have a '91 Legend 43 - we carry our Caribe 9' rib on Weaver snap davits (brackets) mounted on our swimstep. In order to use these you must buy 2 snap davit pads which are glued to the inflatable tube. We snap the dinghy onto the snap davits and pull up with a 4:1 block and tackle. In our marina these is also a '91 H42 which uses the same Weaver snap davits sold by West Marine to haul up a West Marine inflatable.
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Ron Hughes
The RIB Question, Tinker?
Tom, we are planning a trip soon to Vancouver Island. When there, you can only go ashore by dingy. The shores are mostly rocks, so a really hard/durable bottom is a must. In my personal search for the perfect dingy, I think I might have found it in a Tinker RIB. They have a model designed so that the keel is lower than the floatation collar, allowing beaching under less than ideal conditions. It is made of Hypalon an fiberglass. It folds in three places for storage. It comes with long wooden oars for rowing. A sailing rig is available, with both main and jib. It planes with a 4 hp outboard, and is said to tow like a dream. There's even an inflatable cover to make it a liferaft! I'm leaning pretty hard in this direction. Try: tinker@tinkers.com and let me know what you think.Ron
Tom, we are planning a trip soon to Vancouver Island. When there, you can only go ashore by dingy. The shores are mostly rocks, so a really hard/durable bottom is a must. In my personal search for the perfect dingy, I think I might have found it in a Tinker RIB. They have a model designed so that the keel is lower than the floatation collar, allowing beaching under less than ideal conditions. It is made of Hypalon an fiberglass. It folds in three places for storage. It comes with long wooden oars for rowing. A sailing rig is available, with both main and jib. It planes with a 4 hp outboard, and is said to tow like a dream. There's even an inflatable cover to make it a liferaft! I'm leaning pretty hard in this direction. Try: tinker@tinkers.com and let me know what you think.Ron
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Bob Knott
Towing a dink
I towed my Zodiak 9'4" roller floor inflatable all over the place and never had a problem. In rough weather I always added two smaller dock lines to the towing eyelets on each pontoon. These plus the center attahched painter gave me three lines attaching the dink to my 280 and now to my 380 I never had a problem even coming back from Nantucket once in 30+ knots with a following breeze and 4-7 foot waves. With the 3 lines attached and boat couldn't wander, tracked straight as an arrow and of course since your moving forward it self drains while you sail! I just sold it to get a RIB but not because it didn't tow well. GO FOR IT! Bob Knott S/V Serenity H380
I towed my Zodiak 9'4" roller floor inflatable all over the place and never had a problem. In rough weather I always added two smaller dock lines to the towing eyelets on each pontoon. These plus the center attahched painter gave me three lines attaching the dink to my 280 and now to my 380 I never had a problem even coming back from Nantucket once in 30+ knots with a following breeze and 4-7 foot waves. With the 3 lines attached and boat couldn't wander, tracked straight as an arrow and of course since your moving forward it self drains while you sail! I just sold it to get a RIB but not because it didn't tow well. GO FOR IT! Bob Knott S/V Serenity H380
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Ron B
Towing Inflateables
I've been towing a West Marine 10.2' Sportboat with an inflatable keel for several years and it tows fine. I think the key is having a keel. It doesnt matter if it's an inflated keel or solid like in a RIB. The keel keeps it straight. Of course with the soft bottom I do have several patches on the bottom of the tubes from dragging it up various beaches in Puget Sound but they patch pretty easily. Of course my next will be a RIB. They are the best of both worlds. Using at least the 2 towing rings are important too. Make sure both lines are the same length so the pull is balanced. Adjusting the length of the painter so the dingy is surfing on the leading edge of the wake helps lighten the pull too.
I've been towing a West Marine 10.2' Sportboat with an inflatable keel for several years and it tows fine. I think the key is having a keel. It doesnt matter if it's an inflated keel or solid like in a RIB. The keel keeps it straight. Of course with the soft bottom I do have several patches on the bottom of the tubes from dragging it up various beaches in Puget Sound but they patch pretty easily. Of course my next will be a RIB. They are the best of both worlds. Using at least the 2 towing rings are important too. Make sure both lines are the same length so the pull is balanced. Adjusting the length of the painter so the dingy is surfing on the leading edge of the wake helps lighten the pull too.
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Bob Bass
Tow and Go!
We have towed our Alliance RIB back and forth across the stream including a 70-knot white squall and it does just fine. We only remove the motor for a stream crossing and leave it on for the island hopping. Glue on a "D" ring on the very top of the front tube. This ring is not to be used for towing. The Alliance comes with two rings on the inside of the transom. Attach a line to each and connect them into a "O" ring just in front of the front seat. Then pass your tow line through the "D" ring and attach to the "O" ring for towing. I slid a length of water hose over the tow line where it goes through the "D" ring to eliminate chafe. The dink always points forward and all the load is on the transom. For very short tows, I just use the painter tied to the front ring on the fiberglass bow. The Alliance has a "V" bottom that slides on the sand and keeps from damaging the tubes when beaching.
We have towed our Alliance RIB back and forth across the stream including a 70-knot white squall and it does just fine. We only remove the motor for a stream crossing and leave it on for the island hopping. Glue on a "D" ring on the very top of the front tube. This ring is not to be used for towing. The Alliance comes with two rings on the inside of the transom. Attach a line to each and connect them into a "O" ring just in front of the front seat. Then pass your tow line through the "D" ring and attach to the "O" ring for towing. I slid a length of water hose over the tow line where it goes through the "D" ring to eliminate chafe. The dink always points forward and all the load is on the transom. For very short tows, I just use the painter tied to the front ring on the fiberglass bow. The Alliance has a "V" bottom that slides on the sand and keeps from damaging the tubes when beaching.
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