I've always thought you should never tow a dingy with the outboard on for fear of it flipping over. I have, however, seen pictures occasionally in sailing mags of dingys towed with engines on. For bay type sailing do folks think this is an okay practice? I always wondered if you tied a rope from each towing D ring on the sides of the dinghy to the stean cleats on the boat and pull the dinghy up close to he stern that this would keep it from flipping...anyone ever tried this?
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I've always thought you should never tow a dingy with the outboard on for fear of it flipping over. I have, however, seen pictures occasionally in sailing mags of dingys towed with engines on. For bay type sailing do folks think this is an okay practice? I always wondered if you tied a rope from each towing D ring on the sides of the dinghy to the stean cleats on the boat and pull the dinghy up close to he stern that this would keep it from flipping...anyone ever tried this?
I've always thought you should never tow a dingy with the outboard on for fear of it flipping over. I have, however, seen pictures occasionally in sailing mags of dingys towed with engines on. For bay type sailing do folks think this is an okay practice? I always wondered if you tied a rope from each towing D ring on the sides of the dinghy to the stean cleats on the boat and pull the dinghy up close to he stern that this would keep it from flipping...anyone ever tried this?
I've always thought you should never tow a dingy with the outboard on for fear of it flipping over. I have, however, seen pictures occasionally in sailing mags of dingys towed with engines on. For bay type sailing do folks think this is an okay practice? I always wondered if you tied a rope from each towing D ring on the sides of the dinghy to the stean cleats on the boat and pull the dinghy up close to he stern that this would keep it from flipping...anyone ever tried this?
Towing
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
Towing
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
Towing
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
Towing
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
We tow our 10'8" Zodiac with a 6 horse Tohatsu on all the time. We use a towing bridle made from floating rope shaped like a "Y" that is attached to the "D" rings on each side of the dink. The tow line is then led to the center of our boat and we tie it to the backstay. Line is let out just until the dink is riding on a wave created by the sailboat so the nose is just a tiny bit in the up position. This means that the amount of line will depend on the speed of your boat as the position of the wave will drop behind the boat as your speed increases. In rough water if you have the dink tied in too tight the rising and falling of the stern will give the dink a rougher ride than if you let out a bit of line. We have towed the dink during small craft advisories in 4 ft. short coupled waves in this manner.
Do it all the time
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
Do it all the time
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
Do it all the time
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
Do it all the time
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
We have a 8hp on a 10.4 Achilles inflatable and tow ours all the time with never a problem. The 8hp is just a little too heavy to be lifting it on and off all the time so we leave it on. I will admit I do keep an eye on it in rough seas but so far it rides just fine. I use a double bridle with floating lines on both ends. Having a double off the stern allows me to easily adjust the position of it both distance off the stern and from side to side. I have in rougher weather set the motor in the down position and tightened it up so it will track straight. This allows it to keep greater tension on the bridle and reduces the snapping that can occur. You lose a little bit of speed but in those conditions it's more about comfort anyway.
Steve, one man's bay is another man's
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always"
people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always"
people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
Steve, one man's bay is another man's
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always" people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always"
people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
Steve, one man's bay is another man's
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always" people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always"
people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
Steve, one man's bay is another man's
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always" people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu
millpond. Here in San Francisco one could tow a dinghy during the winter months without problems. I was out Saturday and it was like glass. But you and I both know that trying to do that across the Slot in the summer is just NOT a good idea. Never, ever, always - three words to avoid when sailing. It's the conditions, not the rig of your dinghy setup, the size of the dinghy or its motor or the lines you use to keep it attached. It's understanding the dynamics of forces that'l flip your investment and make a big anchor out of a $2000 outboard. Your boat, your choice, your risk, regardless of how often or "always"
people in other parts of the country can tow theirs. Cheers, Stu- Status