Towing a dinghy

[circa1971la]

I know there’s many opinions about this but wondering what people suggest here.

Sailing a 25’ to Catalina. Considering towing my 8’Mercury (without the outboard attached)as not much storage for it on deck.. I’d plan to tow it over in calm conditions likely but the issue is there’s just one D-ring on the bow. So..

1) Would you advise running two lines from the bow in a “V-configuration“ to each side of the sailboat transom?

2) Should the dingy be snug against the stern to keep it more contiguous or let out a distance? There‘s a spade rudder so no interference with a rudder on the stern

Thank you

 

[Sailfanatic]

Check this source

 

[shemandr]

Of course there are going to be contradictory views. I used to sail to Block Island with my Peanut Pram in tow. there was a bridal on the pram and it was very light. No motor. Oars were stuffed under the seats. Maybe jammed is a better word. Anchor ,rode and emergency kit attached to the transom. No problem. Even in the afternoon sea breeze with waves in the 4+ range there was no problem. I towed it in the second wake wave on the downside. Even if the pram would get spun a little on a wave it would slide right back to its place. That was my experience.
Ocean passages would be different.

 

[circa1971la]

Thank you so much.. also does it really slow down the boat by 1kt or are there just too may variables to estimate that?

 

[shemandr]

Basically too many variables. Mine slowed the boat some mostly under power. Sailing, if the wind was over 12 kts. or so not very much.
I forgot to include that the two problems I had were: A violent thunderstorm with torrential rain. I had to bring it up and bail it out. And a time with a large Silvertron passed way close to us and his wake swamped the pram. We had to bail it while I looked for my flare gun.

 

[dlochner]

We have towed our dinghy for literally thousands of miles. It is a small RIB (8') and is towed with a bridal. The bridal helps it to track behind the boat. Typically the dinghy is towed on top of the second stern wave. Once we are under way the painter is adjusted to allow the dinghy to ride on that wave. In a harbor or close quarters the painter is taken up so the dinghy rides close to the stern. This prevents the painter from getting wrapped around the prop and keeps the dinghy out of the way. Tracking will in part depend on the hull of the dingy. Expect a flat bottom inflatable to track poorly while a RIB will track pretty well.

We did put the dinghy on the foredeck when we crossed to the Bahamas and on the return trip.

Towing the dingy will slow the boat, how much depends on the dinghy, the size of the boat towing, and wind speed. When motoring it is not noticeable. Once the wind is strong enough to drive the boat at or near hull speed the dingy has no effect. In lighter air the dingy will slow the boat down.

 

[Davidasailor26]

We towed an Achilles inflatable for many years on a reasonably protected bay. The only time it was any trouble was during one particularly bad summer thunderstorm when it started flying in the wind behind the boat. No serious damage was done though. We never towed with the motor on. Some others who did lost the dinghy or dunked the motor in that storm. Ours had tow rings on each side for a bridle. We would let it out several feet behind the boat to where it could ride downhill on the face of a stern wave consistently. We lost some speed with it, but we’ll under a knot. I’d estimate about 0.5 kt in most conditions.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I am a contrarian and never use a long painter to tow. I lift the nose of the inflatable and hold it against the transom so that only the last few inches of each tube it is touching the water. This has the following benefits.

• much lower drag which results in faster speed through the water whether sailing or motoring.
• total control of the dink.
• Can stop and reverse without concern about sucking the line into the prop.

 

[LloydB]

a what?? 'a large Silvertron passed way close to us'

 

[RoyS]

Been towing our small Mercury roll up with the outboard attached in the raised position for about ten years with no issues. Our roll up has two D rings and a short bridle and then a single tow line. When we approach the dock we have the bow of the dinghy right up to our stern on the outermost stern cleat so that we can reverse without getting the tow line wrapped around the prop. Tow line has floats also. In a tight docking situation we tie it to the outside mid ship cleat with a short lead allowing the dinghy just enough line to swing in either direction. As to slowing the boat, I believe it unfortunately provides a measurable reduction in speed when motoring or in light airs. Try pulling it in by hand while under way at hull speed and you will feel about a fifty pound drag. If someone is really curious about the effect of that drag on speed, please perform the following: Tow the dinghy and note the steady GPS speed. Toss the tow line overboard and note the change in GPS speed when it stabilizes. Record results. Report here for the rest of us. Of course, go back and retrieve your dinghy.

 

[dlochner]

Tow the dinghy and note the steady GPS speed. Toss the tow line overboard and note the change in GPS speed when it stabilizes. Record results. Report here for the rest of us. Of course, go back and retrieve your dinghy.

Don't try this on a windy day or when going upwind.

 

[Kings Gambit]

As I’ve often remarked here, I am not a fan of towing the dink. But as others have explained it can be, and has been, a viable means of transporting one, Like every thing else in boating, “it depends.” The chief downside risk is losing it, which might stem from any one of several, or two combined, unhappy events. If you must always tow; that is, you cannot bring it aboard to the foredeck, you should be mindful of the conditions that you could face while away from harbor, etc.

When I do tow my 9.5’ RIB the outboard is removed. I use two tow lines with separate attachment to the towing eye. If one parts, the other is still attached, etc. I use only floating tow lines of polypropylene or other cord material that floats. I use soft shackles, or with the end of the tow line passed through the towing eye of the dink then through an eye splice in the tow line to secure. If eye thimbles are used they are the plastic ones. The floating lines reduce the risk of fouling the prop or rudder from sucking them under. However, it’s still best to pull the dink close to the boat and get the lines mostly out of the water when backing or trying to maneuver the boat in close settings. As mentioned, you can lessened the towing drag some by riding the dink on a stern wave, or just inside the second one so it’s actually pushing the dink along, somewhat. I usually keep mine fairly close, however. Control slewing by adjusting the independent tow lines. I recommend not using the D-rings on the chambers as the towing “strong point”; use the eye on the bow of the dink. Remove the oars when towing, and anything else that might interfere with managing the dink in poor conditions, such as an outboard! If you must tow with outboard attached, don’t depend only on the mounting set screws to secure it. Use a safety lanyard to clip it to the dink as back up. Good luck with it!

 

[Hayden Watson]

Try pulling it in by hand while under way at hull speed and you will feel about a fifty pound drag

Doing this 25-years ago when I first purchased by current boat was what prompted me to go to my system of lifting the nose of the boat out of the water and letting it skate on only the stern few inches of each tube. Papillon was my first boat with a dingy and I was trying to find the "perfect distance" to tow because I had read that the dink would pull easier if it "rode" the stern wave. By hand towing, I could gage the drag and found a distance that has some reduction in pulling force which supported the theory. Being the engineering/physics type I just had to test all possibilities. When I got the to point where the upward angle of the line lifted the bow of the inflatable out of the water the pull on my hand dropped to less than half what it was while farther back. For me, that settled that and I have been towing this way for 25-years in all weather with no mishaps.
I have a small horn cleat that is about 12" inboard of the corner of the transom that I drop the head of my bridle over and that gets me the perfect position every time.

 

[Morgan donor]

Your towing bridal might best start at the transom and work it's way forward on both sides. Capture each D ring with at least a loop to spread the load, leading to a single painter forward. With the transom taking some of the strain you almost can't lose the boat. Don't rely on one glued on piece of rubber to take the tow load.
I know a guy....!

 

[dlochner]

Don't rely on one glued on piece of rubber to take the tow load.
I know a guy....!

But if you're not really in love with your dinghy and are thinking a new one would be nice.....