Inflatable towing
I frequently tow my West inflatable floor dink with it's 6HP OB attached in benign conditions. The dink has a single towing ring on the bow, and two rings to attach bridle on each side about 25% of the way aft. I had heard of stories of these rings breaking or pulling out from their atachements, so I mounted an eyestrap on each side of the hard transom, and tied a 5/16 line as a loop from the eystrap on one side, under the boat, up to the ring for the bridle on the same side. Made a couple loops in the line around the bridle ring, then forward thru the bow ring, then back aft thru the bridle ring on the other side (with a couple loops on this side as well), and back to the 2nd eyestrap where it is tied off. I then spilced another length of 5/16 to the bridle, as a painter. This gives you a bridle and a painter to tie it off, but with the attachment points that take the stress on the dink being the eyestraps on the transom, rather than the rings. There is minimal tension on the rings, most the force being taken by the pull of the bridle on the transom. I tilt the OB up, so it's not dragging, and go to it! This works fine in relatively calm water, but I wouldn't use it in any significant sea or wind conditions.
