I recently purchased my first dinghy. I would like to now tow it along with us during cruises. Does anyone have any links, advice, etc. regarding towing a dingy? I would appreciate any illustrations on proper technique of towing such as length of the tow rope, bridle vs. no bridle, etc. Any comments?
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Rule No. 1
Use poly line like for watersking so the line floats. Otherwise you run the risk of conventional line sinking and fouling the prop.
Use poly line like for watersking so the line floats. Otherwise you run the risk of conventional line sinking and fouling the prop.
Also what boat do you have?
Size of both mothership and dinghy make a difference. On a smaller boat (23') I used a water ski type bridle tied to both stern cleats, otherwise it was hard to steer the boat itself. On my current 37.5, I can just tie it off a single stern cleat and all is fine. There is a sweet spot in your wake for the dinghy to ride, but I'm sure that varies by boat and dinghy. Best thing is to experiment. OH YEAH....until you're real sure about things, think about using a second safety line as in second tow line. That way if something breaks you won't be chasing your dinghy. Been there, done that.
Size of both mothership and dinghy make a difference. On a smaller boat (23') I used a water ski type bridle tied to both stern cleats, otherwise it was hard to steer the boat itself. On my current 37.5, I can just tie it off a single stern cleat and all is fine. There is a sweet spot in your wake for the dinghy to ride, but I'm sure that varies by boat and dinghy. Best thing is to experiment. OH YEAH....until you're real sure about things, think about using a second safety line as in second tow line. That way if something breaks you won't be chasing your dinghy. Been there, done that.
Figure out the best spot for your dinghy.
With your sailboat at your normal motoring speed, the dinghy should sit with the dinghy's bow riding on the crest of the 1st wave behind the mothership, and that 1st wave will be a different distance behind different boats. I have a poly line designated as the dinghy tow line, pre-cut, pre-eye spliced. Your dinghy may have 2 tow eyes, one on each side. Rig a bridle to the 2 eyes, tie a knot in the center of the bridle. Then clip the center of the bridle to a poly towing line. Poly line will float. When anchoring or docking, pull the poly line to the mothership and secure it so you won't foul the prop. Once under way again, just let it line out so it rides on the crest of that 1st wave. When rowing or using the dinghy, just unclip the tow line from the bridle, and use the bridle as the painter. Or, leave the tow line with the dinghy, and use it to tie the dinghy to a tree.
With your sailboat at your normal motoring speed, the dinghy should sit with the dinghy's bow riding on the crest of the 1st wave behind the mothership, and that 1st wave will be a different distance behind different boats. I have a poly line designated as the dinghy tow line, pre-cut, pre-eye spliced. Your dinghy may have 2 tow eyes, one on each side. Rig a bridle to the 2 eyes, tie a knot in the center of the bridle. Then clip the center of the bridle to a poly towing line. Poly line will float. When anchoring or docking, pull the poly line to the mothership and secure it so you won't foul the prop. Once under way again, just let it line out so it rides on the crest of that 1st wave. When rowing or using the dinghy, just unclip the tow line from the bridle, and use the bridle as the painter. Or, leave the tow line with the dinghy, and use it to tie the dinghy to a tree.
Use of bridel very important
Just to backup JC's comment about using both side eyelets on the dinghy to rig a bridel. More than once, the line to one of the eyelets either broke or came loose from my dinghy while under tow. Had I not rigged a bridel, both dinghy and motor would have been lost. For stormy weather, I run another "safety" line, just in case the main painter breaks free. Also, there's a major difference towing the dinghy without the motor. With the motor attached, the drag is considerably greater. Even with the motor locked in its up position, when the dinghy's bow rides the wake its stern dips down and the prop still hits the water, which increases the drag. If I'm motoring across the harbor, I leave the motor on the dinghy. Any longer trip, and off it comes. Here's another tip for inflateable dinghys... During periods of heavy rains or very strong winds I pull the drain plug. Lots of rain can fill the dinghy well above its waterline. By pulling the plug, I never get more than an inch or two inside the dinghy. Any additional water self-drains. Of course, you have to be confident your inflateable sections won't deflate. During one very strong wind storm, I watched my dinghy lift right off the water, twirl around, then drop back down, upside down, with the motor submerged. Not good. On another occassion, the waves were so high, the dinghy flipped over, end to end. If very strong winds are approaching, I try to remove the motor. Either way, I half-fill the dinghy with water to keep it right-side-up. Just pulling the drain plug is often enough, as the two inches of water may keep it down. I just worry that if it's being tossed too high this water weight will drain out. There have been a couple of occassions when I half-filled my dinghy with water to give me a more stable trip during very rough weather. Not the ideal situation, but sometimes you gott'a do what ya gott'a do.
Just to backup JC's comment about using both side eyelets on the dinghy to rig a bridel. More than once, the line to one of the eyelets either broke or came loose from my dinghy while under tow. Had I not rigged a bridel, both dinghy and motor would have been lost. For stormy weather, I run another "safety" line, just in case the main painter breaks free. Also, there's a major difference towing the dinghy without the motor. With the motor attached, the drag is considerably greater. Even with the motor locked in its up position, when the dinghy's bow rides the wake its stern dips down and the prop still hits the water, which increases the drag. If I'm motoring across the harbor, I leave the motor on the dinghy. Any longer trip, and off it comes. Here's another tip for inflateable dinghys... During periods of heavy rains or very strong winds I pull the drain plug. Lots of rain can fill the dinghy well above its waterline. By pulling the plug, I never get more than an inch or two inside the dinghy. Any additional water self-drains. Of course, you have to be confident your inflateable sections won't deflate. During one very strong wind storm, I watched my dinghy lift right off the water, twirl around, then drop back down, upside down, with the motor submerged. Not good. On another occassion, the waves were so high, the dinghy flipped over, end to end. If very strong winds are approaching, I try to remove the motor. Either way, I half-fill the dinghy with water to keep it right-side-up. Just pulling the drain plug is often enough, as the two inches of water may keep it down. I just worry that if it's being tossed too high this water weight will drain out. There have been a couple of occassions when I half-filled my dinghy with water to give me a more stable trip during very rough weather. Not the ideal situation, but sometimes you gott'a do what ya gott'a do.
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