I dont have a lift and was woundering what is the problems with towing a dinghy behind the boat. How much will it slow me down and can you sail.
Who tows a dinghy??
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We tow a Walker Bay 8
almost 100% of the time. If the weather is nasty we put it on the foredeck using the spinnaker halyard as a lift. Yes we sail and tow it at the same time. The Walker Bay weighs about 70 lbs and is an easy lift the way I do it. Your situation is likely different... Hope that helps
almost 100% of the time. If the weather is nasty we put it on the foredeck using the spinnaker halyard as a lift. Yes we sail and tow it at the same time. The Walker Bay weighs about 70 lbs and is an easy lift the way I do it. Your situation is likely different... Hope that helps
I tow a BRIG 10.10
It's a hard bottom, new this year and weighs about 135#. Just be sure that you have a secured, strong painter with a short enough lead not to foul the propeller of the mother boat. I have towed an Avon R310 (inflatable keel) behind two different boats for 14 years before the BRIG. You sacrifice minimal speed for the convenience of not having to store a dinghy. If you don't have the motor on the dink, then you won't even know that it's there. When I go offshore, I make sure that I have a backup painter attached to a different attachment point on the dink with about an extra 1' of painter hanging off. I have never had to resort to the second painter.
It's a hard bottom, new this year and weighs about 135#. Just be sure that you have a secured, strong painter with a short enough lead not to foul the propeller of the mother boat. I have towed an Avon R310 (inflatable keel) behind two different boats for 14 years before the BRIG. You sacrifice minimal speed for the convenience of not having to store a dinghy. If you don't have the motor on the dink, then you won't even know that it's there. When I go offshore, I make sure that I have a backup painter attached to a different attachment point on the dink with about an extra 1' of painter hanging off. I have never had to resort to the second painter.
I almost never tow because....
I have seen several of my friends lose dinghies due to failure of the towing bridle or attachment point. IMO it just isn't worth it. I sometimes tow if I am not going very far, ie. less than 5nm and the weather is easy. Otherwise the dinghy is lashed to my deck and the outboard is stowed.
I have seen several of my friends lose dinghies due to failure of the towing bridle or attachment point. IMO it just isn't worth it. I sometimes tow if I am not going very far, ie. less than 5nm and the weather is easy. Otherwise the dinghy is lashed to my deck and the outboard is stowed.
Always tow
I have always towed my mine (both inflatable and fiberglass, with the outboard stored on deck-never had an issue. The new RIB's tow really well. If you want to install davits to lift it up or stow on deck if you have the space you can, but in the long run if your trips are short and you need a dinghy at each anchorage-what have you gained? Approx $800-1000 spent on a Davit system and the pullling and playing to get it on deck and off deck. I rather be on my way to explore then to play with a tender. Although I have stored on deck one time, it was a 600+ mile trip and we did not use it daily...good luck!
I have always towed my mine (both inflatable and fiberglass, with the outboard stored on deck-never had an issue. The new RIB's tow really well. If you want to install davits to lift it up or stow on deck if you have the space you can, but in the long run if your trips are short and you need a dinghy at each anchorage-what have you gained? Approx $800-1000 spent on a Davit system and the pullling and playing to get it on deck and off deck. I rather be on my way to explore then to play with a tender. Although I have stored on deck one time, it was a 600+ mile trip and we did not use it daily...good luck!
Mine must be in Greenland by now
Towed an 11' Achilles twice to the Bahamas and back, no problems. The third time I ran into a low off the Carolinas and a high over the NE coast and shwoosh! This was just off the Jersey coast 30 miles from Cape May.In the middle of the night my wife woke me up saying the boat had stopped. The dink had flipped over. Pulled it close to the transom to try and puncture it, up and down, up and down, couldn't reach it. When the painter came down with my hand around it and hit the transom nearly taking my fingers off I abandoned that plan. With all the weight of the dragging dink and the jerking I was worried it might pull the cleat off (my tow line was 3/4" nylon) leaving a hole in my port quarter. This didn't appeal to me as we were being pooped occasionally so I cut my beautiful dinghy adrift. I don't tow anymore. It took about two years to get out of the habit of looking back to check on the dink.
Towed an 11' Achilles twice to the Bahamas and back, no problems. The third time I ran into a low off the Carolinas and a high over the NE coast and shwoosh! This was just off the Jersey coast 30 miles from Cape May.In the middle of the night my wife woke me up saying the boat had stopped. The dink had flipped over. Pulled it close to the transom to try and puncture it, up and down, up and down, couldn't reach it. When the painter came down with my hand around it and hit the transom nearly taking my fingers off I abandoned that plan. With all the weight of the dragging dink and the jerking I was worried it might pull the cleat off (my tow line was 3/4" nylon) leaving a hole in my port quarter. This didn't appeal to me as we were being pooped occasionally so I cut my beautiful dinghy adrift. I don't tow anymore. It took about two years to get out of the habit of looking back to check on the dink.
Yes - but---
following up on what Rick I said, you need to be aware that if a squall is approaching, you'd best get the inflatable on the deck and/or deflated and stowed. We were towing our inflatable a couple summers ago, and got caught in a squall. The dinghy flipped and acted as a major drag, which severely complicate manuvering under motor in the squall. (Also, I don't believe it's ever a good idea to tow a dinghy with the outboard mounted.) Ed Ryan
following up on what Rick I said, you need to be aware that if a squall is approaching, you'd best get the inflatable on the deck and/or deflated and stowed. We were towing our inflatable a couple summers ago, and got caught in a squall. The dinghy flipped and acted as a major drag, which severely complicate manuvering under motor in the squall. (Also, I don't believe it's ever a good idea to tow a dinghy with the outboard mounted.) Ed Ryan
8 foot Walker Bay with RID
If you get the Walker Bay boat, make sure you also get the tube around it. With the flotation in your seats and the tube, it won't sink. Also, tie your dingy off at two points, not one, so if you lose one knot, your not up the creek without a dingy.
If you get the Walker Bay boat, make sure you also get the tube around it. With the flotation in your seats and the tube, it won't sink. Also, tie your dingy off at two points, not one, so if you lose one knot, your not up the creek without a dingy.
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