Towing a Dinghy

[elad]

I am making a 12 ft dinghy that will weigh 300 lbs including a 15 hp motor. I plan to tow it behind my Albin 28 TE with a Yanmar 6LP-STE at about 15 kts. Should I be concerned about over stressing the engine? Also, how long a tow line is recommended? Any suggestions on best way to attach tow lines?

[Old School]

I haven't been too successful towing a dinghy at 15kts.

[jleonard]

I am making a 12 ft dinghy that will weigh 300 lbs including a 15 hp motor. I plan to tow it behind my Albin 28 TE with a Yanmar 6LP-STE at about 15 kts. Should I be concerned about over stressing the engine? Also, how long a tow line is recommended? Any suggestions on best way to attach tow lines?

The line needs to be long enough to put the dinghy behind the second wave. Poly line is preferred because it floats.
I can't believe you would be over stressing the engine. But I don't know the boat well enough to say for sure. I assume it will be on plane at 15 knots, what speed does it need to get on plane?

[Binford]

There is a thorough write-up about towing a dinghy (as well as other towing situations) in the current issue (February 2014, No. 236) of Wooden Boat magazine, in their "Getting Started in Boats" insert. It deals with weight distribution and location of drag in the dinghy, its position on the crest of the stern wave, etc., etc.

[seasalt]

I had a 15' Boston Whaler Mischief that a buddy and I decided to tow behind his late model 54' Hatteras sport fish. We were going to Contraband Days in Lake Charles, LA from Galveston so we needed to get up on plane.

Neither of us had done this before so we discussed whether to do it with the outboard up or down. We decided down so it would track straight. Mistake # 1.

The we used some twisted nylon anchor rode for the trial run since it stretched unlike the polyester floating rope. Mistake # 2.

He and his wife stayed in the cockpit to handle the tow line while I took the helm. We towed it slowly out of the marina into the Galveston ship channel before I floor boarded the CAT 3412's 2800 combined horse power.

What happened next probably needed to be seen to truly understand our ignorance of towing.

The first thing that happened as the CATS were spooling up was that the Whaler darted off to one side and dug its bow under a wave from the Hatteras' wake. This caused the tow line to stretch.

As the Whaler's bow emerged from the wave the line tightened causing it to go airborne and start flying directly at my buddy and his wife standing in the cockpit.

They ducked under the gunnel, I backed off the throttles, the Whaler stopped flying and did a belly flop just aft of the transom.

We decided not to take it to Lake Charles.

[whwells]

elad: Well, I have towed at Lake Tahoe the Dingy behind a Cobalt in past years. We did it slow and easy as the pull could cause some wiping at times.
The Cobalt has lots of power & that was never the issue, but rather the action of the dingy. Frankly, I never liked the idea much. Having said that I have seen all kinds of boat from the small 13' Whaler to the hardbottom blow up boats towed around Puget Sound. If you don't won't to use davits on the swim platform how about carrying a blow up on top. They are a lot less weigh and fine for most all purposes.
whwells "Howard"

[elad]

Thanks to all who responded. Towing a dinghy is a lot more involved than I ever thought it would be. My plan is to tow it mainly in the ICW with open water towing only on very calm days. Not sure how fast I will be able to go.

I am committed to finishing building the 12 skiff and committed to trying to use it as my dinghy for cruising. If it works out, great. If not, at least I have a skiff to run the rivers with. I'll let everyone know how it works out.

[seasalt]

Don't for get the big Sea Ray that is going to come up behind you and capsize the dinghy. There are a lot of obtuse people out there.

[special k]

Don't for get the big Sea Ray that is going to come up behind you and capsize the dinghy. There are a lot of obtuse people out there.

LOL, why pick on sea ray owners? i never seen them act like they own the water......

ok i have. every holiday weekend @ block island.....and all with ny registrations........just sayin'.......

[RobS]

.....and all with ny registrations........just sayin'.......

ouch

[Nepidae]

Before this degrades into a 'bashing' match against other boats, I sent Elad an email on something called a Sling Davit (http://www.allinflatables.com/shopping/ ... ling1.html) to look at instead of towing.
We've been using ours for 2 years with great satisifaction (even in a squall).
It's inexpensive (@$250.00) and can hold a miriad of items if you don't have a dingy but do have kayaks, boards, etc.
Anyone looking to tow a dingy should investigate this item. The manufacturer is great to deal with as is the company that sells the product.
Any questions, fire away.

[jleonard]

I used to carry my dinghy like that when I had my Mainship, except I used two crossed lines. Worked fine for 14 years.
But I used to take the engine off and on every time.
However I did tow it a few times, always with the engine on and up, and only when I had a short distance to go.
Wakes never bothered it. I just hated always looking back and worrying about it.

[Sunsetrider]

While we're on topic - my chance to ask!
I have bought for the coming season an older FB rowing dinghy, 80 lbs. to go along with my A25. The plan is to sometimes tow it (max 7 knots) and otherwise to hinge it sideways up onto the swim platform. It will sit sideways on the platform, lashed to the stern rail up top. I have a set of $5.00 slide-in gate hinges to attach to the platform and the side of the dinghy.

Does anyone foresee problems wit this plan?

[jleonard]

I have no idea what those hinges look like, but it sounds fine to me. Other than maybe a little noisy when the hinges rattle (perhaps). (Of course if you were boating in salt water they would rust in a few days).

[Sunsetrider]

I took pictures of the proposed set-up but of course now I can't find them. The "hinges" are not really hinges but rather the pin-and-slot things you use to hold removable gates/slatted walls in place on the side of a flat-bed truck. I will install them sideways on the platform and dinghy side respectively. I'll need also to figure out something to prevent the pins from jumping/sliding out of the slots, but they will provide an inexpensive way to hook the dinghy to the platform while I haul it upright with a line secured to the outside rim of the dinghy. It just strikes me as crazy to spend hundreds of dollars to pull up an 80-lb. dinghy.