a wake-up call

snowleopard

Active member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
33,645
Location
Oxford
Visit site
We were anchored off Burgh Island waiting for the tide to go up-river and decided to recce a drying-out spot at half tide in the dinghy. As we went up the river we hit the a submerged rock and lost the prop from the outboard.

After a bit of fuming we poled the boat to the side and walked out to the entrance of the river against the flood tide. The plan was to row back out to the boat which was about 400 yds offshore. The wind was blowing across our course and the tide pushing us back towards the river. With typical rubber duck type oars and rowlocks we could make little progress and after a few yards one of the oars snapped where the s/s pivot had set up internal corrosion. In the end the beach lifeguards towed us out with their rib and all was well but it did get me to thinking of possible consequences had things been different, e.g no one else about, ebb tide etc. A simple trip ashore could have led to life-threatening consequences. I believe there are regular deaths in the Caribbean when local boats have engine failure and drift downwind from the islands.

I'm now giving serious thought to a proper means of propulsion for when the motor gives up. How do you address this problem or do you think as I used to 'I've got oars, I'll manage'?
 

marksaab

New member
Joined
18 Sep 2006
Messages
145
Location
London, Mersea
Visit site
Being fairly new to dinghy stuff, I read up on what the RYA recommened: Handheld VHF, flares, anchor etc etc. Went with a small anchor but after lugging it in and out of the dinghy I gave up and now make sure I have a phone in a waterproof bag and a spare prop for my little outboard.
 

shmoo

New member
Joined
23 May 2005
Messages
2,136
Location
West Cornwall
Visit site
We've got into the habit of using a big RORC flare pack plastic bottle as a kind of go-ashore "handbag" for hand-held, mobile phones, passports, wallets, couple of flares.

Also it doesn't take much of an anchor to hold a dingy. I have a biddy little fake Bruce (chosen for lack of sharp bits) with a couple of meters of chain and about 15m of rope. It will hold against 2 or 3kt of current, since so little of the dingy is in the water.
 

DJE

Well-known member
Joined
21 Jun 2004
Messages
7,666
Location
Fareham
www.casl.uk.com
Avon Redcrest, decent wooden oars, 1kg bruce anchor, and No Outboard!
So the problem of engine failure never arises.
 

boatmike

Well-known member
Joined
30 Jun 2002
Messages
7,044
Location
Solent
Visit site
Yes I think the key is " a decent pair of oars"
Must admit I use the take down paddles most of the time but if I am going far I ship a good stout pair just in case. Actually 2 people can make better headway kneeling with paddles than 1 person rowing. That only works with 2 peeps with strong arms tho' SWMBO might not be up to it.
 

snowleopard

Active member
Joined
16 May 2001
Messages
33,645
Location
Oxford
Visit site
Quite so, with SWMBO paddling one side and me the other we spend a lot of time going in circles.

I've always found with rubber ducks the weak point is the rowlocks. The old Avon solid rubber ones were OK if you lubricated them but the little metal jobbies are next to useless. Definitely thinking about going for a rigid boat for next season.
 

[3889]

...
Joined
26 May 2003
Messages
4,141
Visit site
[ QUOTE ]
Avon Redcrest, decent wooden oars, 1kg bruce anchor, and No Outboard!


[/ QUOTE ]

My solution as well. Having used an outboard in the past I can't understand why anyone bothers with them on a small inflatible.
 

ChrisE

Active member
Joined
13 Nov 2003
Messages
7,343
Location
Kington
www.simpleisgood.com
FWIW, I think that you are buggered if you are in a dinghy in strong current and wind (I speak as one who spent 5 years dingying 1.5 miles to/from our mooring in Poole harbour). There are circumstance when no amount of muscle will get you near where you want to go. As a consequence I now carry my mobile on me for these cases.
 

BlueSkyNick

Active member
Joined
29 Apr 2003
Messages
11,766
Location
Near a marina, sailing club and pub
Visit site
[ QUOTE ]
We've got into the habit of using a big RORC flare pack plastic bottle as a kind of go-ashore "handbag" for hand-held, mobile phones, passports, wallets, couple of flares.

[/ QUOTE ]
thanks for that tip, I have been thinking about a bag of some sort for the same purpose, and your flare bottle idea fits the bill - especially as I have one kicking around a locker.
 

jimi

Well-known member
Joined
19 Dec 2001
Messages
28,660
Location
St Neots
Visit site
A good idea is to carry a flare case with half a dozen rockets and some gaffer tape. In extremis, tape several rockets to the stern securely, point the dinghy in the direction you wish to travel and then ignite the rockets.
 

Blueboatman

Well-known member
Joined
10 Jul 2005
Messages
13,997
Visit site
I would think the key element is the type of rubadub.Certainly one up in an Avon one can row out an anchor in quite extreme conditions and crab succesfully across a strong river tide from a position well up tide at the rivers edge..but then again they are absolute c--- at moving with an outboard. Never did resolve that one,just got very fit rowing around two up !
 

Evadne

Active member
Joined
27 Feb 2003
Messages
5,752
Location
Hampshire, UK
Visit site
I have only ever had a redcrest, and only ever rowed it with "proper" wooden oars, the same as I use on my rigid tender left on the mooring. Most of the stories you hear about the difficulty of rowing inflatables relate to short oars or naff little inflatables, IMHO. With 6' oars and a good heave, the redcrest does as it's told.
The main problem I've found is that Avon rollucks don't allow you to use an oar with a leather collar fitted. Fine, I always remove it, but with galvanised rowlocks on the rigid tender, erosion is a problem. It is possible to snap an oar, once it has been reduced in diameter, rowing an inflatable.
With crew on board, you then paddle, i.e. make like Hiawatha, and all is well. At least that's what we did the last time ....
 

wizard

Well-known member
Joined
24 Jan 2003
Messages
1,697
Location
Portland
Visit site
I do exactly the same except I also include the grapnel anchor and rope - I got worried one day with the grapnel banging about in the dinghy in rough water threatening to puncture the tubes ....
 

Searush

New member
Joined
14 Oct 2006
Messages
26,779
Location
- up to my neck in it.
back2bikes.org.uk
My outboard has a spare shear pin & split pin in a small rubber clip underneath. Don't load a dinghy so that you can't row/paddle if the motor fails.

If the conditions are bad at an anchorage I generally choose to stay aboard. Usually have enough food/ water/ booze/ powdered milk aboard to last a few days.
 
Top