Advice on towing a dinghy from a small boat

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steve yates

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Dinghy is quite a big red thing, easily take 3 prob more. The boat is a small 18ft sailboat.
When deflated it is lashed to the hatch top , but pumping it up on the boat is quite problematic :)
If I just keep it up and tow it, what's best way, and what should I avoid?

I'm guessing tie it to the stern cleat on the port side if outboard is on starboard side?

Long or short line?

Do they get in the way reversing or manoeuvring into pontoons?

Any advice greatly received. It seems such an innocuous thing, which makes me think it prob causes all sorts of mayhem :)
 
A dinghy half the length of the boat will always be a problem. You can tow on a long painter, but the extra drag will slow you down and in heavy weather there is always the risk of it flipping or getting water in. Even more of a problem close quarters but sometimes easier to move it to the bow.

The reality is that taking a dinghy with you on a small boat like yours will always be a difficult compromise, whether you tow or have it on board. Just give it a try and make upo your own mind which is the least worst.
 
Use a floating painter so as not to get it wrapped around boat prop, vary the length according to wind/wave/boat speed. Some people have have the bow pulled up onto the transom.
Slip a length of tubing over the painter and slide it up or down to the fairlead to provide chafe protection.
Look over your stern occasionally and check it's still there.
 
My experience shows that there isn't a right answer. What usually works is to have the bow as close to a stern cleat as possible (almost touching it), and usually on the downhill side. Sometimes the low side is too low and it needs to be on the high side - you can usually get away with that when close-hauled, but the dinghy can start to flip when you bear away, so it's back to the low side.
 
My boat is 24ft. My dinghy is 2.6M, I put additional eyes on the port and strbrd of the bow of the dinghy and use them to tow. Dinghy stays flat on the water, but I am on a lake. When elsewhere I deflate the dinghy and store on board. I had a cheapish rechargeable inflator to do the bulk of the inflation and topped off with the foot pump. Difficult on a small boat.
 
If you want a sea anchor, go right ahead. You will come to loathe it in tow and find a way to inflate it when needed. For an 18ft boat, your 3 seater is a bit over speced.
 
Towing dinghies is an occasional necessity. How you do it partly depends on the shape of your stern, but I prefer to pull the dinghy tight up to the mother boat. Raising the bow out of the water greatly reduces the drag. With a sugar-scoop or sloping stern the dinghy is unlikely to flip, but with a straight transom it may be necessary to tie an additional line from the side of the dinghy at angle to prevent this
 
An electric pump is £5 well spent, but on an 18ft boat you will really struggle to find deck space to inflate it.
You could sit it up on its side, hung from a spare halyard, this technique can be interesting in stronger winds!

I refuse to tow an inflatable in anything other than flat calm, or trips of about a mile or less.
 
Tranona said:
A dinghy half the length of the boat will always be a problem. You can tow on a long painter, but the extra drag will slow you down and in heavy weather there is always the risk of it flipping or getting water in.
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mainsail1 said:
Yes, inflatable dinghies can be tricky.
Dylan will be along shortly to tell you towing a dinghy is just a breeze. But his does not inflate.
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I tow a rigid dinghy (in fact I tow two of them, though not simultaneously) without problems. From what I hear, inflatables are much more of a pain. I'd suggest to the OP that he gets a much smaller dinghy ... or forget it altogether. With a lifting keel the whole boat can be the dinghy.
 
When I had the First 18 I would tow the Bombard AX2 for short distances in gentle conditions. I pulled it up close bows out of the water with just the tips of the tubes in the water.

A longer term solution was to deflate it and stow it under the cockpit or down a quarter berth when I was alone. IIRC I used to inflate it forward of the mast resting across the guard wires, it was a bit of faff but I saw it as part of sailing a small boat and put up with it.
 
Ignore the doom naysayers and go for it. Just make sure you never leave the outboard on or oars inside.

We tend to tow on a very short rope, 1m or less from the stern - seems to tow best that way and doesn't get in the way if reversing under motor.
We have towed an inflatable hundreds of miles - around most of the waters I think you are aiming at. Certainly as far as Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and across the Minch quite a few times. Flipped once in all these miles, but hove to and righted with a boat hook.
Tend to stow if doing particularly problem bits in bad either - eg Mull of Kintyre in F5 plus. But frankly we - and you - will want to avoid these conditions anyway
 
We tow a 2.7m dinghy behind our 6.1 m motor sailer on the Clyde and never had any problems. However we have the painter secured to 3 points on the dinghy and pull it up tight to the stern if there is a sea running. Golden rules
1 never tow with outboard on dinghy
2 remove oars and other items.
3 be ready to cut painter if dinghy flips
4 keep on close painter in marina etc
5 enjoy.
 
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