flubber towing tied to pushpit

One thing about the hinged stainless frame on the stern, with a good elastic you could use it to fire things a good way ahead of the boat like the WWII Hedgehog anti-submarine job; there are definitely times that would be handy.
 
Seajet said:
One thing about the hinged stainless frame on the stern, with a good elastic you could use it to fire things a good way ahead of the boat like the WWII Hedgehog anti-submarine job; there are definitely times that would be handy.
Click to expand...

yes! Maybe also have a sling on the back too to hang out on when the heads are out of action. The uses are almost endless. Waterski training handle, davit for a bit of impromptu trawling...
 
solent clown said:
Andy, I actually had the nose of the dinghy on the pushpit mounted directly. If if flipped like that I think that would have killed the dinghy. I will take that on board and have a rethink.
Click to expand...

I have many memories of Avons spinning like a propeller on speed before I saw the light and ALWAYS carried on board, half deflated on the coachroof or fully and stoed in a locker. One spinning Avon cost me beer tokens when it wiped out a stern light. The big no no for me is the extra drag.

Over here on the ICW loads of people tow tenders, usually and stupidly with large outboards still fitted creating enormous drag. Many others carry them on davits as we did or lifted by a crane device onto a trawler hard top ( as we did when living on one such) or in a swim platform cradle. 24ft Trident, half deflated strapped on the coach roof seems best. Tow for under 100 yds, deflate for more.
​
 
Rogershaw said:
I also posted a pic of a double front tow which shows better what I do.

You could also change the tow ropes for rigid rods that would stop the dingy trying to over take of slam into the transom.
Click to expand...

I have been meaning to make up two tow lines with the rope running through lengths of plastic plumbing pipe or similar with snap shackles to attach to the towing rings either side of the bow on the dinghy. The other ends with loops over the stern cleats. The theory being the plastic tube should be rigid enough to keep the dinghy held central and aid stability. I very rarely tow the dinghy so haven't got round to trying it yet.
 
Your U-tubes will just be more weight to hit you on the head when the whole thing ends up in the cockpit when you are running downwind. It would however control which way up it was at the time - but probably metal tube bits would hit you first...... Boats full of air go airborne easily. By all means tow if winds light, but if likely to be windy deflate....
 
I think that most sailors agree that towing any dinghy is unsatisfactory, though at least little harm should arise from a flubber misbehaving. My current practice, when I have to, is to tie my Redcrest painter to a stern mooring cleat and pull it tight. It is very obvious that this produces less drag than letting the dinghy floor sit in the water; you only have to hold the painter while on the move. This is for my sugar-scoop stern, but different boats may need other solutions. In my case, being so tightly tied, the dinghy does not invert easily, and it has a small bridle anyway.

If I had a transom stern, I would be looking for a simple solution, since this would only be an occasional need, and for short trips. I think that I would attach the painter short to one quarter and have another line from the other quarter attached to the dinghy lifting-line with the slack taken in but not tight, to discourage it from doing anything naughty.
 
I towed both the Avon Redstart & the Avon Redcrest behind my 26ft Stella. Whilst the Avon is the best rowing rubber dinghy it is the worst towing dinghy. I used to tie the bow really tight to the pushpit stanchion at deck level which sort of trapped the bow. then because I always liked the idea of 2 painters I tied a line to the spray hood loop just inside the bow. This line I took to the top of the pushpit rail. That tended to stop any rotation. In fact in most conditions it rarely turned over. On long trips & deflated the bow & placed the dinghy on the cabin with the deflated section under the kicking strap & the stern over the hatch garage.

Now I know you had an Avon I question another post about you paddling it with 2 of you, 1 each side. No wonder you had problems. You ROW it. Deflate the seat so you sit at the right height so that your knees are below the oars as they sweep back & forth. Unlike dinghies with fixed seats where ( if you are tall) you cannot row because you cannot sweep the oars clear of the water as they hit the water on the backstroke. Your crew sits on the aft with legs outstretched each side of yours. If you have lost the seat then fill a kit back with an old cushion or similar
 
Daydream believer said:
Now I know you had an Avon I question another post about you paddling it with 2 of you, 1 each side. No wonder you had problems. You ROW it. Deflate the seat so you sit at the right height so that your knees are below the oars as they sweep back & forth. Unlike dinghies with fixed seats where ( if you are tall) you cannot row because you cannot sweep the oars clear of the water as they hit the water on the backstroke. Your crew sits on the aft with legs outstretched each side of yours. If you have lost the seat then fill a kit back with an old cushion or similar
Click to expand...
We used to row the Avon or our 8' pram two abreast. It is surprising how little effort it takes, and how much better, if you are against wind or tide. Two bits of advice:
1. Only do it with someone you trust.
2. Start very gently and accelerate slowly.

[pedant's corner] of course, when we talk of rowing our dinghies, we really mean 'sculling'.
 
johnalison said:
We used to row the Avon or our 8' pram two abreast. It is surprising how little effort it takes, and how much better, if you are against wind or tide. Two bits of advice:
1. Only do it with someone you trust.
2. Start very gently and accelerate slowly.

[pedant's corner] of course, when we talk of rowing our dinghies, we really mean 'sculling'.
Click to expand...

Not really enough room for 2 abreast. Plus you need to balance the oars carefully. You need to make short sharp constant strokes & not long gliding strokes with long stops between as the dinghy stops very quickly. It does not glide like a clinker dinghy does.
As a teenager I rowed my Avon Redstart over a mile across the Blackwater at Stone several times & went to Osea and back once. In later life I always rowed my Redcrest to my mooring as it was quicker than faffing with the outboard. I could go faster than some of the outboard driven dinghies.
 
johnalison said:
We used to row the Avon or our 8' pram two abreast. It is surprising how little effort it takes, and how much better, if you are against wind or tide. Two bits of advice:
1. Only do it with someone you trust.
2. Start very gently and accelerate slowly.

[pedant's corner] of course, when we talk of rowing our dinghies, we really mean 'sculling'.
Click to expand...

Not really enough room for 2 abreast. Plus you need to balance the oars carefully. You need to make short sharp constant strokes & not long gliding strokes with long stops between as the dinghy stops very quickly. It does not glide like a clinker dinghy does.
As a teenager I rowed my Avon Redstart over a mile across the Blackwater at Stone several times & went to Osea and back once. In later life I always rowed my Redcrest to my mooring as it was quicker than faffing with the outboard. I could go faster than some of the outboard driven dinghies.
 
Fit a long boarding ladder to the stern a least the width of the dinghy raise it up so its horizontal and secure it to the back stay and use this as a platform for the dinghy.
Worked for me on a previous boat.
 
Daydream believer said:
Not really enough room for 2 abreast. Plus you need to balance the oars carefully. You need to make short sharp constant strokes & not long gliding strokes with long stops between as the dinghy stops very quickly. It does not glide like a clinker dinghy does.
As a teenager I rowed my Avon Redstart over a mile across the Blackwater at Stone several times & went to Osea and back once. In later life I always rowed my Redcrest to my mooring as it was quicker than faffing with the outboard. I could go faster than some of the outboard driven dinghies.
Click to expand...

I must be narrower than you because I have done it.

Early in our sailing career I was required by reasons of national necessity, or at least the comfort of my MiL, to row our Redcrest from halfway down the Pyefleet to Brightlingsea in the dark to Brightlingsea in order to reach a public phone box to report our safe arrival from Heybridge, dodging ships anchored to wait for the tide. Yes, it's a matter of getting into the rhythm.
 
johnalison said:
I must be narrower than you because I have done it.

Early in our sailing career I was required by reasons of national necessity, or at least the comfort of my MiL, to row our Redcrest from halfway down the Pyefleet to Brightlingsea in the dark to Brightlingsea in order to reach a public phone box to report our safe arrival from Heybridge, dodging ships anchored to wait for the tide. Yes, it's a matter of getting into the rhythm.
Click to expand...

In our roundtail days we found the key to rowing was to have longer oars, fr'instance the Redcrest we used with Redseal oars 2 piece but a tad longer than the standard issue ones. We moved to a zodiac with rigid transom an alloy oars, the Avons rowed much better than that which mostly we used with an outboard.
 
Daydream believer said:
I towed both the Avon Redstart & the Avon Redcrest behind my 26ft Stella. Whilst the Avon is the best rowing rubber dinghy it is the worst towing dinghy. I used to tie the bow really tight to the pushpit stanchion at deck level which sort of trapped the bow. then because I always liked the idea of 2 painters I tied a line to the spray hood loop just inside the bow. This line I took to the top of the pushpit rail. That tended to stop any rotation. In fact in most conditions it rarely turned over. On long trips & deflated the bow & placed the dinghy on the cabin with the deflated section under the kicking strap & the stern over the hatch garage.

Now I know you had an Avon I question another post about you paddling it with 2 of you, 1 each side. No wonder you had problems. You ROW it. Deflate the seat so you sit at the right height so that your knees are below the oars as they sweep back & forth. Unlike dinghies with fixed seats where ( if you are tall) you cannot row because you cannot sweep the oars clear of the water as they hit the water on the backstroke. Your crew sits on the aft with legs outstretched each side of yours. If you have lost the seat then fill a kit back with an old cushion or similar
Click to expand...

I know you row it chap, that is what we did when we got back to southampton, then in my tired state I tied it to a pile on the pontoon, when it was submerged by the tide we lost the oars, so we had to use paddles. I will try the deflating the seat trick, but I must admit I found rowing it very difficult, it needs a lot more balance and technique than a rowing boat to go in a straight line!
 
Two long boathooks, or the extending type, lashed to the sides of the pushpit, or maybe toerail if it's got holes, and sticking out straight 3 or 4 feet or just the width of the dinghy - they may point inwards a bit with the angles on the pushpit but no matter ... plonk the dinghy crossways on top ... :encouragement:
 
Kingfisher 3 said:
Two long boathooks, or the extending type, lashed to the sides of the pushpit, or maybe toerail if it's got holes, and sticking out straight 3 or 4 feet or just the width of the dinghy - they may point inwards a bit with the angles on the pushpit but no matter ... plonk the dinghy crossways on top ... :encouragement:
Click to expand...

We will try crossways, but I think it is longer than our beam so we might have issues heeling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top