hanging the dinghy off the stern

[UK-WOOZY]

do you have photos?

i have had two smaller yachts than my current still small 30ft jeanneau. the previous boats i just towed the tender with outboard on behind so will likely do that again and i dont fancy drilling more holes into the sugar scoop

 

[RupertW]

Isn't a solid dinghy more hazardous/problematic to tow than an inflatable?

Richard

Actually no. I haven't done it for decades but grew up with solid dinghies being towed behind my father's small boats, in all conditions and lengths of passage. It used to be really common to see a 25 foot boat with a 9 foot wooden dinghy behind it crossing the channel. The magazines and books then were full of advice on how to position the tow rope right, a good bridle and how to control the dinghy in a following sea by having it two wave lengths behind on a long tow etc. Must have been awful for boat speed though.

Inflatables were pigs to tow as they would flip and veer about so I guess the habit developed of putting them on deck or deflating them completely.
Now I only see that with ribs towed by charterers (or us very occasionally).

 

[RichardS]

Actually no. I haven't done it for decades but grew up with solid dinghies being towed behind my father's small boats, in all conditions and lengths of passage. It used to be really common to see a 25 foot boat with a 9 foot wooden dinghy behind it crossing the channel. The magazines and books then were full of advice on how to position the tow rope right, a good bridle and how to control the dinghy in a following sea by having it two wave lengths behind on a long tow etc. Must have been awful for boat speed though.

Inflatables were pigs to tow as they would flip and veer about so I guess the habit developed of putting them on deck or deflating them completely.
Now I only see that with ribs towed by charterers (or us very occasionally).

I see. I was thinking about inflatable dinghies with a hard bottom rather than 100% inflatables with a soft bottom. I've zero experience with the latter type. My experience with hard bottom inflatables is that they tow reasonably well but can flip over in heavy seas but providing the outboard is not mounted, it's not the end of the world and you can leave it until shelter is available. I would have thought that if a solid dinghy flips over then you've got a much bigger problem but I've no experience.

Richard

 

[doug748]

Has anyone tried towing a dinghy between the hulls of a cat?

I sometimes tow an inflatable tight against the downwind aft quarter of a 32ft monohull where it sits very quietly in moderate conditions. One boat circumnavigated (1960's?) with a it's large tender secured like this.