Managing the dinghy in a centre cockpit boat?

[DeepKeel]

How do people manage the dinghy in a centre cockpit boat? How do you get heavy stuff between dinghy and cockpit, especially if there's a bit of chop? How do you launch and recover a modest dinghy and something like a 5hp outboard ? Over the stern looks difficult as you will be scooting around on top of the aft cabin with nowhere secure to place stuff and a long way down to the water?

 

[stranded]

Depends on the boat I guess. On our Sunbeam we very comfortably board and alight the dinghy horizontally from the bottom swim platform step. Cargo likewise. Likewise we easily (two) or perfectly possibly (single handed - I’ll be doing it in about an hour) lift our 2.6m Zodiac onto the afterdeck for short term storage or use a spare halyard to lift it onto the foredeck if the afterdeck is required for partying. Can’t really imagine how it could be any easier on an aft cockpit boat.

 

[johnalison]

The same as with an aft cockpit. The stern quarter is the safest place to board/load from and what we used to do at a swinging mooring even with a stern ladder.

 

[geem]

How do people manage the dinghy in a centre cockpit boat? How do you get heavy stuff between dinghy and cockpit, especially if there's a bit of chop? How do you launch and recover a modest dinghy and something like a 5hp outboard ? Over the stern looks difficult as you will be scooting around on top of the aft cabin with nowhere secure to place stuff and a long way down to the water?

We hang out large hard dinghy over the side of the boat at top of guardwire height. We use a three point bridle with the painter and a stern line so it doesn't bounce about. Our 15hp engine lives on a bracket at the rear of the boat. To install or remove the engine we use the main halyard to pick the engine off the bracket. My wife winches and I walk the engine down the side deck and drop the engine on the transom.
This is far easier than trying to drop the engine on to a dinghy in the water that is bouncing about.
We also haul the dinghy into this position each night to keep it safe.

 

[NealB]

We've had two, smallish, centre-cockpit boats over the years: a Seadog 30 and a Moody 33.

I've also sailed a friend's rather desirable Salar 40, a fair bit.

We did quite a few miles in our own boats, both in the UK (east, south and southwest coasts, the Irish Sea), and to the Mediterranean via the middle of France.

It was a good few years ago now, but I don't recall that the centre cockpits ever caused any particular problems with handling a dinghy, or with loading/unloading other gear: it's not something that's ever been any sort of issue.

 

[Graham376]

Our gantry also acts as davits so dinghy hauled up every night when on mooring or anchor, complete with outboard. Outboard removed (27kg) when out and about. Boarding depends on conditions, stern scoop if calm and no heavy bags/water cans but amidships via step fender by shrouds if lively or heavy stores.

 

[laika]

Depends on the boat I guess.

+1. On our boat the only "gate" in the guard wires is at the back and I have a sugar scoop so all transfers to/from dinghy are from there unless the boat is really pitching in which case we'll do it over the side (a lot harder as there is no gate). We do only have a tiny 2.5hp outboard though...

 

[Deleted member 36384]

How do people manage the dinghy in a centre cockpit boat? How do you get heavy stuff between dinghy and cockpit, especially if there's a bit of chop? How do you launch and recover a modest dinghy and something like a 5hp outboard ? Over the stern looks difficult as you will be scooting around on top of the aft cabin with nowhere secure to place stuff and a long way down to the water?

Rival 41C - Centre Cockpit.

I inflate the dinghy on the coach roof in front of the mast.
Drop it over the side just by lifting over guard wires, sometimes it sits on top of the wire as I lower it into the sea.
Tie painter to the beam cleat and position it beside the gate.
Fit boarding ladder.
Lay oars on the side deck.
Step down ladders into dinghy.
Convert painter to a slip
Fit oars and cast off.

If I am using my outboard, I transfer the dinghy to the quarter and lower it down on a rope.
If transferring heavy stuff, I lower on a rope with the dinghy at the beam.

I don't use my stern for boarding or anything much, its all done from the beam, gate and boarding ladders. My small dinghy gets rolled up and stored in the cockpit locker, my larger dinghy has to be stored on the coach roof.

It's really not an issue having a centre cockpit regarding dinghies, from my experience.

One piece of advice I would give, is to make sure your boarding ladders are a secure fit and at least run to the water. Many boarding ladders are not fit for purpose and a lot are bought for the pontoon and don't reach the water. It is worth having, secure, solid boarding ladders that gives confidence when weight is transferred from the dinghy to the ladder, even if the boat is rolling a bit.

 

[neil_s]

On a 'small' 28 foot centre cockpit boat, I board over the stern quarter as usual - there is a bathing ladder that gives good footing. I stow the OB on a bracket at deck level, though, all done from the dinghy.

 

[Bodach na mara]

No problem with my Westerly Renown, transferring luggage while hanging on near the cockpit and transferring people either at the stern ladder or at the shrouds. The Renown has quite low freeboard though.

It's a different story with our current Westerly Seahawk. In fact we have opted for the luxury of a marina berth due to the difficulty of operating from a swinging mooring.

 

[sailaboutvic]

It really depend on the boat and dinghy .
Our 2.4 dinghy we can haul it up by the chute halyard on the the fordeck and lay it long ways from the mast to wards the bow or at times on long distance we can use the same halyard by bring it around the cross tresses and haul the dinghy on the stern laying it port to starboard .

Getting stuff on board we take them up the stern buy if it's bouncy we have side gate and do it that way .

 

[prv]

The only reason having a centre cockpit makes it harder for us is the limited locker space, making it a bit of a hassle to get out and especially put away.

Otherwise, I inflate it on the foredeck, fit the outboard, then lift it using a bridle to the spinnaker halyard and lower over the side. There's a loop in the painter which drops over a bow mooring cleat and positions the dinghy alongside the shrouds; that's where I normally board either the dinghy or the yacht. Holding the dinghy side-on to the stern platform is awkward especially if there's any tide, as is scrambling on and off over the bow without it slipping away. The dinghy will lie quietly alongside the yacht without needing to be held, the shrouds provide a good hand-hold, and the gunwale on Ariam is just low enough to get a foot onto and step up.

Pete

 

[Kelpie]

Our dodgers run all the way to the stern which creates a useful snug dumping ground either side of the aft cabin coachroof. Generally we further a bit of a human chain with me in the dinghy tied across the stern, and SWMBO on the aft deck. I'll pass stuff up, she'll dump it within arms' reach on the at cabin coachroof or nearby. We don't worry too much about anything falling in to the sea their to the dodgers.

This is on a very high freeboard Moody 39.

On our previous boat, a 33ft with aft cockpit, it wasn't really any easier. The freeboard was lower but the cockpit filled up very quickly to the point where you couldn't move.