Pulling a Kayak behind a sailboat?

[SvenH]

I have a small kayak (well, Hobie mirage) that I'd like to take on vacation.
As I'd prefer the thing not to bump in to the boat during maneuvering , do any of you have good or bad experience in pulling something similar?

The actual pulling should not be a problem, but how about the 'bump!' prevention?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Change to an alongside tow before commencing manoeuvering?
Send a crew member ashore in it to take your lines?
Pull its bow up onto the sugarscoop/swim platform ?

 

[Roberto]

You may thread the towing line inside a suitable length of hose or a couple of hollow swimming noodles to keep it at a safe distance from the transom.
We just pulled it up and secured it on deck, even made a transatlantic with that damned thing hiding half of the view forward.

 

[penfold]

Most people I see with canoes haul them onboard and lash them to the guard wires when underway, same with paddleboards.

 

[Malish]

my gut instinct tells me that in any swell from astern it will be a pain to manage and the transom of the yacht will be tattooed

 

[yotter]

I think you may also find that it yaws around, perhaps try a drouge behing it?

 

[Poignard]

At the last Vilaine en fête classic boat rally I towed 4 kayaks and their crews for few miles !

 

[Oily Rag]

Attach a paravane to the kayak to take the tow parallel to your centre line?

 

[yotter]

Put the wife in it to fend off when required-)

 

[Malish]

At the last Vilaine en fête classic boat rally I towed 4 kayaks and their crews for few miles !

the extra weight would be a benefit!

 

[TernVI]

Lift the bow out of the water?
Probably best on deck.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Surely a kayak would almost inevitably end up rolling when towed? Like rowing skiffs, don't they depend on the paddles for balance, and are wildly unstable otherwise? If the kayak surfs down a following wave, it will probably veer to one side or the other and be rolled by the tow rope when it attempts to straighten up?

 

[Daverw]

I think you will find it getting swamped and swinging all over the place, I was a kayak coach and even towing spare boats was hard work. Bring it on board

 

[Malish]

A Hobie Mirage is a bit different - a sit on job, leg powered with 'paddles' beneath the hull

 

[SvenH]

Thanks for all the replies guys.
I did some pottering with the thing today and enjoyed it thoroughly.

So I think I must find a way to take it along.
The family holidays are of the easy kind, going inland.
Little swell but lots of locks and waiting for bridges.
I tried pulling it on deck.

For longer rougher bits, that would be the way to go.
But for the smaller day trips, I'll be doing my best to find a way to tow.

 

[davidej]

Tow a bucket behind the kayak?

 

[Pye_End]

I have towed a Perception Scooter a few times and find it well mannered for towing. It doesn't get blown over like a rubber duck. The Scooter has pretty good stability compared with some.

For manoeuvring in a marina - not really too bothered by bumps when coming in, but harder to leave a berth without it getting in the way. A lowered fender and a line in it's bow and stern help. Having a crew helps. Also, I have tried using a rope fender on the kayak - difficult to get a neat job, but if you can get a couple of loops in strategic places helps.

Might try the swimming noodle idea.

Thoroughly enjoy having the use of a kayak on board. A problem just crying out for a solution! Stick on strip fenders?

 

[penfold]

Inflatable kayak.

A problem just crying out for a solution!

 

[thinwater]

I've towed a kayak a bit. Unless the tow line is high enough to lift the bow to some extent, the bow is likely to root in and cause a roll.

 

[Neeves]

We have a cat which makes things easier. In flat seas we carry ours (2) on deck lashed to the stanchions. In bigger seas we lash beam to beam across the trampoline or lash them to the stanchions aft. I don't know howe long a Mirage is, nor the beam of the yacht in question but we see short stubby kayaks lashed under the boom down the cabin roof. You could always invest in davits, we carry our dinghy in davits and have carried the kayaks on their 'side' on top of the davits.

We have found them too skittish to tow.

Jonathan