Towing a rigid dinghy. Pros and Cons

[Poignard]

Thanks for all the advice. Can't think of anything else I could possibly want to know about the subject now.

On the strength of the advice given I will look out for a rigid dinghy; to be towed when pottering about and lifted on board when maximum speed is wanted. [and perhaps jettisoned in very severe weather!]

 

[VicS]

Just like to add that if the dinghy has a bit of a keel or a skeg it'll tow OK but if it has neither it probably won't . My normal tender, which I have towed with a 19 footer around the solent has a skeg (well two in fact), is Ok but when I tried towing a Puffin (the kids sailing dinghy with the collapsible sides) it skidded about all over the place. I added a little skeg and now it is fine.

 

[WayneS]

We used to tow a Mirror behind our 22' Westerly. Most of the time it was fine but became a nightmare in a following sea. On many occasions the tender would surf up to the stern and threaten to join us in the cockpit. On a few occasions it ploughed into our stern causing some damage.

We solved this by threading a plastic funnel onto the painter with the open end facing aft towards the tender. We secured it about 1.5m in front of the tender with some hitches around the painter to stop the funnel moving up and down the line. When the painter was under strain, ie when the tender was being pulled, the funnel was out of the water and in a streamlined orientation. As soon as the tender started the surf, the funnel dropped into the water and turned around, acting as a mini drogue.

This seems to have worked but we did not keep the tender for much longer so cannot vouch for the long term viability of such a solution.

Cheers

Wayne

 

[VicS]

Yes I've seen that idea in PBO. I actually have a lagre plastic funnel tucked away on board for that very purpose but I have never tried it. Useful for other things though.

 

[jleaworthy]

I once towed a ten foot dinghy (Fairey Duckling) from Leigh on Sea to Plymouth - getting on for 300 NM - without problems. An extra warp streamed from the STEM of the dinghy, rather than the stern, was all that was needed to prevent it overunning the yacht in a following sea. Now, after many years of putting up with the limitations as well as the advantages of an inflatable I have gone back to an eight foot stem dinghy which I intend to tow except when running. I have room on the deck of my 26' yacht to stow it between mast and sprayhood, one of the advantages of a junk rig, and use the main halyard to lift it aboard.