Towing a rigid tender

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Mar 2005
Messages
12,954
Location
Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
By next summer I expect to be sailing a Centaur around the West Coast of Scotland. Jill loves rowing and going ashore for long walks. Inflatables row like pigs and there will be times when we want to move bikes or the dog in the tender.

I noticed last year that quite a few people were towing rigid tenders around the west coast.

I know that it will make me mad watching it jerking on the stern and costing me half a knot but if it keeps Jill happy then why not

Is 8 foot long enough.

Also, what happens when you take your rigid tender into a marina?

do they charge you?

is it worth getting one that will sail?

what about an old Mirror dinghy or an Otter

D
 
dylanwinter said:
I know that it will make me mad watching it jerking on the stern and costing me half a knot but if it keeps Jill happy then why not

Is 8 foot long enough.

Also, what happens when you take your rigid tender into a marina?

do they charge you?

is it worth getting one that will sail?

what about an old Mirror dinghy or an Otter

D
Click to expand...

I have towed three rigid dinghies on the West Coast, never an inflatable. I love the row-ability and the beach-ability. You'll get all sorts of horror stories about towing them, but I haven't had any problems, save once, when the towing eye had come off and I was towing with a rope around the front thwart. I have two painters on the the dinghy; a short (3m) one for normal use and long (10m) one for when it gets a bit windier.

I have never been charged for taking a dinghy into a marina. I normally go in bows-to, and tie the dinghy up at the front to keep it out of the way.

For this year's longer trip I left my usual 8' pram and replaced it with my crew's beloved Heyland Swift, also 8'. As we were wandering around in July which, you may recall, was a tad inclement, we didn't get much sailing in it save some magical hours at Arisaig and Gigha. It was no great hardship to have mast and boom along one side deck and a bag of sails in the forecabin; we'll definitely take the sailing one again next year.

However, although you are, as I recall, not quite of my imposing stature, you might find an 8' sailing dinghy a bit titchy, and anything long enough for a grown adult, around 10' or more, is getting a bit big for a tender. Mirrors, Otters and the like look enormous behind a 26 footer.

So to answer your questions in summary I'd say that a rigid tender is well worth it here; that 8' is about right unless adults want to sail in which 10' is probably better and that Scottish marinas don't seem to charge.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I have towed three rigid dinghies on the West Coast, never an inflatable. I love the row-ability and the beach-ability. You'll get all sorts of horror stories about towing them, but I haven't had any problems, save once, when the towing eye had come off and I was towing with a rope around the front thwart. I have two painters on the the dinghy; a short (3m) one for normal use and long (10m) one for when it gets a bit windier.

I have never been charged for taking a dinghy into a marina. I normally go in bows-to, and tie the dinghy up at the front to keep it out of the way.

For this year's longer trip I left my usual 8' pram and replaced it with my crew's beloved Heyland Swift, also 8'. As we were wandering around in July which, you may recall, was a tad inclement, we didn't get much sailing in it save some magical hours at Arisaig and Gigha. It was no great hardship to have mast and boom along one side deck and a bag of sails in the forecabin; we'll definitely take the sailing one again next year.

However, although you are, as I recall, not quite of my imposing stature, you might find an 8' sailing dinghy a bit titchy, and anything long enough for a grown adult, around 10' or more, is getting a bit big for a tender. Mirrors, Otters and the like look enormous behind a 26 footer.

So to answer your questions in summary I'd say that a rigid tender is well worth it here; that 8' is about right unless adults want to sail in which 10' is probably better and that Scottish marinas don't seem to charge.
Click to expand...

perfect answer...

9 foot long then
 
Last edited:
Sybarite said:
Here it is :

http://www.nestawayboats.com/9ft-Clinker-Stem-Dinghy(2102822).htm

When towing, the length of the painter should be such that it's on the same phase of the following wave as you are: ie both boats going up a wave front or both going down so that there is no tugging or running into your transom.
Click to expand...

thanks for the painter length advice

as for the dinghy suggested

Sailing Package Gold £4775 ( )
(SAVE £554)
As Silver plus: rubber fendering, sculling
rowlock, teak deck style centre thwarts,
teak decking to buoyancy tank tops,
folding cleats, two-piece mast, two-tone
hull with cream interior.

gulp!
 
dylanwinter said:
thanks for the painter length advice

as for the dinghy suggested

Sailing Package Gold £4775 ( )
(SAVE £554)
As Silver plus: rubber fendering, sculling
rowlock, teak deck style centre thwarts,
teak decking to buoyancy tank tops,
folding cleats, two-piece mast, two-tone
hull with cream interior.

gulp!
Click to expand...

Yep I know. Lovely dinghy though with the advantage that you could store it on the foredeck in its nested state.
 
we used to tow a wooden hard dinghy, about 9ft long

it was a PITA.

fine if waves are regular etc/long towline, but can get swamped in tidal stuff/overfalls. or bad luck. never tried towing eg a small drogue from stern of dinghy/rope tho

we ended up making a s/s 6 foot long bar to attach it to the transom. at least we could bail it when it needed it then/it wouldn't get lost
 
I used to tow an 8ft YM pram dinghy behind a Folkboat on the West Coast, but only because I'd no money, and could build about four of these plywood dinghies for the price of one inflatable.

Now I carry an inflatable (Avon Redcrest), and am lucky enough to be able to carry it fully inflated on deck. I wouldn't go back to a solid dinghy even if you paid me. We go ashore on beaches, and on rocky shores, and the lightness of the rubber dinghy makes it easy. I recall being rammed from behind by the pram, when running downwind, and on one occasion, after three long days of heavy rain, there was so much water in the thing, that I couldn't safely get aboard it to bail it out. With the rubber one, I just turn it upside-down.

If you have a decent rubber dinghy, with the Avon type rollocks, and longer oars than the silly paddles as supplied, a rubber dinghy will row quite well. I have an outboard, but hardly ever use it unless going on a long expedition.
 
Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

I too dislike inflatables and bought an 8' pram and it rows really well. The issue is boarding and disembarking, unstable in the extreme compared to an inflatable.
Managed to become one of the RNLI's 1 in 8 by flipping the dinghy on top of myself when boarding, admittedly I was trying to slide in without putting my feet on the floor as it had an inch or so of water, Lifejacket worked.
 
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

I know Jumbleduck manages it, but after my experiences towing a rigid - nicely shaped Caricraft 10 with the rig off - I wouldn't do it anywhere likely to get remotely lumpy.

I don't think it's in the modern editions but in an earlier ' Heavy Weather Sailing ' Adlard Coles describes towing a dinghy across Lyme Bay when things became boisterous; it swamped, dragged, ultimate PITA then broke free, he was unable to recover it as way too risky.

If I had to tow such a dinghy - I'd think around 9' the best - I'd try towing a thickish line behind it, as a form of steering drougue but not as much braking effect as a real drogue.

I'd also paint the bottom yellow, I do this on all my rigid tenders, when a chum bought my old dinghy he promptly capsized it in a wide part of the harbour on a lumpy day, a passing rescue boat saw the yellow and came over...

I'd go for a good to row Avon, kept onboard maybe half inflated - unless you have a liferaft; if not feeling like pumping by foot a Centaur has plenty of eletrickery for a hi -speed ( previously LM ) 12V pump, gets it done in a couple of minutes - just be sure to clamp onto the battery terminals not boat wiring.

If really lucky you might get a serviceable 1990's Zodiac ( assuming you don't have an arm & leg spare for a new one, which may be worse quality anyway it seems ) they have much larger tubes so handier in waves, and while not as good as an Avon to row, not bad compared to most inflatables.
 
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

The problem with rowing inflatables is largely the oars being too short. In the days we had Avons I always ordered them with longer oars, which wotked well enough.

Before our first Avon I was daft enough to tow a small grp pram. Frightened me on occasions by trying hard to climb on board over the stern of a 21 footer back on a rough day then even though it did not fill up with water. I learned my lesson towing an Avon too when it took off spinning like a windmill on heat catching the stern light in it's painter and flipping 30 squids worth of light to Davey Jones,. WE carried an Avon redcrest for years half inflsted on deck, later swapped it for the slightly larger and drier Acvon redseal with bigger diameter tubes. Tried a tinker Traveller with full sailing rig too but it was a bit too big to stow easilyon deck and we swapped that for a Zodiac Fastroller 285 which rowed adequately only with it's alloy oars, but then it planed with our little Honda 2hp so why use oars when the motor was on a tackle from the pushpit and easily moved from stowage bracket to dinghy transom. It towe Ok for short distances with the tow line rigged as a bridle, but it stowed in a cockpit locker or on deck in it's carry case bag,it could be inflated fast enough with a LVM hyspeed leccy pump.


Personally I would not comtemplate towing a dinghy. Being less steady on my feet theses days we have a 10ft RIB which is carried in davits on the stern, launchable very quickly and in calm conditions we even leave the 9.9hp motor mounted ready to go. It rows well enough and I still would not tow it although the snowbirds in the ICW seem to tow all manner of tenders even with big outboard on the transom adding to the drag and creating a big wash.

Centaur lends itself to an Avon doughnut or Rover (transom) type either of which with a pair of one size longer oars ( we had folding ones) will row better than expected. Small French boats seemed to opt for the little bombard annexe 11s and to use the piddly oars as paddles divided amongst a full compliment of passengers with wet feet.:ambivalence: .
 
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

We sometimes tow an 8ft barrow boat. It's a great little tender - rows well, fine with a small outboard and sails OK. Also roomy and stable. I think it adds a great deal to our general enjoyment of pottering (as opposed to real passage making), although it can be a bit of a nuisance. We always bring it alongside at night when at anchor.

With a sailing tender, it is important to block up the slot in the dagger board case as quite a lot of water can slosh up through there if conditions are at all bumpy. Also, it helps to be able to cover the forepart of the boat to stop any water sloshing over the bow.

We always board and disembark from the dinghy alongside as our boat doesn't have a swim platform and that's what I presume you would do with a Centaur as well. I think that is much safer than bring a boat athwart the stern in a popple or a tideway.
 
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

Inflatable tenders are the way to go, decide how you are going to store it and get on with it. Lighter the better and the very light ones like the 3d are much kinder to backs. I'm waiting for them to make a V floor version which are better for rowing and dryer as the front is held higher out of the water by the V.

Edit I see 3 d now do what I'm looking for http://www.3dtender.com/FOLDABLE-TENDERS-148-77-0-0.html
 
Last edited:
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

I've remembered another joy of using a solid dinghy. It seemed to get lonely at night, and used to come and nudge the boat, like a dog wanting to go walkies. Tried tying it alongside, and was kept awake by squeaking fenders. Even tried tying it off the end of the squared off boom. Nah, get a rubber dinghy.
 
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

NormanS said:
I've remembered another joy of using a solid dinghy. It seemed to get lonely at night, and used to come and nudge the boat, like a dog wanting to go walkies. Tried tying it alongside, and was kept awake by squeaking fenders. Even tried tying it off the end of the squared off boom. Nah, get a rubber dinghy.
Click to expand...

Both issues are easily avoided. Speaking as a user of both solid and inflatable tenders, depending on what kind of sailing I'm doing, I would really miss the many and varies pleasures of the barrow boat, especially when used for sailing, rowing and sculling. Those pleasures are more easily come by if you sail in areas with sheltered anchorages and interesting small scale topography that invites exploration beyond where the mother ship can go. That's when the rigid tender can really add to the enjoyment.

The west coast of Scotland is just such an area.

Edited to add: Getting to and from the boat - inflatable is fine (although there is some advantage in not having the hassle of inflating the thing, fitting the outboard etc.) For more leisurely pottering and to add some little boat joys to the enterprise, then a rigid dinghy has much more to offer. Horses for courses.
 
Last edited:
Re: Rigid small dinghies, not without problems

The concept of dragging something behind the slowest form of transport known to man in order to make it even slower has constantly eluded me.

Tried it, binned it.

Just my opinion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

T
Notices to Mariners - Week 50
Replies
2
Views
780
tillergirl
T

Share this page

Top