Towing a tender backwards

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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www.keepturningleft.co.uk
as some of you may iknow the d rings on my plastimo pulled out

re[placing them will cost me around £70 and I am not sure if they will stick even then

it was suggested on here that I should tow the tender backwards

has anyone tried this?

Harmony has cleates either side of the stern, I was thinking of two fairly short ropes going to each side of the dinghy transom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcRUxFrkaOI
 
Haven't tried exactly that, but when I very occasionally tow my small inflatable, I usually do so on a very short line. So short that the bow is hanging by the line, not reaching the water, sometimes resting on the transom. The idea is to minimise drag, gives some stability too.
Perhaps you could try something similar on your boat, but with the bow of the dinghy trailing in the wake?
 
Provided you prepare the surface well and use the proper glue, replacing the fittings should be OK. I don't think towing backwards would be very satisfactory unless you had it on a short tether with the transom lifted out of the water.
 
paul-essex said:
fix the front ring points

fit your tow rope to the transom pass it over the bow and fit two steady lines port and starboard to the ring points putting the load on the transom and tracking held in line at the bow
Click to expand...

Similar to what we do- one short painter from bow ring to back stay, another shortish painter from bridle on the transom-two bolted through eyes, through another bridle from rings 1/3 back from bow used for grab lines- tows straight and close astern.
 
BabaYaga said:
Haven't tried exactly that, but when I very occasionally tow my small inflatable, I usually do so on a very short line. So short that the bow is hanging by the line, not reaching the water, sometimes resting on the transom. The idea is to minimise drag, gives some stability too.
Perhaps you could try something similar on your boat, but with the bow of the dinghy trailing in the wake?
Click to expand...

I have towed an inflatable tender backwards, with the tender transom pulled up high out of the water and only it's bow creating any drag. Much preferable to towing in the usual manner on a long line
 
BabaYaga said:
Haven't tried exactly that, but when I very occasionally tow my small inflatable, I usually do so on a very short line. So short that the bow is hanging by the line, not reaching the water, sometimes resting on the transom. The idea is to minimise drag, gives some stability too.
Perhaps you could try something similar on your boat, but with the bow of the dinghy trailing in the wake?
Click to expand...

that is pretty much the way I see it working

D
 
PabloPicasso said:
I have towed an inflatable tender backwards, with the tender transom pulled up high out of the water and only it's bow creating any drag. Much preferable to towing in the usual manner on a long line
Click to expand...

That's the way to do it - though with your luck Dylan, you'll probably detach the transom.

PS Why tow - stow upside down on foredeck - or is it oversize for the boat?
 
charles_reed said:
That's the way to do it - though with your luck Dylan, you'll probably detach the transom.

PS Why tow - stow upside down on foredeck - or is it oversize for the boat?
Click to expand...

not enough room on a 26 footer with a baby stay

and even half rolled it gets in the way of the camera

I do not think I have bad luck sailing

I just do a lot of sailing in difficult places and generally using old gear so breakages happen to me more often than they do the blokes who sail a brand new scoop stern lozenge or twin wheel cheese wedge in the solent for two weeks a year

D
 
dylanwinter said:
as some of you may iknow the d rings on my plastimo pulled out

re[placing them will cost me around £70 and I am not sure if they will stick even then

it was suggested on here that I should tow the tender backwards

has anyone tried this?

Harmony has cleates either side of the stern, I was thinking of two fairly short ropes going to each side of the dinghy transom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcRUxFrkaOI
Click to expand...

Dylan If you do consider repairing and replacing I used Polymarine to source nice big d ring pads and glue to suit a refurb on a hypalon inflatable.

Service was superb.

http://www.polymarine.com/

from memory tin of 2 pack glue and set of three good new pads about 60 squid.

Are your d rings torn out of the base? If not reuse them with a proper two pack glue. Dont know if your plastimo is PVC or Hypalon but I still have glue to spare for Hypalon if you want it?

You see many inflatables being towed by the front ring only. It is much better to tie a single line to each side d ring then have a double thickness painter just pulled up through the bow ring as a fairlead.
 
Have an Avon Rover 2.8 and have given up towing her due to a couple of instances when she became airborne in strong winds. They have a wooden transom so does anyone think I would put excess strain on this if I drilled a couple of holes in it and then made a line off from them to the aft cleats and hoist her up so only the bow is in the water as mentioned above ?
 
TSB240 said:
Dylan If you do consider repairing and replacing I used Polymarine to source nice big d ring pads and glue to suit a refurb on a hypalon inflatable.

Service was superb.

http://www.polymarine.com/

from memory tin of 2 pack glue and set of three good new pads about 60 squid.

Are your d rings torn out of the base? If not reuse them with a proper two pack glue. Dont know if your plastimo is PVC or Hypalon but I still have glue to spare for Hypalon if you want it?

You see many inflatables being towed by the front ring only. It is much better to tie a single line to each side d ring then have a double thickness painter just pulled up through the bow ring as a fairlead.
Click to expand...

the trouble is that it had small ones either side - no bow

it was pulled on a bridle

the d rings gave way when when pulling the dinghy back on-board or carrying it up the beach

I know it is only £60

but for me £60 is a tank of petrol that will get me to scotland

or a day at my desk knocking out words for sailing mags and not sailing



but I have cleats and stainless bolts in the garage and an electric drill

I reackon a couple of small nylon cleats on the transome would be good things to have anyway and will not get in the way of folding her up

if it will tow backwards then the problem is solved and I have learned something about cheap dinghies

I also think that being able to bring the dinghy into the back of the boat and holding it there will greatly help transferring the outboard from the bracket on the back of the yacht onto the dinghy transom and the other way around


I would want a decent attachment point anyway for when the dinghy is on the transom on a mooring or at anchor

The engine is worth much more than the dinghy and to have it held to the boat by a tiny patch of glue seems insane

D






I think that the single layer of fabric that used to hold the d rings in place is pathetic

once the centaur goes I will not really need it anymore
 
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Why not invest in a high speed 12v inflator/deflator for similar money. I used to use one on my previous boat and I found it was a brilliant solution as it also meant I sailed faster than dragging a dinghy behind.
 
Concerto said:
Why not invest in a high speed 12v inflator/deflator for similar money. I used to use one on my previous boat and I found it was a brilliant solution as it also meant I sailed faster than dragging a dinghy behind.
Click to expand...

the dinghy is packed away most mornings - I hate watching it tug on the stern of the boat - and with a Centaur you want to grab every bit of knot you can. On the odd day when we stay in one place - such as Eribol, then we tow the dinghy, drop the hook, nip ashore four or five times a day.

the dingy does a pretty comprehensive job of filling the cockpit when inflating or deflating it. The actual pumping time is a small bit of the operation

D
 
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Polymarine also offer Snap davits, would the be an option?

Azzura-33.jpg
 
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