Towing an old and tender lady

tidclacy

tidclacy

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Hoping to cruise the East Coast this year from Burnham on Crouch (Been sailing to distant waters for the last few years)

My boat is a Jeanneau 32.2 and I wish to tow my old sailing dinghie a clinker Lymington Scow to explore all the creeks and waterways.

The reason for my post is I am seeking advice on the best way to tow this old lady behind my cruiser. Any hints or tips to keep her safe would be welcome, as well as any experience of similar.

Thanks in anticipation.
 
some means of reducing the snatch in the towing line - perhaps a couple of rubber mooring snubbers in series ?

A good strong bridle going to at least two strongpoints on the dinghy which are properly backed up. A single ring bolt through the stem is not enough.

A thick short warp about 10ft long over the stern of the dinghy to keep her tracking along the same line as the towing boat.


And you need a means of keeping the bilges clear as you tow. A length of wire-reinforced suction hose tied along the towing warp to a manual portable bilge pump in the cockpit.


Finally ...

two masthead lights in a vertical line
in addition to your normal lights

;)

a towing light above the sternlight
 
Stuff the centre boat hole up or make s0ecial inset........ my dinghy sank through water sloping up the case........vugger to refloat whilst at sea!
 
we towed dingys for years without problems but tended to use different set ups for different conditions.
Following sea: We used twin painters from the stem of the dingy to either side of the transom forming a V. This setup stopped the dingy verring to one side and the the other. We also dropped a chain drouge over the transom of the dingy to act as a brake to slow down any surfing.
Head Sea. In this case we would run out a longer painter with an angel weight approx halfway along the painter.
You will develope your own set up but you need a range of set ups which will stop snatching when going into a head sea and another to prevent the dingy surfing down a wave and joing you in the cockpit.
 
tidclacy said:
Hoping to cruise the East Coast this year from Burnham on Crouch (Been sailing to distant waters for the last few years)

My boat is a Jeanneau 32.2 and I wish to tow my old sailing dinghie a clinker Lymington Scow to explore all the creeks and waterways.

The reason for my post is I am seeking advice on the best way to tow this old lady behind my cruiser. Any hints or tips to keep her safe would be welcome, as well as any experience of similar.

Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

If there is any sea running have a long painter at such a length that both boats are going up (and down) a wave at the same time. That limits snatching.
 
Sybarite said:
If there is any sea running have a long painter at such a length that both boats are going up (and down) a wave at the same time. That limits snatching.
Click to expand...

We tried the long painter set up in following seas but found that the dingy veered to port and starboard wildly. Our dingy was a wooden orcadian type with a long keel which went from about 2" at the bow to about 6 " at its stern so had some inherent directional stability. At some points with the long painter, the dingy was heading almost 90 degrees to our heading and then would be snatched back.
Perhaps best advice is to set up your alternative strategies and try them out.
Have fun
 
Jcorstorphine said:
We tried the long painter set up in following seas but found that the dingy veered to port and starboard wildly. Our dingy was a wooden orcadian type with a long keel which went from about 2" at the bow to about 6 " at its stern so had some inherent directional stability. At some points with the long painter, the dingy was heading almost 90 degrees to our heading and then would be snatched back.
Perhaps best advice is to set up your alternative strategies and try them out.
Have fun
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
Did it a lot, years ago...

1. Stuff up the daggerboard/centreboard slot really well.
2. Lower and stow the mast.
3. Put some weight in the stern. Two gallon water container container is good.
4. Lash the oars, spars rudder and daggerboard if any (don't just jam then under the thwart - it will flex!)
5. Have a bailer on a line in the boat
6. Stern drag painter - need not be floaty rope but you need it to be there. Keep this coiled under the sterrn thwart with one end belayed, and if conditions get hairy, pull the tender alongside and flick it overboard
7. Tow on a LONG painter - when running in a sea, pay it out, when beating, shorten it up.
 
Jcorstorphine said:
we towed dingys for years without problems but tended to use different set ups for different conditions.
Following sea: We used twin painters from the stem of the dingy to either side of the transom forming a V. This setup stopped the dingy verring to one side and the the other. We also dropped a chain drouge over the transom of the dingy to act as a brake to slow down any surfing.
Head Sea. In this case we would run out a longer painter with an angel weight approx halfway along the painter.
You will develope your own set up but you need a range of set ups which will stop snatching when going into a head sea and another to prevent the dingy surfing down a wave and joing you in the cockpit.
Click to expand...

Quite exciting with a retrousse transom, long ago on my parents Liz 23 the 9ft pram decided to climb aboard running down the wallet. Ended up halfway into the cockpit & lucky none of us were hurt.
 
Jcorstorphine said:
We tried the long painter set up in following seas but found that the dingy veered to port and starboard wildly. Our dingy was a wooden orcadian type with a long keel which went from about 2" at the bow to about 6 " at its stern so had some inherent directional stability. At some points with the long painter, the dingy was heading almost 90 degrees to our heading and then would be snatched back.
Perhaps best advice is to set up your alternative strategies and try them out.
Have fun
Click to expand...

I had the same experience - but not even in a following sea but on the gentle River Orwell. My beautiful tender was an 11ft heavy mahogany clinker. No matter what I did she was all over the place like madwomans ****. I concluded that it must be something to do with the underwater profile.

In the end, I sold her last year as this problem, plus the launch weight plus the eternal taking up was just too much complication.

Good luck to the OP, I hope you arrive at a practical solution.
 
Just a brief note of caution.
A dinghy when flooded or inverted makes a very efficient sea anchor. Our grp (mock clinker) 8ft dinghy inverted in near gale conditions but reasonably sheltered waters. Regardless of heading the only course we could make was a downwind drift. As cliffs lay in that direction we cast the dinghy loose.
 
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