Keeping a Dinghy behind the boat on the Mooring Ball

[mckeepicture]

I am looking to get a dinghy for my boat and do not have davits. I want to keep it behind the boat in the water but am unsure how to hook it up and can't find anything on the topic other then rope type.

Is this a very simple task that I am trying to make more complicated? Is there more then one way to keep the dinghy behind the boat while on the mooring ball and keep it from hitting the boat?

[jackdale]

Secure it along side with fenders.

[sidney777]

Yes, there is more than one way to tow it and also to tie it. Is it an inflatable or a hard dinghy ?
You are just going to have to use your own reasoning while tied up. Wind direction, waves, how much room you have without interfering with other boats and staying out of navigational areas.
If you are asking how to tow it, there is alot of information here and on the internet, LOTS OF OPINIONS !

[mckeepicture]

I am not to concerned with towing since I won't be towing it far. I am trying to figure out the best way to safely keep it on the mooring ball without damaging either boat.

The water I am on never has waves over .5-1ft and winds hardly ever hit 20kt.

The dinghy is a hard dinghy I think that using fenders would be a good option but would rather it not touch the bigger boat at all since it seems no matter how nice the fenders are they still leave marks.

If I used a short painter with the bow of the dinghy almost touching the transom would putting fenders on the bigger boat transom be good enough to keep it at bay?

[deniseO30]

I've snugged our dink against the boarding ladder in calm conditions.. makes it real convenient for leaving and returning

[Kiltmadoc]

Dinghy sling! We bought one for our 32 foot C&C and it works great!

link for sling: Home

note the weight restrictions, as well as the need to remove the motor

[mcrow33]

Tie it off a stern cleat with enough scope to let it ride behind the boat, about 8-10 feet will do. That should keep it from hitting the back of the boat during swings. You will need to adjust the amount of scope depending on conditions and room in the mooring field. If it's windy and choppy you want to add more scope so the dinghy rides further back. I really think you are over thinking this problem. Sit in the cockpit, have a beer and watch the dinghy float around, behind your boat and add or shorten the painter until you like the way it looks.

[john1066]

Run the 6' to 8' securing line through a piece of flexible plastic pipe,leaving enough line protruding from each end to tie off at the dinghy and at the larger boat. The pipe will prevent the dinghy running into the stern of the boat.

[klem]

If you are going to be leaving it for a while, I would recommend putting it on deck, in something like the sling listed above, or putting it on the hip.

Putting a boat on the hip is not very common but is extremely effective. You rig the dinghy for hoisting and attach it to a halyard while it is sitting alongside near the shrouds. The idea is to hoist it to just below the rail of your boat while keeping the fenders in between the boat and dinghy. Once it is in place, make off the fenders and make off the bow and stern lines of the dinghy nice and tight. By making off these two lines, you will keep the dinghy from moving around. At this point, you can pull the plug in the dinghy so that it will drain if it rains.

Putting a boat on the hip is the equivalent of a poor man's davits except that you should never sail with the dinghy there.

[DonScribner]

I secured ours to an extended boat pole with some decent success. It eliminated probably 95% of the bumping. Loop the painter around the boat pole and secure with a clove hitch (I think). Run the length and do it again. Then a couple of turns around the stern rail and cleat it off. Perfect? No, but works fair to midlin'.