Have outboard: tow dinhgy?

[AdamLein]

Previous dinghy got up and walked away, so I'm looking for a new one. The old one (a SeaEagle 14' kayak) was an inflatable that could be easily hoisted on deck, deflated, rolled up, and stowed in a small space. However, it had all sorts of downsides so I'm looking for something better.

One of my big concerns is towing. Our boat has an outboard mounted in the transom; we tilt it up when sailing. I'm worried that this makes my boat completely incompatible with a towed dinghy, as the dinghy could crash into and damage the outboard, or the painter might foul in the outboard, possibly while under tension.

Is there a way around this? Or do I need a dinghy that I can either stow on my tiny foredeck, or roll up and stow below?

[SVAuspicious]

Sorry your kayak went walk-about.

You might try swapping your outboard engine bracket for a lifting type like this:



Regardless, tow from the quarter furthest away from the outboard.

[FSMike]

If you have an inflatable it won't hurt the outboard - the dinghy is another story. With a motor mounted in the transom it's going to be difficult to keep things separate with the motor tilted up, even with a floating dinghy painter.
There is also the risk(s) of the dink swamping, flipping, or getting loose. I only tow a dinghy for short periods and in sheltered waters, otherwise it gets put in the davits or would be on deck if need be.

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by FSMike

I only tow a dinghy for short periods and in sheltered waters, otherwise it gets put in the davits or would be on deck if need be.

I suppose I could install davits on my Catalina 27. Seems like overkill. As for storing it on deck, I don't have much of that either

[bljones]

install a stern bumper- a stainless hoop that would keep the dinghy from bouncing off your outboard.

[sailingdog]

Or cover the lower end of the outboard with a padded bag.

[Faster]

Getting a relatively lightweight dinghy like the Walker Bay may work for you - it may fit on your foredeck for the rougher passages. It rows relatively well and will take a small OB too.

The stability kit (inflatable tube for around the gunwales) would be great too, but I think it costs about the same as the basic boat. Sailing versions are available as well.

If you tow the dinghy most of the time there'll be no issue with the tilted outboard - in following seas, and when slowing to anchor or dock you'll need to keep and eye on it, but otherwise you'll be OK if your comfortable with the idea of towing it.

Like others, we only tow in sheltered waters where there's not likely to be a lot of chop or waves, and never with an OB attached.

btw we love our kayaks and the inflatable only sees the light of day when we have company.

[sailingfool]

I would not worry at all about towing a dingy, if you buy yourself a nice RIB you will never regret it. Even in the worst of following seas, I don't believe my towed rib ever ran up to the stern.

Wehn underway and the dingy let back on its painter, I would not think the dingy would yaw so much that the painter will hit the OB, if it does, install a bridle to both corners of the stern. Its a good precaution to use floats for any tow line to keep it out of the prop..

[AdamLein]

Lots of good ideas here. In the end we bought a Feathercraft BayLee II, manufactured locally on Granville Island. It weighs ten pounds, rolls up into moderately sized backpack, and carries two people (my wife would not let me splurge on the three-person model). I can inflate it and deflate it in a couple of minutes.

Either way there's a bunch of extra steps, but the BayLee has a certain "just stow it and forget about it" appeal that towing and storage on the foredeck don't provide. We do weekend cruises a lot in the winter (so far, more so than in the summer), and all of our sailing is in the Strait of Georgia, so seas too rough for towing are fairly common (though some of the towing suggestions in this thread are quite good). As for the foredeck, it's one of my favorite places to hang out, and I just don't see it being as cozy if I have to share it with a dinghy.

[Glen53]

I have a 25’ Catalina so I know about the storage problems. This looks like a nice product, please let us know if it holds up to your expatiations. Do you know if it has an option for a small outboard bracket _/) Glen53