How should I tow a dinghy?

[NauticalFishwife]

Please go back to the snubber suggestion. We have a RIB- aluminum, so it's light-tow with outboard- raised all the time. I use a towing bridle, but also attach a line to the built in ring on aluminum bottom and then again on the ring where the bridle becomes one or meets to the single line of the painter. What is the proper length of the snubber line? Should it be shorter to just absorb the shock or since it's attached to the rigid bottom, should it be shorter to pull most of the weight?

[CaptainTomas08]

The most important part of towing a dinghy is to have the proper towing lline...It HAS to be a FLOATING line...WHY...Because when you drop anchor...and start backing down on her...The dinghy doesn't back down but goes foward...If your line is not of the floating variety you are playing Russian Roulette...maybe not the first time..but it WILL catch in the prop..If your prop doesn't break the line...The dinghy will be drawn in and you will hear an awful screach as the prop will put a nice big gash in your Zodiac..

I do not recommend towing dinghys...At anchor dinghys lagging on towing lines get stolen..Need to be attached to a sling and a halyard raised from the water ..They rarely if ever get stolen in this posture....If your hallards can't handle it...Get a davit..to take your engine off and raised...This of course lightens the hallyard..."No one said that cruising would be easy"....a lot of deck work..

"When it starts to blow... your dinghy will go"...especially at night under heavy sailing conditions. That is not the time to get "the damn thing" on deck

Get your crew to put it on deck.. BEFORE you weigh anchor..That's what crew are for..LOL

[gilsurf]

Just a note of experience: While towing our C-12 w/15 hp in 6' seas/23 kts off the S side of St. Thomas this weekend, the snap link that connected the thimble eye on the tow line to the towing ring failed. It looks like the spring broke. And thus, we noticed our dink going the opposite way of our boat. It was an interesting rescue in those conditions. I ended up diving overboard and jumping into the dink as it as very hard to get the 2 boats side by side at the same level (dink rides side to wind and swell).

I had crew attached a shackle to the tow line and toss me the center part of the tow line, came up close to the stern of the sailboat, then had 100' of float time to attach. Then it came time to get on the bucking transom... good timing and all was done. It was a good drill.

Lessons: No more snap links for convenience. Heavy shackle only. Those conditions were a bit big for towing... sail elsewhere or haul dink.

Happy Towing...

[Joesaila]

This 'ol' thread [Feb. 08] has a lot of good ideas. I got the Portland Pudgy and love it. It came with a nice bridle system. We have to tow and made two 250 mile vacation sails last summer and it towed fine. We put the little Tuhatsu outboard on the rail for traveling. I appreciate the suggestion of using a snubber...will do that. I also like the idea of using a funnel to keep it from bumping...though it may look like a hardware store ad but the time we put it together.

I learned early on to never, ever back down while anchoring with the tow line in the water. That prop nearly gobbled the dink. I take up the slack, then back down.

[Openc]

I've towed mine for thousands of miles without any issues....Until one night off the coast of Cuba in 4'seas. My wife was on watch. I came up to take my watch and the dingy was gone. One line totally missing and one parted. We now keep the inflatable stowed unless we are going to be in port for a while and use the 2 piece nesting dingy which we keep on the fore deck when under way.