Joined
·
5,111 Posts
- Reaction score
- 2,973
I forget what size engine you have, but anything more than the smallest OB is gonna increase the drag of your tender considerably... Just one more of those factors that wind up contributing to people sailing less, and motoring more, in marginal sailing conditions...Going to be doing a lot of towing, starting tomorrow. I'm leaning toward leaving the engine on the dinghy in calm water, using two floating lines from my two stern cleats to one point on the dinghy. A ring mounted below the tubes on the bow. I'll probably keep it really snugged up to my boat. I can remove the engine and mount it in my stern when thins get rough. AND when they get rougher still, I'll pull the whole dinghy.
What do you think about my plan, and what do you guys do?
Your plan of waiting until it starts to get "rough" to remove the motor, or bringing the dinghy aboard if it gets "rougher still", is NOT a good plan, at all. No need to ask me how I know this
I put a snubber in my tow line to minimize the snatching loads that can be put upon the tow ring. Many inflatables have a pair of rings each side of the bow, you can distribute the loads, and minimize yawing a bit, by using those instead...
Whenever I tow my inflatable, I always use a secondary back-up tether fixed to a hard point... Probably the most secure way to tow an inflatable is with a line or pair of lines made fast to the transom, then taken forward underneath the boat (taking care to minimize chafe at the bottom edge of the transom), and then run through the tow ring(s). If your tender should ever capsize while underway, there's a very good chance the drag will become so massive that a tow ring glued onto the tubes will be torn free, and then the recovery of a capsized dinghy can become a difficult proposition...
Most RIBs have a thru-bolted padeye near the bow that is by far the best point on which to fix a towline. If yous lacks one, and you're planning on doing much towing, I'd suggest you add one. It will also be the best lifting point for bringing your tender back on deck...