Best way to carry or tow a dinghy

[ab1974 1]

Looking at doing some racing in Cat 3 and 4 that will require me to either have a liferaft or have an inflated dinghy either stowed on deck or towed.

 

Liferaft purchase not a go at the moment and not than keen on renting for the Coastal / Route 66 etc.

 

So leaves the inflated dinghy option. Not heaps of room on the foredeck of my E7.9 nor much room under the boom. So either needs to be towed or stowed on the stern somehow.

 

Towing doesn't seem ideal - can lose 0.5kn or more by my own stupidity without the dinghy ensuring that I do.

 

No swim platform and while the cockpit is 'open' it is only open between the two aft lockers - a width of about 600mm. Had thought somehow stapping across the stern off the pushpits would be the best option but haven't really come up with a clever way to do it!

 

Any thoughts on the best way to stow or tow an inflated dinghy on a small yacht that doesn't slow me too much. Dinghy is standard Southern Pacific about 2.3m with an soft bottom.

[Murky 1]

Across the transom works OK on the 88 and keeps it out of the way. Always that judgement call to make it secure but not trussed up so well that you would never be able to free it if required.

 

On a cruising passage, ours also works quite well standing on its tits inside and hard up against the aft lifelines - there is enough of a gap in between so the tiller is not obstructed. Not ideal for access to the winches but good enough and means it doesn't need to be tied on to the same extent.

 

We may be slightly wider in that area than the 7.9 though.

[ab1974 1]

Thanks Murky

 

The stern on my Elliott isn't a 'T' shape like an 88. So can't put it up on its tits unfortunately.

 

See photo attached.

 

Well I would attach a photo but it doesn't work - bugger

[Guest]

While it duty bounds me to say our rental deals and new life raft options are highly competitive I appreciate boat budgets can only stretch so far.

And your Southern Pacific is the lightest dinghy option anyway.

 

I quite like the horizontal stow. Lash the oars or similar out the stern from the toerail or pushpit.Put the dinghy on this and tie the handles to the boat. Run a rope from up the Back stay to the dinghy handles on the far side.

Pray someone doesn't wipe it out.

Less windage than the vertical stow.

[ab1974 1]

Thanks Jono - thats got me thinking. No ability to fix to the toerail (painted timber not aluminium) but I could however use the lower pushpit rail.

 

Alternatively, my comings are open at the stern end flush with the stern itself. So to keep the pushpit clear, I could have a removable aluminium bar (picture 20mm x 50mm x 2000mm straightedge) fitted up into the comings - 500mm protuding out the stern to sit the dinghy on and 1500mm into the comings through a square (20mm x 50mm) saddle at the stern end and inner end of the coming. Slide the bar in when needed and take home when not needed.

[Absolution 7]

I'd see if you could fit something like this and then tie the dinghy up to the pushpit and/or backstay

 

http://www.swiftmarine.com.au/accessori ... davit.html

[ab1974 1]

Good system Fineline

 

Also saw this http://www.dinghy-tow.com/

 

However both pretty ugly extras hanging off the stern and I'm really just after a simple (read inexpensive) system. I'll give them a call the get an idea on price and some more info though.

 

If I am going to have the dinghy out of the water needs to be high enough that it wont drag when heeled over in waves.

[Guest]

I have a good quality inflatable kayak I use when solo. As much as I've tried to get a ruling get a if it's OK I haven't been able to do so bar one Crewer (who knows things about things like this, but did come with a 'it should be but.....') who thinks it should be fine. I have asked people to protest me over it but as yet no one has. I may have to lodge a protest against myself one day to find out for sure

 

I can't use my foredeck due to self-tacker. Can't use cabin top due to then having zero visibility and it's a marginal fit anyway. Can't hang on transom due to rudder and can't hang off backstay as that would drive me totally nuts and I'd cut it loose sooner rather than later. I have done that but if it rains I get serious mast bend happening.

 

So I got the kayak. It has 3 separate compartments (which is more than most small inflatables and the dingy I would use otherwise), plus a floor doddacky which is inflatable, about the size of a long board. Any one of those compartments in their own individual right or the floor thing will hold me comfortably, something I have checked. When in 'ready to go' mode it has 2 flares, a silver blanket thingy and a GPS stored in a compartment in it, sometimes also a VHF. It is bright yellow. It is fully inflated (with paddle lashed in) and pushed down the companionway with a string leading into the cockpit. I can get it from there and into the water in less than 5 seconds, where it'll follow me until I need to hop in it, it's tied on as knot doing so does seem silly. I do knot have to go downstairs during the deployment process, I can do it all while standing in the cockpit holding the tiller.

 

So that is an option I believe will work but it does have the 'Is it legal?' issue hanging over it. Obviously if you are fully crewed it won't hold that many. 2 up?? yes I believe it would work as long as your 2nd isn't a fat bastard. It will easily hold 2 fully inflated but I haven't tried it 2 up on a single compartment as yet.

 

To date when we have to go Cat 3 when 2 or more up we take a liferaft.

 

It is a proper white water (rapids) rated kayak which I'm sure cost more than one of Jonos fine Sth Pacific products, it's knot a $9.95 chinese shitter. It's also handy for stealth missions late on a drunken evening

[Absolution 7]

I'd see if you could fit something like this and then tie the dinghy up to the pushpit and/or backstay

 

http://www.swiftmarine.com.au/accessori ... davit.html

 

Or...

 

http://www.allinflatables.com/shopping/ ... davit.html

[Guest]

Only slightly off topic:

 

If a boat is being promoted as a cruising vessel, why in hell is there not proper dedicated dinghy stowage????????

 

It cracks me up going to boat shows and seeing some AWB being sold as a "cruising sailboat", nowhere for a dinghy and either zero or totally inadequate stemhead fittings for anchoring.

[Absolution 7]

Some of the AWB designers are thinking about it

 

[Guest]

That's cool, first time I saw it was a Hunter 54, but this kind of thing is way more common

[Absolution 7]

...and proof that you can do it with small boats too.

 

http://www.idbmarine.com/gb/malango870.php

[Fusion 0]

How about using a a Life raft canister with a conventional roll up inflatable. Surly the price would be low and you only need to us the canister in an emergency, the rest of the time just pump.

[ab1974 1]

Spoke to Jono at Safety at Sea about this a few months ago and didn't sound like it was a low cost solution as I had hoped. Would have been be a good solution for my penguin dinghy (donut) which folds away quite small and could then be used as a dinghy at the end of racing.

 

Any thoughts on this appreciated.

[Battleship 100]

I wonder if there is a way to attach cannisters to an inflatables dingy, perhaps it would be a good optional extra for inflatable manufacturers to have a cat3 kit.

[Guest]

The text on 17.12 states "an automatically inflatable dinghy on which should be painted "do not over inflate"

Therefore to convert your dinghy it needs to have the following

1 - 1 chamber or separate valves to each chamber.

2 - over pressure valves in case you do over inflate

3 - you need to get a cylinder at several hundred $ - unless you have one from a condemned life raft.

 

So while I'm aware of a couple of people who have set their baby donuts up for this system, it is very much a labour of love.

 

And in terms of inflated dinghies, YNZ is looking far closer at crews in excess of the ducky on the cbin top.

[Guest]

Thanks Jono - thats got me thinking. No ability to fix to the toerail (painted timber not aluminium) but I could however use the lower pushpit rail.

 

We stow ours behind the pullpit and if you have jackstay eye bolts use those to secure it? It allows us to open the forward hatch a little allowing air through the ship but not water when taking on a sea. Also helps the headsail move over on tack by not catching the inner forestay.

[ab1974 1]

Haven't tried the foredeck on my Elliott - wouldn't be enough room I don't think. Headsails hanked on so need some room to work up there. Also like to be able to drop the colourful sails through the front hatch.

[Guest]

Haven't tried the foredeck on my Elliott - wouldn't be enough room I don't think. Headsails hanked on so need some room to work up there. Also like to be able to drop the colourful sails through the front hatch.

 

Bent on sails would be a prob. Stow them UNDER the ding!?? or get a furler.