Chrysler Sailors Forum

What kind of dinghy do you use for longer trips? Do you tow your dinghy? I have been reading on different forums that towing is not advised. Yet some cruisers say that's what they do. Is this feasible, say for example, for a trip to the Bahamas from the Keys? I don't think a dinghy would fit on the deck of the c26 we have. We currently own a Water Tender dinghy, one of those hard dinghys that West Marine carries. I'm considering adding a "Dinghy Dog" to the dinghy for stability.

I tow all the time in all sorts of conditions, I have had no issues.

I tow all the time and have no issues since I replaced the 12' gamefisher w/o outboard. I now have a 7' Ensign fiberglass I do believe in poly propolyne line as it floats. I also aquired a 9' inflatable and by the way both will fit on deck covering the Hatch and breeze acn blow in but rain is blocked by the dinghy.

I'll chime in here!

As far as what kind of dinghy really depends on what you will use the dinghy for. Personally I love the small sailing sloops, they row well, and they sail nicely. However I was forced to tow and it limited my distance with the dinghy. What we realized was our dinghy was our water taxi. Being limited by a row boat limited where we could go for supplies. So we eventually after several dinghys now have an avon 15hp RIB. Gets up and goes! We can carry my wife, daughter and dog AND some supplies, get on a full plane and zip back to our refuge in minutes when it used to take over an hour! So while I LOVE my sailboat, my dinghy provides fast taxi service and entertainment for the kids! YOur tastes may vary.

Next, tow or carry. For short hopes I tow. Done. Simple, safe, and easy to plan for. I sail mostly in Puget Sound area. However I did tow a dinghy, get caught in a squall and actually lose the dinghy in 50 kts of wind. triple reefed and storm jib we saw double digit speeds in a 28' boat. Dinghy got swamped between waves, rode snapped, and she was gone. Never saw it again. At the time I was not experienced enough to report the loss to the Coast Guard. Should have reported to avoid any unecessary concern or mariner danger.

So in short, if you sail for a few hours at a time or even a full day I personally believe towing is fine because you can generally predict the weather. However you should have the ability to bring her aboard AND lash her down in foul weather. Again, we left the dock in our 40'er. Had the 10'2" RIB on deck. We hit weather AND foul currents. The waves were so steep and troughs so deep we nearly lost our RIB as the bow would rise and drop into the troughs the dinghy would hang in the 40+ kts of wind and ALMOST flip over the life lines. I had to go on the bow that day.

Remember we were in Puget Sound for BOTH of those scenarios. If you are crossing open water, for multiple days, I would highly recommend the dinghy be lashed to the deck or possibly davits however they have issues of their own.

So again, whatever dinghy you choose, have the ability to bring her aboard AND lash her down. You may never decide or need to. However having the ability and practicing is very prudent.

A floating painter is also a very good idea as said above!

Just my 2 bits which by todays economy is worth slightly less than a penny!

Scott

Thanks for your posts. When you tow the dinghy, what do you do with the dinghy motor? Does it come aboard the sailboat for the passage? Thinking this through, I would guess so, in case you lost the dinghy...

Our dinghy is about 110lbs. I guess in a pinch we could lift it aboard the C26 and put it above the companionway, as long as it doesn't interfere with the sails. I'm not sure how we'd lash it securely.

My 26 the main sheet is above the companionway and that is the reason I put it on the fore deck and to get it there I use a whisker pole and a halyard and vang to lift it then release the whisker pole from the mast and it comes to the deck flip it over and a covered hatch for ventilation. Lash it down but does make it awkward moving around on the deck so I tow when short distances or leave it on the mooring as docking or anchoring you need to get on the deck.