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Any thoughts on the best distance between the stern and the dinghy? Without the motor I'm thinking 30 feet should be enough but have heard 50 to 75 feet mentioned. Never done this before so any advice is appreciated.

thanks,
Jim

depends on what you are towing. I have a 2.7M inflatable at about 30 feet (with outboard fitted works OK) but significantly slows you down/increases fuel consumption.

If I don't need it I leave the tender on the mooring I feel better doing so now I have a liferaft on board. Before I dragged it everywhere.. I do think you need to have something to get your a$$ out of the potential wringer (I recommend a 6 man liferaft).. just in case

Hi Jim: I agree with John Not knowing Your fuel capacity , motor size etc.... I guess it's one of those things , like finding out which way works best for You. I leave Mine hanging of the davits...it will blow around and be a pita sometimes , but...bungie cords calm it down pretty good. BTW...If You don't have dinghy davits and want some.. I just finished My version of Kadet's davits....He has pics posted in the mods section. Happy sailing Ron.

We use a three man inflatable kayak or a 8 foot inflatable SeaEagle. In both cases, I pull the bow up out of the water and tie a very short line to the stern cleat. Only the stern of either inflatable touches the water. I hardly notice the difference sailing or motoring.

TEHO

Ken

In 2010, I towed a 10-ft fiberglass dinghy that weighs in the neighborhood of 200 lbs. about 300 miles from Sanford, FL to Jacksonville and back on the St. Johns River. During that transit I found the "sweet spot" (i.e., position of least drag) to be on the front side of the second wave of the wake while motoring. In that position the dinghy is actually surfing down the wave. You can physically feel the difference in drag by holding the tow rope in your hand and experimenting with the various placements. You will know when it is the lowest. Realize, of course, that the position changes each time you make a significant change in speed, and the tow rope needs to be adjusted accordingly. When docking, however, I would bring the dinghy up and secure it to the side of the boat away from the side on which I was going to tie up.

With a 50 HP, the drag from a dingy will be minimal compared to your reserve power - maybe a bump on the throttle to compensate. I towed 200 pounds of tender and Optimist across Buzzards Bay last year with my 50 out of action, using only a 4HP Nissan Kicker - making about 3.5-4 knots

I do tow using my swim ladder as a solid tow bar and two lines as safetys/tensioners so the dinghy sits only 3 feet behind the boat. I have towed it with motor (60# 4 stroke) on too - securely lashed and tipped up.

I do two using my swim ladder as a solid tow bar and two lines as safety/tensioners so the dinghy sits only 3 feet behind the boat. I have towed it with motor (60# 4 stroke) on too - securely lashed and tipped up.

I agree that for sailing and towing short distances, it probably does not make much difference how far back the dinghy is within reason. But for long hauls under power, I suspect that the reduced drag you get from using the wake to "surf" the dinghy would improve gasoline consumption. You really can feel the difference just by holding the tow line in your hand while adjusting the dinghy distance. I found it quite substantial. I admit, I am having trouble picturing the method you are suggesting above. Do you have a picture?

Excellent idea, Catigale. I have been pondering a similar issue--some sort of a rigid tow bar system to prevent the dinghy from flipping over in high winds and worrying about getting caught in the propeller when backing up.

Herschel's experiences coincide with my own. There is no single tow rope (yes, "rope" ) length that suits all situations; you have to experiment with every combination of factors like the towed craft, speed and water conditions to match the towboat wake.

It's easy, though, to pull it in or let it out to determine the lowest tension on the rope with the best stability. Be aware that some lengths can be downright dangerous and unstable to maintain (when towing a canoe for example).

I have used a canoe as a dingy - I rigged it so the bow of the canoe rode up just to the top of the stern wake at full power. I used lines from each side of the canoe front seat to each side of the stern (cleats) to improve stability.

When we tow our dinghy, once we get our boat to whatever cruising speed we are looking for (this would pertain to motoring more than just wind power), I pull in, or pay out painter, until I find that sweet spot of least resistance on the line. This usually places the dinghy surfing down the wake or a following wave.

---H

Pay out the line until you can no longer smell the garbage bags being stowed in the dink.

After towing a heavy aluminium dinghy almost as far as the has travelled, tow it as Harrison suggested if it is critical but in reality ours is towed at a mark on the towing line set up hundreds of hours ago and rarely altered as our speed rarely alters.
The comment by J-- is also appropriate when the dinghy is full of fish smells and flies too .

RobertB wrote:I have used a canoe as a dingy - I rigged it so the bow of the canoe rode up just to the top of the stern wake at full power. I used lines from each side of the canoe front seat to each side of the stern (cleats) to improve stability.

Early on I tried towing our 17 foot Grumman canoe as a dinghy, and found it challenging. With a tow line long enough to reach the second wave, the canoe tended to wander back and forth, threatening to swamp. I rerigged, with a line looped over the gunwales and the tow line attached down at the canoe's waterline. This helped, but the canoe still wandered outside the wake at times. I also had to be careful when slowing down, because the canoe moves so easily through the water and if I decelerated too quickly the canoe threatened to ram our stern. When at anchor I had to carefully fender the canoe and raft up, to avoid aluminum marks on the Mac hull.

J-- wrote:Pay out the line until you can no longer smell the garbage bags being stowed in the dink.

This is the correct distance.