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I tried towing an inflatable dinghy with my 2005 today. It did not go well. Too much drag.

I ran a line from the starboard side stern cleat about 25 feet to the bow handle of the dinghy. The bow was too low in the water once motoring.



How would you set it up? Is there any reason why this type of dinghy won’t work to tow? It’s 10x5 and seems too big to tie over the side.

I think those Intex inflatables don't tow well. Best way to tow is a bridle that lifts the bow of the dink up.

I just don't see that possible with those low-budget Intex inflatables.

Sorry....sometimes there is a reason to pay more for a proper tender.

I have pondered this question many times, and thus have tried to be observant of those who do tow a dinghy.

What I have determined is to not use a single line attached to the bow. It seems that to have stability, have a line both port and starboard from the dinghy going to a “Y” line from your Mac.

Since I have never actually done such a tow, this is just an observation.

Question; how far back was your dinghy.



P.S. I must have been typing while Russ was posting.

Russ’s point about inexpensive inflatables is a good one.

At the risk of rekindling the dinghy thread…….

In 2004, I purchased Nice Aft at the Annapolis in water boat show. In 2005, I went back and purchased an inflatable.

I went with the intention of purchasing a Zodiac, but took advantage of the show to look around. It turns out Achilles makes a craft every bit as good as the Zodiac, at a better price, and uses Hypalon.

I have now had that 9’ Achilles for seventeen years, and it is terrific. I purchased a 6hp Merc. 4 stroke for it at the same time; it too is still going strong.


The LSI-290E is today’s equivalent to my Achilles.
https://www.achillesboats.com/boatmodel ... boats/lsi/

Ok very helpful. I’ll give the bridle tow a try. If that doesn’t work I’ll have to explain to my wife why my boat needs another boat.

(To answer the question about length we tried varying lengths from about 8ft to 25ft)

In all truthfulness, I do own one of these just to row on a lake.


When my wife had to stop going to the swim club due to COVID fears, I placed the Intex in the back of our home, filled it with water, and it became her kiddie pool. Perfect

What will probably work is to lift the bow of the inflatable completely out of the water and tow it dragging.

The problem with those is the bow digs in and plows into the water. Lifting it up off the water will allow it to "drag" above the water.

Russ I was wondering about this. Any tips on how to do this and have it clear of the outboard?

Tie it to the mast?

I keed...

If you look at the photo Russ supplied, you will see how low the tow lines are on the inflatable. You don’t have that on your Intex. I doubt there is anywhere on the Mac to tie high enough without being in the way.

green wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:30 am Any tips on how to do this and have it clear of the outboard?

I assume you don't have stern rail seats.

How about the mast crutch? Can you tie it there.

Or...maybe along side to an aft cleat.

Or just bring it up on the foredeck.

No stern rail seats (but this is a mod I’d love to add).

We tried the mast crutch but it seemed like too much pull.

It’s so big for the foredeck. Really wanted that to work.

Need to try alongside.

I would be concerned about how well made an INTEX boat is for towing using that handle. Deflating it for storage in the cabin, and then inflating with a foot pump for use when needed may be a better idea.

green wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:24 am No stern rail seats (but this is a mod I’d love to add).

We tried the mast crutch but it seemed like too much pull.

It’s so big for the foredeck. Really wanted that to work.

Need to try alongside.

Stern seats are pricy...BUT WORTH IT!!!

Okay...so why no just deflate the thing. It's a small inflatable. Get a good pump to re-inflate. That's what I would do.

Heck...I deflated my "zodiac" style dink to fit it on the bow.

I have fond memories of stern seats from my first sailing experiences. I thought they were the best seats in the house. Is this model hard to install? Could a beginner do it?

Yes, I think deflating is what I will do. I’m also going to try to bring the into the dinghy dock tomorrow. Someone pointed out to me that it draws so little and who is to say what counts as a dinghy anyway??