Is there a formula for towing a Dinghy

[baz]

I'm curious to know about best practices for towing a Dinghy.

Just how long should the tow line be ?
Can it be a constant with a boat's speed ?
What type of line should be used and how is the line's size (diameter) be arrived at ?
Where should one attach the line to the boat's transom area ?
Should one experiment with the length of the tow line to determine optimum for minimum 'drag' ?
Are there restrictions for towing a Dinghy and if so what are they and where are official rules etc ?

One other question...

My R25 is Documented with the USCG and as such does not require a number on its hull. The only requirement is that the boat's name and hailing port be on the transom and clearly visible. Given this, and I now install a Dinghy on the R25's swim step in a vertical stowed position the boat's name and hailing port are no longer visible from afar. Is this a problem for me wrt being pulled over by the USCG. If it is a problem, how is it normally resolved ?

Thanks... 🙂

 

[captd]

No expert but: I have found the second wave back and have the dink on the back of the wave. Use either floating line or use floats on the line to assure it will not get in the prop. Have the tow line come off both sides of the dink and both sides of the tow boat. Keep the dink riding in the center of the tow boat. Some keep the motor of the dink in the water to apply some drag when towing. I think it costs extra fuel and speed. I like to tie the engine up so it cannot fall back down in the water. As to rope size, Pound test would probably be more important. 3/8 double braid is plenty strong enough, but must use floats. It is surprising how much drag is applied to the line. Try to hold it by hand sometimes when underway, even at a slow speed.
I had a friend who towed his dink when crossing the Gulf Stream with a sail boat. Top speed was only about 7 miles an hour. In the 10 hour trip he got caught in wind shift to the north. Before he was done he had to cut loose his dink. Must have been heart rendering.
This same guy would also go below and sleep while running on auto pilot. He woke with a loud bang. Popping his head out in the cockpit he found he was sliding along the side of a monster freighter. As he slid along the side to the stern his dink was being sucked into the large prop that was partly out of the water. At the last second he was spit out away from the ship. Spareing his wife and his own skin.

I am sure there are more expierenced skippers on this site who have better ways and hopefully they will jump in here. I tow very little, I would rather put it on the dive platform.

Maybe this will help you decide what you want and maybe someone else will teach us both something. 🙂

I would suggest you put the name and the hailing port on the bottom of the dink. I know they are very fussy about this. At one point I was surrounded by law enforcement because I had not gotten the home port on. What was it? Six inch letters?

captd

 

[tuggertoy]

baz,

A good rule of thumb is hard bottom tenders and dinghies should ride on the back of the second stern wave. Soft bottoms should ride on the back of the first stern wave. Sid Stapleton goes into great detail on this subject in his book "Stapleton's Powerboat Bible" The Complete Guide to Selection, Seamanship, and Cruising. This has been one of the most informative books for my wife, Moria, and me as we were first considering purchasing and subsequently have purchased our first boat. Of course we bought a Ranger Tug!

Eric