Who tows their Dingy?
- Thread starter tranmkp
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gswearin
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I tow between islands but not over 8 knots.
trailertrawlerkismet
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I’ve towed at low speed, less then 10 mph, from an R27 and other slow going boats with no issues. I read somewhere the towed dinghy should ride behind the crest of the second wake for a more stable tow. What about towing at the faster speeds our Outboards can travel? Anyone tow at faster speeds?
Jim
Jim
knotflying
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I think towing a RIB would also be better than a soft floor.
Red Raven
Coupeville, Wa
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tranmkp":28kn5do5 said:
You can stop the bouncing by tying a ratcheting strap from the dinghy lower transom eye and bow eye to the tug stern rail. Cinching it up tight will make it much more stable and even raise it a bit. Before doing this our dinghy would bounce and sway and in rough after at high speed even hit the water violently. Since I added these straps the dinghy has never bounced and hit the water. I recommend stainless steel hardware On the straps. No need to tow.
This all assumes that you have a RIB with the Weaver davits and standoffs.
Curt
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I tow my 10'6" achilles rib w 20 hp motor behind my R27 classic. Motor is in the raised position. Most notable trip was to and from catalina island to san diego in a 2 ft following sea. Dinghy rode well on a 40 ft bridle from the bow ring of the dinghy to the stern cleats of the tug. Cruising spped was 10 to 12 knots. Dinghy followed along quite docilely, without shipping much water. I use 3/8 nylon braid for the bridle and can adjust the distance behind the tug to get that optimum position (i.e. surfing down the face of that second stern wave). Only major consideration to towing is to remember the dinghy is there and making sure it is brought in close to the stern/side of the boat when in close quarters or maneuvering; so there's not a lengthy dinghy painter in the water to hazard the prop. That's a painful lesson that I don't want to experience a second time. That water is cold and dark at 5 am......
Red Raven
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tranmkp":1d08i2k9 said:
Yes, in my photo album under Red Raven modifications/Dinghy Davits/Straps. I can’t post thumbnails or a link here due to the website upgrade but you can go there by clicking on the camera icon to the right of this post. I upgraded to stainless strap hardware after posting the photos.
Curt
Gin
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Tranmkp, do you use standoffs, like the ones that Weaver makes to go with their davits? If not, you might consider them. Like all Weaver products, they are high quality and fairly expensive. But they work well and ease of use is great -- they go on and off in seconds.
Gini
Gini
Gin
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Tranmkp, not sure I know what you mean by "flush ones." So to make sure, I thought I'd clarify what I use.
Here's a link to the Weaver standoffs:
https://www.weaverindustries.com/index.cfm/product/87_9/stand-off-brackets.htm
That link is to fixed length ones. The better option is likely the adjustable ones, which they also offer, and what they advised me is how they typically set up the davit package for Ranger Tug when they sell a boat with a dinghy/davit setup. I linked to the fixed ones because there is a small thumbnail picture on that page that you can enlarge to better see where and how they attach.
The standoffs connect on one end to standoff pads that are added to the dinghy (via special glue). They attach on the other end to a stainless steel "L" bracket mounted on the outside stern wall of the cockpit. The dinghy itself is on a set of davit heads that raise it four inches up off the swim step and four inches out, which helps raise it above the wake our boats make. The standoffs do a great job of holding the the dinghy steady (although it is important to keep the tubes firm for them to work at their best), without bouncing fore and aft. Having them adjustable is nice for being able to fine-tune the set up. And as I mentioned in my post, I love the ease of use. They simply clip securely on to the pad and the L bracket, in literally a few seconds each.
Again, I'm a fan of them. Just wasn't sure what a "flush" one would be so I thought I'd clarify and distinguish the davit heads from the standoffs.
Hope that helps!
Gini
Here's a link to the Weaver standoffs:
https://www.weaverindustries.com/index.cfm/product/87_9/stand-off-brackets.htm
That link is to fixed length ones. The better option is likely the adjustable ones, which they also offer, and what they advised me is how they typically set up the davit package for Ranger Tug when they sell a boat with a dinghy/davit setup. I linked to the fixed ones because there is a small thumbnail picture on that page that you can enlarge to better see where and how they attach.
The standoffs connect on one end to standoff pads that are added to the dinghy (via special glue). They attach on the other end to a stainless steel "L" bracket mounted on the outside stern wall of the cockpit. The dinghy itself is on a set of davit heads that raise it four inches up off the swim step and four inches out, which helps raise it above the wake our boats make. The standoffs do a great job of holding the the dinghy steady (although it is important to keep the tubes firm for them to work at their best), without bouncing fore and aft. Having them adjustable is nice for being able to fine-tune the set up. And as I mentioned in my post, I love the ease of use. They simply clip securely on to the pad and the L bracket, in literally a few seconds each.
Again, I'm a fan of them. Just wasn't sure what a "flush" one would be so I thought I'd clarify and distinguish the davit heads from the standoffs.
Hope that helps!
Gini
Red Raven
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To be clear, the standoffs are required for the ratcheting straps to work. It is the opposing forces between the strap and the standoff and davits that make it work. As Gini states, tube pressure alone makes a big difference and that plus the standoffs may be sufficient for many. In our case, even when the tubes were inflated per spec with davits and standoffs we still had some crazy violent movement back there when traveling in rough seas at 14 knots. The ratcheting straps solved that. The credit for the idea goes to to Ivan Guzman at Ranger Tugs.
I think the main difference is the position of the dinghy on each boat. Ours is slightly to port (of the tug) where the tubes extend from the dinghy stern to hit the water. I recommend mounting the dinghy with the bow end of the dinghy extending slightly more than the stern relative to center of the tug. The curve of the bow gives more room for movement without hitting the water.
Curt
I think the main difference is the position of the dinghy on each boat. Ours is slightly to port (of the tug) where the tubes extend from the dinghy stern to hit the water. I recommend mounting the dinghy with the bow end of the dinghy extending slightly more than the stern relative to center of the tug. The curve of the bow gives more room for movement without hitting the water.
Curt
Gin
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Helpful info Curt. My dinghy is mounted as you recommend — with the bow end slightly further to the starboard side, where it still clears well because of the curve of the bow. I did it to maximize space on the port side, not knowing that it also serves to stabilize the dinghy. But that makes sense. I also have a very light dinghy setup which likely makes a difference. Good to know if I ever have an issue that I can add straps to minimize it. Sort of belt and suspenders I guess.
Gini
Gini