# towing a dinghy, Painter size?



## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

just picked up a classic nutshell 7'7" hard dinghy/pram to use as a tender. I have room to store on foredeck deck and will do so on longer journeys or rough weather, but for day hops and calm weather i would like to tow it. I have been told and read that this hard dinghy will tow well. I cannot however find any recommended size for the tow line,Painter. Is 3/8 or 7/16 double braid enough or would i need a completely different type of line, i was thinking poly so it would float. Please give me some advice as I have not towed a tender before. 

Thanks SN


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

*I like using a dock line.*

Just buy a 7/16" or so pre made dockline. I use a 15' braided. Use a bowline or splice to the dinghy so you have the loop on the big boat end.

It's so much handier to throw the loop over a cleat or winch and not have to trust yourself or someone else to properly cleat the painter.

Towing underway, you'll adjust the length for the least drag but the loop stays on the cleat so you won't lose it.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

Nylon would be good to absorb shock loads, poly would be good b/c it floats. I could probably rip the fittings off my wood dinghy with the breaking strenth of 3/8" nylon, but just as with moorings, you might want a little more thickness for chafe insurance.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

thanks guys, went down to west marine today and guy there said that the 5/16 poly line(light blue in color) would be fine. it floats and has a maximum work load of 2600...seems like it would be fine. even the 1/4 stuff had a working load of 1400lbs and was cheap too. anyone use this stuff?

thanks


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## turbulicity (Jan 24, 2011)

Hope you have a cover for the dinghy. Hard dinghies on tow can sink easily.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

turbulicity said:


> Hope you have a cover for the dinghy. Hard dinghies on tow can sink easily.


i do not, I am taking a cruise on the chesapeake here in a few weeks and will be my first time towing a dinghy. I will keep an eye on the weather and will stow the dinghy on the fordeck if need be. do you have a recommendation as to the size line? what size painter do you use as you've commented like you have experience?

Now with that said.....anyone have a recommendation on painter size? lots of good feedback on towing, stowing and everything else on the good ole net but what size to use. I guess larger is always better. I will probably buy the 3/8in poly.


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## turbulicity (Jan 24, 2011)

Sorry I don't really have towing experience. I do have a rigid dinghy though and no davits. So I considered towing and then I remembered how much water the dinghy took on when I first got it and had it towed to my marina by a powerboat going rather slowly. I didn't pay attention to the painter line at the time.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

I tow my dinghy on the middle Chesapeake on day hops. I use the same blue poly 5/16" line you mentioned for my Caribe L9 with engine and gas tank aboard. My painter is about 70' long, maybe a bit more. I use an anchor bend for the painter connection to the tow ring on the dinghy. Pull it in close when anchoring and ease it way back underway. In light air it is a sea anchor and we pull the engine and stow the dinghy on the foredeck (where it goes offshore without exception). 

When I tow I do keep my SPOT in a waterproof container in the dinghy - just in case.


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## celenoglu (Dec 13, 2008)

It is best "not to tow" any dingy, for any length of time. 
The floating rope will be of little help. It is better to include some floats used on fishing nets. During the maneuvers the rope will dive and and most probably find yor prop.


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

I use 5/16" poly with a float and a ring making a nice bridal. I suggest that you splice the line since poly does not like to hold knots. It is probably one of the simplest lines to splice.


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## EJO (Jan 10, 2010)

The 5/16" will do fine with your nutshell I even would opt for the 1/4" as your dinghy is very light. I pull my dingy (14' Achilles with 25HP OB and 10 gallons of gas and bow-bag with 10lbs anchor and pump, and 4 PFD's) across Lake Michigan all the time using a double 5/16" painter about 30' behind the boat. I also have the loop end at the boat and I have an extra second 1/4" safety line. 
I make fast running the bitter end of the painter thru both side bow "D" rings and than back to the boat knoting a second loop, I put both loops over/thru one of my aft cleats or use both SB and Port cleat. This enables the dinghy to slide sideways keeping force off the center "safety" line which is connected to the center tow/bow ring on the dinghy.
I must use this set up as I can't lift the 250lbs dinghy and/or the 140lbs OB on board (I should get davits, but the expense keeps me from it).
This seems to be working fine although I haven't used this set-up in 5 ft or more waves and if caught with these higher waves I would double my tow length if not triple it. 
Last but not least never assume the dinghy is there, i.e. visually check at regular intervals.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the useful info. I am headed out to buy line now. I will probably opt for the 5/16 just for piece of mind. Thanks to all the additional advice, can and will put dinghy on fordeck if necessary, am going to tow as wife and I are going to day hop up the western part of the Ches bay to Annapolis then day hop the eastern shore on the return home. I have seen what the bay can dish out, so any chance of rough weather and that dinghy will be on deck......somewhere

Thanks again


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## emoney (Jun 2, 2010)

I use a 3/8 poly line, just because I found it on sale, lol. I'd imagine that 5/16 will be plenty more than you need (same way I think). Put a loop in one end and the line can serve as the dinghy's anchor line as well (always like to have more than one use for everything). Those mushroom anchors ride the best. I store the outboard on the rail too, as mentioned above. Don't forget, in some states, at least down here, the dinghy has to be registered if you're going to use any type of propulsion, other than the oars. Local officers will seek out the dings and pull them over. Same rules apply to the little boat that applies to the big one (lighting, anchor, throw cushion, pfd's, etc.). I've had plenty of friends find this out the hard way.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

emoney said:


> I use a 3/8 poly line, just because I found it on sale, lol. I'd imagine that 5/16 will be plenty more than you need (same way I think). Put a loop in one end and the line can serve as the dinghy's anchor line as well (always like to have more than one use for everything). Those mushroom anchors ride the best. I store the outboard on the rail too, as mentioned above. Don't forget, in some states, at least down here, the dinghy has to be registered if you're going to use any type of propulsion, other than the oars. Local officers will seek out the dings and pull them over. Same rules apply to the little boat that applies to the big one (lighting, anchor, throw cushion, pfd's, etc.). I've had plenty of friends find this out the hard way.


thank you....We will be rowing on this trip...we'll see how it goes. I have been thinking of an electric trolling motor...trying to stay away from gas if possible. just trying to figure a good way to charge battery other than the engine on the main boat. baby steps for us


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## Cptken (Apr 23, 2008)

Poly degrades from UV much quicker than other types of line. After 2 years mine had so many fish hooks and broken strands that it was really rough on the hands. Replaced it with 3 strand about 5 seasons ago. 

Highly recommend the fishing floats! I can verify that it is possible to wrap the prop with floating poly line.


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## remetau (Jan 27, 2009)

Cptken said:


> Poly degrades from UV much quicker than other types of line. After 2 years mine had so many fish hooks and broken strands that it was really rough on the hands. Replaced it with 3 strand about 5 seasons ago.
> 
> Highly recommend the fishing floats! I can verify that it is possible to wrap the prop with floating poly line.


All you need to do is put it away when not in use. I wrapped my prop with nylon and floats after my wife backed down on the anchor. I use a float with the poly. You are much more unlikely to wrap the prop, but I guess everybody has a preference.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

I tow a much heavier dink with a 15 hp on 5/16ths As others have said 1/4 will do or 5/16ths. Add a couple of floats.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

well....I bought 3/8th...for .20/ft why not, better safe than sorry. thank you for everyone opinions. i hope all goes well and will post my experiences.


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## LarryandSusanMacDonald (Apr 3, 2005)

MY two cents:
We had three connection points on the dinghy when we used to tow it. We used one of those Y shaped towlines connected to the two outside connection points, and a single straight painter on the bow of the dinghy. We connected each to different cleats on the 'mother ship.' This way, we had redundancy if anything broke. 

Normally, we adjusted the two painters so it the dinghy traveled in a 'quiet' spot behind the boat. When we didn't anticipate that it would get rough but it did, we let out enough line so that the dinghy stayed about one wavelength behind us. There was less jerking that way. 

When it was time to drop anchor, or come into a slip, we tightened the painters so the dinghy was snug to the back of the boat. We learned this the hard way, after backing down and catching the painter in the prop.

Now we have dinghy davits - but when we're making a longer or a rough passage, we lash the dinghy to the foredeck.

It's usually not a good idea to tow your dinghy with the dinghy engine attached - especially on a hard bottomed dinghy. Take the time to stow the dinghy engine. It takes a lot longer to repair it. (Learned this one the hard way, too.)


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## DonScribner (Jan 9, 2011)

I use 5/16" line, about 25' long. The painter is usually looped thru the stern cleat but when we come into port I tie it to the stern rail and make it real short to keep it out of the prop and the dinghy under control. Once, the welded ring on the dinghy broke in VERY rough seas. I noticed it 1/2 mile off, surfing for the rocks. We ran it down and reattached it.


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