# Should I Drag Along the Dinghy?



## cdsnyder83 (Jun 25, 2015)

Looking for some opinions here - I'm leaving Saturday morning for a 2 week sailing trip around lake Erie and I'm debating whether or not to bring my 9' inflatible Avon dinghy with a small outboard (just bought it a couple of days ago) . I don't have davits on my boat, a 27 Catalina, and I would have to tow the dinghy. I've never towed one before and I have no idea how much it will slow me down. I'm also concerned if marinas will give me a hard time having it tied off to my boat when docked. It might be more trouble than it is worth to take. Any thoughts on this?


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

It will slow you down some, but it's a pretty common practice on every single bareboat I've ever chartered. The bigger issue is it will limit sailing in any seriously rough weather, as you could flip it, but you'll probably want to avoid that anyway. Get a very good tow line, not just a thin painter.

The marina issue is a crap shoot. In my experience some will not allow it, others will not (call ahead?). Probably depends on room. One thing I hate in a marina, is when docked alongside a long pier, spaced apart, one guy jams his dinghy between two boats, leaving no room to maneuver in/out. Worse, they don't tie it closely enough to keep it from being blown into neighbors. 

Of course, in a marina, you have no need for the dink. I assume you'll also be anchoring out too? Getting into a slip, while towing a dinghy can be a bit of a pain. It always needs to be tied closely, do you don't run the prop over the tow line. Going bow in, while towing from behind is no issue, until you need to abort and back up. The dink wants to slip to the side of the boat, which may not be where you want it. Backing in, requires moving the tow line to the bow or mid-ship first. Same abort issues. Then, you have to get out later.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

I do some times leave my dinghy behind for short cruises if I know I'm going to be staying at dock in marinas, which I usually do. 2 weeks is a long time though. Your route might help. I'm assuming you're starting in the Cleveland area. If you're heading West towards Erie and Buffalo, I don't see what good a dinghy would do you. If you're heading to Sundusky, Pelee or Long Point Bay, then anchoring might be an option you want to consider, you certainly can't beach a Catalina 27.

Have you considered deflating the Dinghy and carrying it deflated on your fore deck? Then if you really need it you can pump it up. If you do that you might want to consider bringing a 12 volt pump, pumping up a 9' Avon by hand could be a chore.


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## capt jgwinks (Sep 24, 2013)

I often hoist my 9 foot hard dinghy up the fore deck for longer or offshore passages. It sits forward of the mast extending across the forward hatch and somewhat over the forward deck. Maybe yours will fit there as well. The biggest down side is it blocks forward vision a bit, I have to look around it. If I leave it up there at the dock or anchor I lift the bow up with a halyard so I can open the forward hatch. It also makes a great rain guard, I can have the hatch open in heavy rain and not get wet. 
If you tow it take the motor off and pull the drain plug. You shouldn't have any trouble in light to moderate conditions, and as said above if its too rough to tow you won't want to be out there anyway. Make sure you pull it right up tight to the boat before maneuvering in reverse. I bent a prop shaft forgetting to do that once.


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

cdsnyder83 said:


> ...*inflatable* Avon dinghy...


Yes, dragging a dinghy slows sailing a significant amount. Especially in lighter air. In heavy air not so much, but is a serious problem if it flips over.

But what I want to know is: What are you going to do with the time you save by not deflating and inflating it for passages?


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Our dink is our car, our lifeline to shore and the single most important bit of gear not actually built into the boat. That said, our situations are way different, but I still wouldn't suggest towing your dink.
I know the weather on those lakes can change quickly and not necessarily for the better, and if it does it would be too late to pull it out of the water.
Even partially deflated on the foredeck would be preferable to towing, IMO. If you intend to spend your nights in marinas, why bother with the dink at all?
Either way, enjoy the cruise.


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## cdsnyder83 (Jun 25, 2015)

De-flate the inflatable.... that is a fine idea! It is kind of a pain in the ass to do so, but I suppose that will be my best option. I tried to put it on my deck inflated, but it is a little to big. I'll hang the outboard on the stern on my sailboat. 

Great input, thanks guys (and gals)!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Tow it!

Tilt the OB 
Speed reduction is minimal.
Increased fun is huuuggge.

If a marina doesn't like your dink (why wouldn't they?) tell them to shove their fee where the sun don't shine and go to the next marina. Or anchor out.


Mark


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

There's probably not a wrong answer. For one of our trips we towed a dinghy like yours on Lake Michigan. Had our two cats along on that trip, and it turned out the boy cat loved to ride in the dinghy when we got to our destination. Saw me rowing it, and had to get in. Later, I put the 4 horse on and putted back and forth across the stern of the big boat where he was, and he was beside himself. I motored up to the boat and he hopped in. Loved it. I digress. And, my wife and I enjoyed going for dinghy rides once we were settled into our slip. Go exploring, etc.. 

It does tend to add another dimension to the trip, but it also adds a fair amount of hassle factor. You'll be messing with the towline, because you want to adjust it so it rides on the downhill side of your stern wave, and the distance to the stern wave changes with your speed. And, you want to have a plan to keep the towline from getting in your prop when you're maneuvering around the marina. And, if you get a big following sea, and it's starts raining hard, and the dinghy's filling with water....you get the picture. 

Here's a thought. Maybe skip it for a two week trip, and give it a try on your next weekend trip. 

HOWEVER: if you find yourself either want to, or having to anchor out, a dinghy is a necessity. Unless you're Jesus. 

Have fun on your trip!


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

YES tow it... it can be a life boat and it can get you to shore when you anchor...


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

People get inflatables and don't know what to do with them it's too much trouble to inflate deflate. So.. it's down to towing a slug. or sell it for a nice little rowboat like a walker bay. or a old town Loon kayak, much less drag, light enough to hoist up with a halyard and set on the fore deck. Even on a C27


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## danvon (Dec 10, 2012)

If you are going to be out for 2 weeks I can really see wanting to have it along. I have a Catalina 27 with an 8' Zodiac. Inflated, it is much too big to put on the foredeck but if you deflate it it lashes on fine and is not much in of the way. It's not too difficult to inflate on the deck and launch with the spinnaker halyard - takes maybe 15 minutes. Towing it seems to cost about half a knot - play with different lengths of towlines. I would NOT tow it with the motor attached, because if the dinghy flips your outboard will be submerged.


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## capt jgwinks (Sep 24, 2013)

I've had dinghies flip on me a couple times, once underway and once on the mooring during an 80 mph wind storm. There was a Stiletto cat that flipped during that storm as well. The motor was on it both times, fortunately we're on fresh water so no permanent damage was done. The guy with the cat can't say that. Now I don't tow long distance with the motor on, and I also pull the drain plug. Less drag with the motor off too.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

For a 2 week cruise, we'd take the dingy. Here's our protocol:

If (calm weather, inland, short distance) then (tow with motor on)
If (not so calm weather, longer distance) then (tow with motor on stern rail of sailboat)
if (offshore passage, longer yet, uncertain weather) then (deflate and secure on deck)

chances are you will spend most of your time in the first 2 if's.

Have fun.


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Roll it up and store it on your foredeck.

When towing, don't leave the engine on the dink; unless you know how to get all the water out of the outboard engine, after the dink and outboard 'inverts' during a heavy sea state.


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## cdsnyder83 (Jun 25, 2015)

Great input! You guys gave me a lot of info that I never thought of (deflate the inflatable and store on the deck... that actually did not occur to me)


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If you're going to do the inflate/deflate route, a 12v electric pump is really nice, especially if you deflate significantly. Just topping up a small amount by hand or foot isn't so laborious. A big round trip daily gets old fast. 

I would rather have it on deck, if practical and insignificant effort, but towing is done commonly. I bet you end up doing both, being up on deck, if the weather looks rough, towing if tame.

I'm not familiar with your cruising grounds. Will you be anchoring at all? Are there plenty of marinas, where you can tell one to pound salt and move on, if they don't want your dinghy in the water? I think it's only an issue, if things are tight and it would be in others way. Some marinas get around that, by having a separate dinghy dock to bring it to, so it won't block the fairway or blow into your neighbors. Others don't care.


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

I just bought an inflatable and engine this year.*

I noticed no drag during our cruise this summer.

I kept the engine on the stern rail except for 2 very short runs in protected water.

Here's how I towed it:
The bowline was secured to the port stern cleat with all of it out (about 25').
The towing bridle was on the stbd cleat.
I brought in the towing bridle until the bowline started to slack and secured it there.

The bridle takes all the force and the back up line stays out of the water.

Ken

*North Atlantic Inflatables DB300-AL & Tohatsu 3.5 4stroke very happy with both.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

CarbonSink62 said:


> I just bought an inflatable and engine this year.*
> 
> I noticed no drag during our cruise this summer.


Try pulling your dinghy toward your sailboat while underway and you'll get an idea of the actual drag. A lighter dinghy will not be as bad as a heavy dinghy with motor still attached. Can't believe the drag is zero.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

SanderO said:


> YES tow it... it can be a life boat and it can get you to shore when you anchor...


Or a tow boat if you engine starts acting up.

Rigging your inflatable for a hip tow can be an easy way out of trouble. Practice the best rigging on a calm day. Once you know the best set up, all it takes is pulling the dink alongside and adding a couple of lines in the right places. Start the engine and off you go.

It might help to have some weight in the dink to reduce prop cavitation. You can even keep the boat on course using just the outboard if you are alone and want to sit in the dink and steer.

When you get to calm water with restricted room to maneuver use your helm with just enough thrust to maintain steerage.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

RobGallagher said:


> Or a tow boat if you engine starts acting up.
> 
> Rigging your inflatable for a hip tow can be an easy way out of trouble. Practice the best rigging on a calm day. Once you know the best set up, all it takes is pulling the dink alongside and adding a couple of lines in the right places. Start the engine and off you go.
> 
> ...


If the conditions are reasonably calm, it doesn't take much power to move your big boat. I tried a 2 hp motor on my 2500# catboat a number of years ago and found I could easily get off the dock and bring her back in. On a more serious note, I used my 6 hp dinghy motor to move a 4000# power boat about 2 miles up the Mystic River, through 2 drawbridges,at about half power. That was after a catastrophic failure of the power boat's 150 hp motor. Of course, we didn't get up on plane!


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

Dragging a dink *because* your engine might fail? Sure if you know the engine is bad, for the trip to the yard. But all the time just because you are a Nervous Nelly? How about servicing the engine so you trust it?

That said, long after my diesel *ate a rod bearing*, facing the long windless channel at La Paz, BCS, Mexico I took the uninflated stowed dink and engine *out of the locker,* set it up, and easily motored into the harbor. Dink on the hip with a spring line like written above. An agile young sexy crew would jump in to start and stop it. 8hp and 9 tons. Worked great. You steer with the ships rudder, not the dink, unless perhaps you have one of those largely cosmetic keel hung rudders.

Towing a dink, especially with an engine mounted, is a huge drag on sailing. And unsafe. Good only for a short trip across a harbor or atoll, in my opinion. Yeah, I know, lots of *people* do it. Especially charter boats. *Sailors* do not.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Plenty of reasons to have your dinghy 'ready for action' - we tow ours unless conditions preclude it. Lightweight roll-ups can end up spinning in mid air in a squall. 

As mentioned already, add a motor mount pad on your stern rail.. we actually never tow with the motor mounted. Even in calm conditions you might run into some stinkpotter's wake that might flip the dinghy over. 

I'd suggest the drag (yes, it's there) is not really significant since you're not racing.

Having a dinghy in the water ready to go is at the very least a ready escape pod. Deflating and Reflating is doable but it does tend to get old.


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## DeGraw75 (Aug 22, 2016)

I HAD a dingy for a few days. We had a port-a-bote and decided to tow it behind our boat in 10kts of wind. It was the older banana shaped ones, but after an hour I realized it was half full of water. I tried to pull it on deck with no luck. Then figured I would give it awhile and see how it did. We couldn't make much over 4kts so we hove-to and tried to pull it on board again. One of the three boards that hold it open was missing and the others didn't look like they were going to make it. So we untied it and watched it drift away towards Charity Island. So much for my $500 Craigslist bargain. 

It sounds like the inflatables tow pretty good and at least don't swamp as easy. Does anyone have experience with towing the newer Port-a-boats with redesigned transom? 

Or better yet anyone with experience towing an inflatable vs a port-a-bote?

I need to purchase another one but am weighing out the options.


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

Their lawyers won't let them call it a Porta-*Boat*. So Porta-*Bote* it is. Unless you really really need the folding option (and I would love to know why) any inflatable is wayyyy better.

Porta-Botes, unladen, probably tow with less drag than an inflatable. But they are never stable. If you really want to tow a boat, and never go far, get a fiberglass dinghy of some kind. Many charter companies do.


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## DeGraw75 (Aug 22, 2016)

Aloof, the reason we originally went with the Porta-Bote was because it seamed to row well, was large enough to haul four people and gear, and with limited deck space it could be lashed to the railing. It turns out that trying to open the Porta-Bote on said limited deck was almost impossible for the wife and I. This is why I'm rethinking the idea. I will probably go with a smaller 8' inflatable that can fit on the deck and a good pump. Even if I have to make a few trips when at anchor it will probably be more worth not having the hassle of trying to open a folding boat on a cool spring day. A walker bay with a sailing rig would be great but I doubt would fit on board so we would need davits.


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