A recent overnight trip on a new Catalina 309 reminded me of all the compromises involved in selecting a dinghy for a cruising boat and in bringing it along. The owners have a small inflatable from West Marine, with a semi-rigid inflatable floor and 6 hp Nissan outboard. The dinghy is towed behind, and the outboard stays on a stern rail bracket. A small engine davit from Garhauer makes lifting the engine over onto the dinghy easy. The davit rotates on a ball which is screwed into the aft deck outside the stern rail, and a bracket holds it to the stern rail. The davit can be removed and broken into two pieces for storage, but it is really not in the way on this boat, so it can just stay in place when not in use.

This combination is a great compromise for most purposes. Without the engine, the dinghy is small and light enough to have little effect on the speed of the Catalina 309 under power or sail. We averaged over 6 knots on the GPS, and it's hard to say how much faster we might have gone without the dinghy in tow, but my guess is not much. This type of dinghy can also be deflated and folded up for storage in the cockpit lazarette during offshore passages. In a moderate chop on Charlotte Harbor, it towed along just fine.

Small inflatable dinghies have enormous carrying capacity for their size and weight, and are very stable. Four of us (all adults) went from the anchorage in Pelican Bay to the nearby docks of the Cayo Costa Park. In the small chop of the anchorage, one of the weaknesses of the very small inflatables became apparent. They are wet boats in a crosswind, especially when heavily loaded.

Inflatable Dinghies, Docks, and Barnacle-Encrusted Pilings

When we got to the Cayo Costa docks, although they are fairly recent, we found a nice, crusty growth of oysters and barnacles on the dock pilings. Protecting an inflatable from these is essential. The hypalon rubber is amazingly tough stuff, used on whitewater rafts which take substantial abuse, but oysters are amazingly sharp. We carefully held the boat off the pilings while everyone got off, then tied it out diagonally across the slip, securing a stern line to an outer piling.

Soft Inflatables Have The Shallowest of Shallow Drafts

There was a nearby lagoon we wanted to explore, and another limitation of the tiny inflatable was revealed, as well as another strength. We were fortunate that the lagoon was nearby, because there was no way the little boat would get up on plane with 4 people aboard. Little inflatables like this one will usually plane with one person, and might with two, but that's all. As we approached the lagoon, I saw that edge of the channel leading in was fairly shallow. I love little boats! We went right over it without even stirring any sand, and without the need to tilt the engine into shallow water mode. A tiny inflatable can sneak into the shallowest water, and two people can even pick it up and carry it across small sand bars.

You can get a faster, drier ride from a hard bottom inflatable, but there are trade-offs. It's nice to be able to zip over to an island a couple of miles away through a light chop, and arrive quickly and dry. But it comes with a price. You can't pick up most hard-bottom inflatables and carry them across sand bars. Even a small boat and engine can weigh hundreds of pounds. You can't fold up a rigid inflatable boat, as the name implies. RIBs must be towed behind or lifted on davits, either of which can present problems when making offshore passages. A rigid inflatable is still an inflatable, and still doesn't like oysters, but the alternative is a hard hull dinghy, which comes with its own set of compromises.

• Shop for inflatable dinghies

The post Soft Inflatable Dinghies first appeared on Tropical Boating.

Driving my little Whaler in smoother waters

The monstrous bow cleat I had installed on my little 11-foot Boston Whaler. This giant cleat was very convenient, except when it threatened to put a cleat-size hole in the underside of my friend's sailboat.

We were returning from Regatta Week In Abaco aboard a friend's Express 37. We had towed my little 11' Boston Whaler dinghy over there without incident, and used it between rainstorms to go ashore and explore. I had found a few bleached out pieces of coral on a rocky beach, and wanted to bring them home for my marine aquarium. I left them in the dinghy for the tow home. I had dragged that dinghy all around Florida and the Bahamas and never had a problem, even in some pretty rough conditions, but that was about to change.

We sailed across the Little Bahama Bank on a reach, without a lot of wind. It was nice — but slow, and some of us needed to get home on time. When we reached the Gulf Stream in the afternoon, the forecast sounded marginal for crossing: 10 to 15 knot winds from the north and northeast. Crossing with a 10 knot northeast wind is nice. Crossing with a 15 knot north wind is not. We set off across the Gulf Stream.

It was not a bad crossing for most of the night, but it did get rougher as the night wore on into morning. The wind came up and swung around to the north, and the seas quickly became large and steep, with large whitecaps cresting on top. When I last looked at it, the Whaler was bobbing along just fine on the tow rope. I decided that was a good time to go to bed, so down I went at about 4 am. I managed to get to sleep because I was exhausted, and slept for an hour or two before being awakened by my friend Bill.

Words You Don't Want To Hear

"Get up! Get up! Your Whaler is in trouble!" Bill was yelling at me and shaking me, and I woke up startled and a bit fuzzy. I ran up into the cockpit to see what was going on. All I could tell looking back along our tow line was that the Whaler was swamped, and we were charging along at about 6 knots, pulling the Whaler right through the tops of waves. It's pretty amazing that the little boat didn't capsize. It would just pull right through the crest of a wave, taking a bite out of the top of the wave.

We luffed up a bit to slow down, and tried to pull in the dinghy on the tow line. That was not working. Full of water, it weighed too much, and we were sailing too fast. We momentarily stalled the sailboat, just long enough for us to run the tow line around a big spinnaker winch.

I had mounted an extra bow cleat on the Whaler, which was now presenting a problem for us. The Express 37 has a swept back transom, and with both boats being tossed around by some pretty large seas, we couldn't bring the Whaler close enough to the big boat that I could jump aboard, for fear that it would come up underneath the extended transom of the Express and put a large cleat-sized hole in the underside.

Great Leaping Whalers, Boatman!

Bill cranked the winch until the boat was as close as we dared to get it, then I hung off the outside of the lifeline and leaped onto the Whaler. As soon as I landed on the bow, all the water in the boat started rushing forward. I figured that when the tow line came tight, the boat would be dragged under water like a shovel, and would probably capsize coming back up. I dove for the center thwart seat and hugged it for dear life, as I did NOT want to be separated from that boat in those conditions.

At the same moment, Bill saw my predicament, and eased out the tow line as it was starting to drag the boat down. I quickly moved my weight aft, and as he came tight on the tow line again, all the water in the boat sloshed back into me. It would have swept me over if I had not been hanging on tightly. As it was, most of it just sloshed over the stern of the boat, and I was riding high and dry once again.

My Coral Was The Culprit

Why did the boat fill with water in the first place, I wondered? I had towed that dinghy all over the place, and never had it fill with water before. Even in conditions where it was taking lots of spray and rain, it could always drain itself out. I looked down and saw the answer. The pieces of coral I had brought along had broken, and fragments had lodged in the drain hole. Some dive gear and a fuel tank had been washed overboard at some point during the pre-dawn pounding and swamping, but a spear was still lying along one side of the boat. I used it to finish destroying the coral pieces that were clogging the drain hole, and I made sure all the rest of the fragments were tossed overboard before I signaled that I wanted to return.

They pulled me back in close to the sailboat, which suddenly looked as tall as a house from my perspective. I have to jump all the way up there? While surfing along on this little boat in large seas? I persuaded them to pull me a little closer, promising to fend off if my custom bow cleat threatened to get underneath the transom of the sailboat. They got me close, and I took a flying leap up, landing on the edge of the boat and grabbing the backstay and lifeline. Death defying stunts like these should be left to Hollywood stunt men.

Lessons Learned

I did several things wrong.

First, take everything possible out of a dinghy before towing it. If you can't remove something, tie it down.

Second, if your dinghy is in trouble, don't just wake up and start trying to rescue it. Wake up, put on a life jacket, strap yourself to a safety line, and then start the rescue attempt. I was lucky I did not wind up swimming at some point during that procedure; it would have been very difficult — perhaps even impossible — for the rest of the crew to find and retrieve me if I had wound up in the water.

• More about Using a Whaler as a Dinghy

The post Dramatic Dawn Dinghy Rescue first appeared on Tropical Boating.

I used to have an 11' Boston Whaler which was used as a dinghy behind a few different sailboats cruising the Bahamas. I bought the boat new in 1987. Back then, the plain boat with no steering wheel was called the "Standard" model, and it was rated to carry 3 people with a 10 hp engine.

I put a 15 hp Johnson on it, since it weighed the same as the 9.9 hp, and I wanted one which could be removed from the dinghy reasonably easily if necessary.

We Need a Bigger Engine

It was on that day that I decided the next engine would be bigger. As we returned to the cruising boat with all those conch and lobsters and fish aboard, I had the throttle wide open, and the boat would not quite get on plane. We lumbered in, throwing a giant wake, but I was tired of running the engine so hard when the boat was heavily loaded.

I had chosen the 15 hp because it was not too heavy, but I almost never removed it from the boat anyway. The hull was rated for 25 hp in the Boston Whaler Sport model, which was the same boat with a steering wheel and remote controls.

I eventually traded in the 15 hp Johnson for a 25 hp Mercury. That was a great engine. I particularly liked the way the controls were set up. The gearshift was integrated with the throttle on the tiller. Twist counterclockwise, and it shifts into forward. Twist more, it goes fast. Twist back clockwise to go into neutral and then reverse, and further clockwise to advance the throttle in reverse.

It had a funny reversing mechanism so that turning the control counterclockwise OR clockwise would open or close the throttle, depending on which gear was engaged. It made the throttle a little jumpy in reverse, but I didn't mind. I liked being able to control everything with one hand. The only thing I didn't like was the neutral idle speed knob. It never worked very well from day one, but if you played with it a little, it did work.

Exploring With the Boston Whaler As Our Dinghy

With the Mercury 25, we once went exploring from the anchorage at Whale Cay in the Berry Islands to a little set of islands up on the bank north of Chub Cay called the Fish Cays with 4 adults, the smallest weighing 155 lbs, fishing gear including a large, heavy tackle box, snorkeling gear including wetsuits and weights and spears, a cooler with some drinks, and a dry box with cameras, sandwiches, and such.

Hard-hull dinghies tend to retain their value better. This photo of my 11' Whaler was taken in 2001, shortly before I sold it. It was 14 years old at the time. A 14-year-old well-used inflatable will seldom look so good.

Here's me zooming around Shell Creek in my little 11' Whaler

We had very little freeboard and were lucky we did not swamp the boat. It was a long struggle getting the fully loaded boat up on plane, but we did.

Halfway across the bank, we found a nice grass bed and dove for some conch. Even with the added weight, the boat still planed out after a long struggle. The two forward passengers had to do push ups on the bow to get the boat over onto a plane. We cleaned the conch on the beach, which attracted all kinds of activity into the little cut between the islands, and made for some interesting fishing and diving.

I think we wound up with a smallish grouper and a nice snapper. While we were there, the tide went out, and there was not enough water to get the boat back on plane, or even to motor in shallow water drive back across the bank. We dragged the boat about half a mile or so before we were able to power out to deeper water and plane back to the anchorage.

It's nice to have a sturdy fiberglass dinghy when you have conch and spears and fish hooks and gaffs and little rocky islands around. Inflatables are easily damaged by all of those things, but while they might scratch or nick the little Whaler, they could do it no serious harm. Also, it was pretty easy to pull yourself aboard over the side of the Whaler, compared to hard bottom inflatables, which can be hard to climb aboard.

Hard-hull Dinghies Do Have Drawbacks

The drawbacks of having a hard dinghy? It's hard and heavy. It will bang into your cruising boat if you don't tie it off with a fender. If part of a person winds up between the boats, the person will be more badly hurt than with an inflatable. Hard hull boats are not as stable as a similarly sized rigid inflatable. They cannot carry as many people, and are slower. They are harder to lift on deck, require heavier davits on the transom if you go that way, and slow the big boat down more when under tow. The 25 hp Mercury on mine was bolted to the transom and was fairly heavy, so removing it was not a simple option.

The larger engine needed by the hard dinghy also burns more fuel, and if you are using it extensively in remote areas, carrying all that fuel can become a problem.

I loved my little 11 Whaler, and I sometimes wish I had not sold it, but it was a little too small and slow for my current needs, and I did not foresee using it as a cruising dinghy again any time in the near future. If I do go cruising and need a dinghy, I will find a rigid inflatable dinghy. The soft bottom inflatables are just not fast enough, especially when loaded down, and hard boats like the Whaler can't match the hard hull inflatables in speed, efficiency, carrying capacity, or stability.

If durability and long life are of paramount importance, the Whaler is a good choice. Mine was nearly as good as new when I sold it after 14 years of service, and that is nice. But if you are willing to compromise on those points, an inflatable boat with a fiberglass bottom is the way to go.

More About Dinghies:

• Inflatable Dinghies
• Dinghy Towing
• Nearly Losing, and Then Rescuing, My Whaler-as-Dinghy in the Bahamas

The post Hard Hull Dinghies first appeared on Tropical Boating.

A stainless steel snap hook like this one makes it easy to attach your dinghy tow line.

Floating plastic 3 strand rope makes a great dinghy tow line. A 3 strand nylon line works quite well too, but presents a few problems because it sinks.

Once the main boat reaches cruising speed, take a look at how the dinghy is riding. It's best to keep the dinghy riding on an "uphill" part of the wake of the cruising boat. It keeps the bow of the dinghy up, and makes the dinghy less likely to surf up into the big boat in following seas. Adjust the tow line as needed to allow the dinghy to ride the wake properly.

Most people like to use a clip of some type to connect the dinghy tow line, because it is quick and easy. I like stainless steel snap hooks, because they are smooth and less likely to damage boats.

Get a stainless steel thimble of a size that barely fits into the narrow end of the snap hook, then splice the tow line on with the thimble in place. It should not be able to come out when towing.

I once had one of these clips fail when towing a dinghy, but I still don't know how it happened. Fortunately, we had hooked a large trolling rod onto the dinghy, with enough line let out to remain slack under tow. The clicker on the drag immediately let us know that the dinghy had gotten loose, and we went back to retrieve it. The stainless snap hook had somehow come open when the dinghy overtook its own tow line while surfing on large waves. It was not bent or damaged when I pulled it in, and I put it right back on the dinghy. It had given years of trouble free service before that incident, and I have used it for years since, without any recurrence.

A second tow line is another alternative, but it can tangle with the primary tow line, and if something happens to the primary tow line, you may not discover it immediately. For offshore towing, redundant tow lines are a good idea if you can keep them from interfering with each other, but a fishing rod with a drag clicker set is still worth setting. It saved my dinghy.

It is best to use a floating tow line, but even those can be swept under the cruising yacht, possibly becoming entangled with the rudder or propeller. A short tow line will prevent the dinghy from turning completely around, and will prevent the tow line from getting snagged on something underneath the big boat.

Anchoring With a Dinghy in Tow

When a cruising boat backs down to let out anchor rode, it will often bump into its own dinghy. A hard hull dinghy can scratch the yacht. Inflatable dinghies usually won't hurt the larger boat, but black rub rails can leave streaks. If a crew member is available to fend off the dinghy, it's not a bad idea to assign one to that task.

Even with an inflatable, the dinghy should be kept on a very short leash when anchoring or docking. If the tow line is too long, the dinghy can rotate 180 degrees and contact the big boat with the transom. This is especially likely, and can do the most damage to both boats, if the dinghy engine remains mounted at all times, rather than being brought aboard the larger boat during towing.

Another alternative to a short tow line is to bring the dinghy alongside the larger boat and secure it there. This also accomplishes both goals of keeping the tow line out of trouble and keeping the dinghy from contacting the big boat with its transom or engine. An easy way to do it is to bring the dinghy close enough to grab the stern line, and just walk the stern line forward, swinging the dinghy around and alongside facing aft. The dinghy stern line can be temporarily secured to a stanchion or shroud while anchoring or docking.

Docking With A Dinghy

When docking with a dinghy in tow, it is particularly important to keep the dinghy out from between the big boat and the pilings, and from between the big boat and other boats. If there's room, tying the dinghy backwards alongside the big boat is the easiest technice. Or you can tie the dinghy on a very short line horizontally across the stern of the boat, if you're docking bow-in. If you're backing the big boat to the dock, then have a crew member walk the dinghy alongside the boat to the bow just before or during the approach. If the crew member is needed for docking, have them tie off the dinghy to a bow cleat, on a very short leash. While docking, you're maneuvering at very slow speeds and only for a very short distance, so it doesn't matter if the dinghy "rides well" or if it's in the right position for towing. If the slip or dock space is extremely limited, you can always have a crew member hop into the dinghy and cast off from the big boat, then bring the dinghy in after the boat is docked. Make sure there's a paddle in the dinghy before casting off!

People may give you funny looks when you're coming into a marina or anchoring your boat with the dinghy tied backwards alongside, but it's quick and easy, and it works. If you want to proceed above dead-slow maneuvering speed, or if there is any chop at all, it's best to turn the dinghy around if tying it alongside. Waves will splash over the transom, and many self-bailing boats can be self-filling if pulled backwards through the water.

More About Dinghies:

• Hard Hull Dinghies
• Inflatable Dinghies
• Shop for inflatable dinghies

The post Dinghy Towing Equipment and Techniques first appeared on Tropical Boating.