Towing a tender

[CDreamer]

Yeah - I've had a leaf or two get in there but easy to remove. The upside far outweighs that. Maybe I should "invent" a little cone-shaped screen to insert in the hole from inside the cockpit. I'll retire comfortably and live next-door to Mr. Keurig! [emoji765]!

 

[Mule]

Thanks guys, GREAT thread and you have given me invaluable tips. I am towing my 17 Boston Whaler Montauk to the Bahamas for the first annual, F the Family Flotilla made up of 4-7 boats out of Harbortown, Fort Pierce. We all love our adult kids, but agree they can be a real PIA so this Christmas us oldsters are rebelling.

So my 6 knot boat with a primary tow line, a secondary, a radar reflector and a Penn 6/0 with clicker on as a warning if she gets loose. Only going in PERFECT crossing weather. Great ideas. Fingers crossed.

 

[Bigsfish]

Good luck, pick your weather window.

BTW have you been to the Ft. Pierce gathering around the 22 of February? It a fun group of guys and gals.

 

[chriscritchett]

If the tow is a good bit smaller that the big boat, no need for a bridle on the big boat. Just a single line to one of the stern cleats. Asymmetric drag not a big deal. That way you can adjust the length of the tow line to get it into the most favorable spot of the wake.

And at night, you want a light on the tow. That way if you lose it, you can find it. Been there, done that. We did lose it and we did get it back under tow. Twice. LED won't kill the battery.

Tow speed is an issue. At 6-8kts the skiff will be plowing, might get over the hump at 8, depending on its weight. A heavy skiff plowing is a LOT of drag. That's why I like a light inflatable. But those can flip with enough wind.

+1. Towing a 2004 (heavy) Whaler 13 w/ 40 hp 4-stroke behind a 36’ wooden lobster boat at 10-12 knots I do exactly this. Tried to make it more complicated the first time, but then just started using the port corner stern cleat and don’t even know it’s there. Adjusting line length with speed to keep the tender climbing one of the stern waves is key. If it gets in front of the wave and starts to surf toward the tow line it could get messy very quickly. And yes, going fast enough to get the dinghy up on plane makes a big difference in reducing the load (easy in the lobster boat, maybe not in a ‘trawler’).

 

[Snapdragon III]

Last summer we were off the coast of Vancouver island, coming home from Barkley sound, and heard someone calling the coast guard trying to get help with their 16' dingy they were towing that had swamped. The Coast Guard asked if anyone was in immediate danger, and when they answered "no," the Coast Guard quickly blew them off. They sounded like they were freaking out. We felt very smug to have our dingy on the roof. It was pretty rough out. I don't know how you possibly could have saved the dingy in those conditions without a huge ship with a crane or something. Have a good knife ready if you try it, and be ready to cut it loose if something happens that is endangering your boat.

 

[k9medic]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm still trying to figure out the best options but I am almost positive that I am overthinking things. By the time I'm done I'll have $500 into a rope to pull a $1800 boat when a $50 rope would have done the same thing

My "new" thoughts are a nylon bridle connected to some type of rope...

Is there any reason I would not want to use 3/8" dyneema rope? It looks like it might be easy to handle and it's a lot smaller in diameter.