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Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:43 pm
by sailmon
With 14 months remaining till we retire, move on the boat and head south - we are beginning final preparations: sail upgrades, water maker, air conditioning, updating certain electronics, life raft, dinghy, outboard, etc.

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to carry a dinghy. We don't plan to do extensive off shore sailing, but will cross the Gulf Stream and do quite a bit of island hopping. We'll probably be purchasing a 10' RIB. There isn't much room to carry a dinghy on the foredeck. I'm not crazy about davits which can interfere with access to swim platform and stress stern rail. Not really thrilled with radar arch idea.

I did have a DinghyTow on my F30 years ago. Tows dinghy backwards from sailboat transom with outboard mounted and dinghy transom pulled up out of the water. Worked well - even in severe Lake Erie squalls. That said, I'm not sure how it would work in ocean.

I would appreciate hearing how people carry their dinghys and also if anyone has had any experience with DinghyTow.
Thank you,
Bob

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 6:55 am
by GeoffSchultz
I've had great success with Atkins and Hoyle davits. One of the keys to success was building a sturdy lifting cable and bracing the dinghy side to side so that it can't move.

Whatever you do, go much larger than you expect as the forces which get generated in large seas. The A&H model at the bottom was insufficient and needed to be replaced.

-- Geoff
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Atkins & Hoyle davits
Atkins & Hoyle davits
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Lifting cable
Lifting cable
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This model was insufficient
This model was insufficient
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Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 8:54 pm
by daletournier
Hi, now I'm not suggesting this is a perfect way to carry a tender but in most conditions im comfortable with it. Im yet to find a perfect way on a 33foot freedom. Davits like Geoffs are usually the best option in my opinion but I have a hydrovane on the back and also a lot of other weight back there and dont want to add more on my small boat that pretends she's a big boat! I generally take the outboard of.The dinghy is very securily tired to toe rail then across the top to handrail, it really cant move.Also I have stanchion handrails ( photo 3 ) on Freeform that make this possible. On long passages when I'm unable to guarantee weather I will let dinghy down. I used to carry it upside down between mast and dodger but I like how it obstucts my view. My current way also allows me to put her in the water quickly if need be. Unless the weather was very nasty I feel she is secured quite well.

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 7:40 am
by sailmon
Hey, where is everyone? Hopefully not frozen in the tundra! I'm hoping for a few more responses on carrying a dinghy and outboard. Some pros and cons would be greatly appreciated. Wondering if anyone else has had experience or heard anything about Davron's DinghyTow?
Thank you,
Bob

Only 8 weeks till we strip off the Shrinkwrap!

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:20 pm
by rvivian
I have a dinghy tow on my F-30 as well (along with a bit of other "different" stuff). It seems to work well on Puget Sound. I don't know about how it would work in the seas found in the open ocean.

Sward posted a long while back that he tried one on his F-32 and had bad luck with it,
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Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:07 pm
by midnightsailor
I carry my 9 ft Achilles on the cabin top just forward of my mizzen on my F33 cat Ketch . works fine but a bit of a PITA to get it on and off even using the stsysail halyard. If I'm going on short sails I just tow it . 5 HP motor lives on aft pushpit .

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 11:56 am
by wcwcwc
I've been sailing on a Catalina 380 lately and have the system below in use:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1145988707 ... SnapDavits#

It has been working very well costal. Not sure about blue water.

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 2:05 pm
by FreeB
I added davits from Kato Marine - the island model - http://www.katomarine.com/saildavits-island.htm with great success.

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 1:42 pm
by Salacia
Hi Bob,
I use a DinghyTow on my '97 Freedom 35. I run overnight from Massachusetts up to Penobscot Bay, Maine. It behaves beautifully. In quartering seas, the dinghy behaves like it were part of the boat. Absolutely no problems. My only complaint is that I have to listen to the sound of the water rushing around the bow of dinghy that is in the water. Well, one more issue. Don't forget when you are at a dock, that you are now 10 feet longer and it is behind you!

Re: Carrying a dinghy

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 9:32 pm
by Simplify
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We are in the process of moving the motor mount location. We use larger straps sailing. We used this configuration last year from Nova Scotia to Florida and it worked out fine. We tow it like the dinghy tow shown off the davits on short halls or in the ICW. The davits hold the radar dome, wind gen and solar.