Towable fishing "dinghy"?

[kolive]

This is where it gets interesting. Yes it is aluminum and a welded aluminum boat, but I have not looked at the eye to see how it is attached yet. I take delivery next Saturday in Bremerton, so that is my chance to look at it. I will be able to better determine the eye then.

Gotta laugh because there are so many angles to view this from and I tend to err on the side of safety so it will be interesting to see it. In the mean time I will of course be contacting the manufacturer to see what they say about the eye.

 

[hmason]

Contacting the mfg is the way to go. We have a Boston Whaler and they had a tow eye option that we ordered when they built the boat. Very heavy duty looking compared to the normal trailer eye.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I didn't see towing eye location (Heigth) mentioned but I think it's an issue.

When I was to cross Hecate Strait w my new boat I wanted a dinghy of some sort. Found a 12' aluminum skiff for super cheap and set out. The thing was all over the place in the calm water in front of Masett so I gave it away to a guy standing on the dock.

I think it boils down to the lower attach point on the stem of the boat the better. Psneeld what's your take on eye height? You've surely seen it all.

 

[kolive]

Eric, when I did some reading about this there were a couple of manufacturers that gave specific details on where o take measurements to get it located properly. Towingeyes This site gave good info.
http://www.browardmachine.com/toweyes.html This is another one that shows the towing eye beneath the trailer tow eye.

I have an email sent to the manufacturer of our boat to get their input into this as well. It might end up being a new eye welded in or bolted, backed and welded. We'll see, but regardless, it will get done correctly wit manufacturer input.

 

[psneeld]

Eye height all depends on the rig and how you are towing...but generally does not matter....they are usually placed for how a boat sits on a trailer.

Sure you can order a heavy duty one, install one or beef yours up..but if the are strong enough to pull a boat off the dry sand of a sand bar...towing is baby stuff.

Now.... as the dingy grows into a multi-thousand pound center console of say 25 feet or bigger, loaded down and twins....sure the forces start to rise where a custom tow eye or multiple tow rings are added is probably a good idea.

Boats with cored hulls just need to ensure the backing plate is substantial enough...usually eyeballing is enough if better than fender washers....but I have never had an issue with say Boston Whalers newer than from the 60s or back when the eyes were poorly installed.

 

[kolive]

Hopefully the photo will load. Not a very good shot of the trailer eye but it will give you an idea of the boat and setup. Boat weight approximately 500 lbs, add 30 hp Honda and some gear so maybe 725 lbs.

 

[psneeld]

If the boat was broken down 20 miles offshore in 4 foot , choppy seas, I would have no problem towing that boat back to harbor by the eye through even 4 footers at speeds up to 8 knots.

Higher speeds and I would hope the owner could tell me if the eye was working (getting loose) if visible from the inside or I would stop every 15 minutes for the 1st hour to have the check how solid it still was.

 

[kolive]

Another shot of boat with a little better angle on the eye.

 

[kolive]

psneeld, Thanks for the feedback from someone who tows. Still looking forward the the manufacturer feedback too. I will post something as soon as they reply, hopefully tomorrow!

 

[Nomad Willy]

Those are good boats Keith and very popular in Alaska.

It will be interesting to hear what they say about the eye location. The bow eyes on stock boats are put there mostly for trailer functions. I think towing directional stability would be far better w the eye much lower. It would depend a lot also on the location of the towing line on the towing vessel as well. And the CG of the towed boat, her keel or keel like appendages and probably other things.

I assume it won't be until next week to hear from Klamath.

The strength of stock bow eyes varies a lot. The eye on my 19' Winner OB almost pulled out just from the trailer winch ... need to repair. So for towing I'd be inclined to a dedicated eye w a sizable and well designed backing plate in addition to two studs or bolts.

 

[psneeld]

Light dinghy, heavy tow boat...nope...eye position won't matter a bit...

What will matter more is dingy fore/aft trim on a typical planing boat with motor up and whether towing stiff line or catenary.

 

[kolive]

I just got off the phone with the manufacturer, Klamath Boats, and they said at our towing speeds there should not be any concern. He said just don't take off at full throttle and jerk it. I explained that our boat is a 7-8 knot boat wot and that is not an issue for us. I asked about rough conditions and he pretty much reiterated what you said psneeld, not an issue in 4-5 ft seas, just keep an eye for any signs of strain and if I wanted to do some overkill an easy solution would be to find an aluminum welder to beef up the eye and area around it. But he said he did not think it would be an issue. He also laughed and said don't turn it into a baggage boat and add all kinds of weight back there, let it tow in peace and you will love the boat.

 

[psneeld]

I just got off the phone with the manufacturer, Klamath Boats, and they said at our towing speeds there should not be any concern. He said just don't take off at full throttle and jerk it. I explained that our boat is a 7-8 knot boat wot and that is not an issue for us. I asked about rough conditions and he pretty much reiterated what you said psneeld, not an issue in 4-5 ft seas, just keep an eye for any signs of strain and if I wanted to do some overkill an easy solution would be to find an aluminum welder to beef up the eye and area around it. But he said he did not think it would be an issue. He also laughed and said don't turn it into a baggage boat and add all kinds of weight back there, let it tow in peace and you will love the boat.

just remember it's back there....sometimes easy to get distracted and forget now and then...

 

[ktdtx]

I'm also looking for a "dinghy-fishing-exploring-work" boat. I may decide to tow some but haven't convinced myself I want to do it all the time. Maybe that's because i haven't towed before.

Except for the increased wind profile and the possibility of dinging up the big boat, any reason you couldn't carry the Klamath aluminum boat on the bridge deck if there is room?

 

[kolive]

I would need a significantly larger boat to bring my 15' Klamath aboard. It weighs 615 lbs boat and motor. Not adding anything else. My boat could not carry it on the aft cabin for both length and weight reasons. But..... They do make a great 12 footer that is welded that weighs 144 lbs without a motor that would be a nice carry aboard dinghy to row or use a small outboard or even an electric trolling motor for shore excursions.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Keith a 12' skiff is not a nice boat to row. Like rowing a barge and no directional stability. Better than a rubber duckie though.

I've seen small Lunds that were very light and 11 feet. I have an idea about a foldable marine railway (very lightweight) that would launch a 12' skiff straight over the aft cockpit. Probably one of those never get around to it ideas.

 

[kolive]

Eric, rowing a rubber boat has only worked for me when I row one on a river to fish out of. From Montana to coastal rivers it can be a great fishing platform, but rowing one as a dinghy has not been anywhere near as pleasurable. Rowing a 12' Klamath was actually significantly better, smoother, faster and easier to control. It is definitely not a sleek stylish row like a wherry, but not bad at all. Just my experience though.

 

[Xlantic]

just remember it's back there....sometimes easy to get distracted and forget now and then...

Good advice i have not always followed!

I now use an "automatic retrieval system" to bring in the towline when I slow down. The towline is retrieved enough so it clears the propellers but is loose enough so the dinghy does bang-up against the boat.

In Keith's GB Classic it could work as shown below.

The yellow line is the towline which can be on a bridle or directly attached.

The red line is a long bungee cord that is attached at a specific point along the towline, runs through a small pullley block at the end of the boom and is then attached to the mast. (To accommodate a longer bungee cord, a second pulley block could be placed at the mast end and bunge cord doubled back and attached to the end of the boom.)

My boat is an "Europa" style so I attach the pulley at the rear edge of the flying bridge and run the bungee cord along the edge of the flying bridge to make it longer.

Even though the Admiral continues to be designated dinghy watcher this system provides additional safety.
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/images/trawler/attach/pdf.gif

 

[Xlantic]

just remember it's back there....sometimes easy to get distracted and forget now and then...

Good advice i have not always followed!

I now use an "automatic retrieval system" to bring in the towline when I slow down. The towline is retrieved enough so it clears the propellers but is loose enough so the dinghy doesn't bang against the boat.

In Keith's GB Classic it could work as shown below.

The yellow line is the towline which can be on a bridle or directly attached.

The red line is a long bungee cord that is attached at a specific point along the towline, runs through a small pullley block at the end of the boom and is then attached to the mast. (To accommodate a longer bungee cord, a second pulley block could be placed at the mast end and bunge cord doubled back and attached to the end of the boom.)

My boat is an "Europa" style so I attach the pulley at the rear edge of the flying bridge and run the bungee cord along the edge of the flying bridge to make it longer.

Even though the Admiral continues to be designated dinghy watcher this system provides additional safety.

attachmentid=38202&stc=1&d=1426257996[/url]

 

[kolive]

Xlantic, that is one I have not seen before. Interesting. Thanks for putting that graphic in to really see the setup. Not sure it will work for me as I tow the boat a bit further back. Have you ever had a bungee break on you doing this? I like the automatic retrieval part to avoid fouling the tow line. We've done that twice in our first cruiser but have managed to avoid it since.

 

[Xlantic]

Not sure it will work for me as I tow the boat a bit further back.

Yes this system only works on a relatively short towline but I have found such towlines are fine.

Have you ever had a bungee break on you doing this?

No. If the bungee cord is long enough so that it is not overstretched it should not break. In my set-up it doesn't quite double in length when towing.

 

[Simi 60]

Looking at a larger dinghy myself
Boat currently has a little 2.4m solid fiberglass inflatable look a like which is great if only going 100 ft to the shore but not enough for exploring.

Ideally i'd like at least a 12 to 14 ft V nosed aluminium punt but I also want to lift it out of the water at night to prevent theft and banging alongside and for lifting when coming into a fuel dock.
My davits are set up so I can lift up to the roof level

question: Is having a dinghy wider than the transom likely to be an issue?