Towing Hard-shell Dinghy

Hello All,
My wife and I own a 1987 Mainship Nantucket 40 DC. We have a Boston Whaler sport that we want to tow behind us. I know others have posted similar questions regarding the towing of dinks however, Nothing has ever seemed to answer the question of what's best practice or "Just don't do it" So, with that said, Boston Whaler 110 sport w/Yamaha 15 hp outboard. Does this seem to be a towable unit? Anyone have experience with comparable craft? Any suggestions or guidance is appreciated. Thank you

What's the problem?
Plenty of us tow far bigger dingies than that regularly.

How fast is the tow?

Drumhead, you bet it's towable, but I'd suggest you make acouple of mods to it before you do. I have a 130 Super Sport with a 40hpMerc on it so it's a little larger and a little heavier than yours.


What I did with mine was put a cleat on each side up nearwhere it curves to the bow. If you look on the Whaler website you can geta drawing of where BW put plywood or a similar material between the twofiberglass layers.


Then I had a company called TOP KNOT make up a towingbridle for the tow boat and a bridle for the Whaler, giving them the length ofthe line to each of the cleats. I alsoadded a line to their bridle that went from the junction of the two lines tothe cleats, and I made that long enough to reach the tow ring on the bow of theWhaler. Essentially what I was trying todo was spread the load between three points rather than just the twocleats. BTW, TOP KNOT does excellent work with quality products. I heartily recommend them.







I’ve only towed it a couple of times and both times it wassmooth as silk. The Whaler stayed almostdead center in the wake. If it tendedto swing outside the wake I would just tow a fender behind the Whaler to add alittle drag to it.

I just placed my order for a towing rig with Top Knot a few days ago. Very reasonable prices and he will work with you to figure out the best configuration, length, etc. for your particular boat and towing needs.

GFC, do have pictures you can post?

We towed our 2005 130 Sport, also with a 40HP Merc, in a wide variety of sea conditions and it tows beautifully. We trimmed the engine so the skeg only was just submerged to help the tracking. We used the bow eye to tow it, which is equipped with a backing plate. I would not use after market cleats (which we installed too) for this purpose. There are a variety of discussions here on the subject of constructing a towing bridle.

In our case we took to towing it when we were going to be docking on a starboard side tie, as that is where the davit lowered the boat from the boat deck (we liked using it after the big boat was tied up), or if we were just going for a very short distance from one anchorage to another. In our opinion, it was kind of a PITA when approaching or departing the docks.

I have 240 nm (only) of towing a BW13 behind a 8kt trawler. It went OK.

Keep this in mind, though. Where you will get into serious trouble is breaking seas, usually in an inlet situation. The bow will submerge and aim down with the tow pull, and Bad things will happen. Only one time for me, and luckily, it was an inflatable, and the motor was small enough for us to deal with the salt water inside successfully while at sea.

Make sure the attachment points on the boat and dingy are strong enough. Also put a line snubber in the tow line. It takes some of the strain off the cleats.

diver dave said:

I have 240 nm (only) of towing a BW13 behind a 8kt trawler. It went OK.

Keep this in mind, though. Where you will get into serious trouble is breaking seas, usually in an inlet situation. The bow will submerge and aim down with the tow pull, and Bad things will happen. Only one time for me, and luckily, it was an inflatable, and the motor was small enough for us to deal with the salt water inside successfully while at sea.

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We faced those conditions a few times, and mitigated those issues with the engine trim and the fact that the attachment point(s) on the mothership were significantly higher than that on the dinghy. We watched it like a hawk the first few times until we learned how it behaved in various conditions and what the "just right" length of the tow line was.

We tow our 11'4" Boston Whaler (with 9.8 Tohatsu) on occasion, but more often than not pull it up on the Weaver Davits. We also use the bow eye when towing. It tracks pretty well, but feel much better when it's brought up.

Fletcher500 said:

GFC, do have pictures you can post

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I'll try to get a couple of pics of the bow cleats tomorrow. The lines I got from Top Knot are on the boat. I have a pinched Sciatic nerve that makes walking a bit tricky and I don't want to risk walking down the ramp in the snowy conditions we're having right now. That being said, they look just like the ones on Top Knot's website.

They do come packed in nice nylon bags with mesh panels so they dry quickly.

When I ordered mine I ordered a 50' and a 75' tow line because I wasn't sure which was going to work best when running on plane. So far we haven't towed on plane with it to test which works best.

Thank you for the response

Thank you all for your response,
I am asking simply due to the fact that I've never done this before and was searching for the advice of fellow boaters that have. I knew that it was possible, I just wasn't sure of the procedure.
What does everyone do with the dinghy when they arrive in port? This is another detail that I need to understand the logistics of maneuvering into a slip with a dinghy in tow.
Thank you again for all your expertise.

Towing is like boating in general. Most of the time it's a piece of cake, sometimes nerve wracking and if it gets there for for...ends in disaster.


While using the completely wrong setup can be contributing to bad towing, its often the combination of the captain's not seeing the speed, length of tow, conditions, etc that is making th4 tow go poorly. This has no real answer, just what one gets from experience.



So yes....extreme sea conditions are to be avoided (especially rough inlets) as well as making sure the tow points on both vessels are adequate in strength and chafe reduction. Bridles are hit or miss in terms of necessity, especially when the mothership is extremely large compared to the tow.


Unless you are an excellent boat handler, getting into many slips with a dingy in tow is going to be difficult. Especially without a crew that can manhandle the tow when you are concentrating on the docking. Sure plenty of times you can get to a facedock no sweat, but down narrow fairways into a slip, you may have to drop the tow off somewhere and bring it over later. Only you and your boat combo will be able to assess that.

Before we got to the marina, we had to stop the boat and haul the tow line in so the bow of the Whaler was right up to the swim platform. Since our boat was designed to go bow-in to a slip, this simply had the effect of adding about 15' to the LOA of our boat. We had to be very careful with any sternward maneuvers for danger of swamping the dinghy or getting it at an awkward angle.

Due to the design and as well as the wide beam of our boat, tying the dinghy alongside was only practical (but difficult in our case), and preferable, when going into a face dock. But if we were doing that, we'd have very likely put it up on the boat deck first anyway.

If we has a boat that was designed only to back into a slip, I don't know but my preference would be to drop the dinghy off somewhere first.

I successfully towed my 11' Bullfrog with a 30 hp Honda for most of a summer using what is probably "worst practice".

I just got tired of putting it up & down on the boat deck each time and-as mentioned above--if you dock on the wrong side you can't get the dinghy down.


I simply got some heavy yellow floating poly pro line and a stout hook to connect to dinghy. I used a few heavy zipties to secure the knot to be sure it wouldn't come undone. Tied it to the large cleat on swim platform. After a while I marked how much line I needed to let out to get the dinghy best positioned on my wake.



If we came into a marina would either put someone in dinghy and disconnect from boat (often didn't have anyone) or pull it up tight to side of stern away from side we were docking.


Again--I know it isn't the "best way" but it worked.

Here are the pics. Nothing special about them but you want to make certain that you put them where it's reinforced beneath that top deck.

We towed our 15 foot Boston Whaler quite a bit last year. We use a length of nylon line to absorb shock off of the rear cleats on our sundeck to make a tow point to which we attach a floating polypro to the tender. An end of the nylon line is made fast to the port and starboard side and the floating line attaches in the center to make a v bridle. (Hopefully that makes sense)

When we dock we either pull the tender close to the swimstep, with a fender on the swimstep or tie it along side the rear of our Tollycraft. The second option is my preference, but since we moor in a shed it is not always possible.

I am not an expert by any means but we have had success with this set up.

By way of a PS to my earlier post (#19), even after looking at the pics of where the top was reinforced between the top and bottom decks, I was apprehensive about drilling into the fiberglass. To verify where the reinforcements were placed, I used a stud finder to locate the fore and aft ends of the reinforcing material. Worked like a charm.

If you have even basic common sense you will have zero problems towing that rig.

I've towed a 18'cc many miles with my 34' Mainship without using any special bridle/towing setup.

I've even done it singlehanded and had to get creative leaving and returning to the dock. Not recommended lol.

We just ordered the same Boston whaler, I have not received it but am wondering about a cover for it. Do you cover yours and if so is it a custom cover or something you found on the shelf?

Thanks,

Bill

ToTheLimit said:

We just ordered the same Boston whaler, I have not received it but am wondering about a cover for it. Do you cover yours and if so is it a custom cover or something you found on the shelf?

Thanks,

Bill

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Boat Covers Direct will have one for your boat. I also got a bimini from them. Great service before and after the sale, in my case extending a few years after the sale. Very good quality too

https://www.boatcoversdirect.com/?g...VR8iOp3yAYFXnzC02g6jdLYpMm9CfsKhoC-LoQAvD_BwE

It may depend on the age of the whaler. I was going g to buy a new one in 2017 until I found that they weighed about 500 pounds more than an early one. In the last two years we've towed our 11ft sport with a 20 HP Honda over 4,000 miles at speeds from 6 to 12 knots up and down the east coast. My tow bridle is 75' of 3/8 floating poly line with a pulley attached to an anchor swivel. The pulley let's it go side to side in turns and the swivel keeps it from tangling. I replace that each year and the old one becomes a straight boat to dinghy safety line in case the tow line breaks(never happened yet) Total cost for the tow set up is less than $50 and I get a lot of complements on the wood console and seats for a fraction of the cost of new. We do have a crane to put it on the roof but it hasn't been up there since we tried it to make sure we could. It's great to drop anchor and have the dinghy ready once you are settled in.
J T Bedell aboard Socially Sea Cured

J T, just curious, what year Whaler did you end up with? We have a 1981 13' Sport with a 2-stroke Evinrude that we keep down in AZ to play with on the lakes there. I haven't weighed it but it definitely is lighter than the 2010 we have here in WA.

Drumhead said:

Thank you all for your response,
I am asking simply due to the fact that I've never done this before and was searching for the advice of fellow boaters that have. I knew that it was possible, I just wasn't sure of the procedure.
What does everyone do with the dinghy when they arrive in port? This is another detail that I need to understand the logistics of maneuvering into a slip with a dinghy in tow.
Thank you again for all your expertise.

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Lots of good info so far. As with most things in boating I have heard diametrically opposed opinions from seemingly knowledgeable skippers. And of course there are exceptions to every rule

Here are a few other things to think about.

When you are towing you will notice there is a wave following you. Generally speaking make your tow line the right length so what you are towing will be riding down that wave instead of up it.

Always get as much of a visual of a marina or docking BEFORE you enter / commit to it. Somewhere you will need to pull the dinghy up close in order to dock. You don't want the tow line to get wrapped around your prop etc.

There are lots of things to consider about where the best place to pull up the dingy might be - swim platform or alongside. Either way practice on a calm day and see how it feels and think about what happens if you have to back up or do a back and fill.

Remember when you first started to drive? Most people have more accidents, bumps and scrapes in their first five years of driving than they do the whole rest of their lives. Something will happen that you don't like Just keep your fingers clear and don't wrap a line around your hand when you are pulling on it. Replacing a dinghy and patching a scrape in gel coat isn't the end of the world.

jtbedell said:

... In the last two years we've towed our 11ft sport with a 20 HP Honda over 4,000 miles at speeds from 6 to 12 knots up and down the east coast. ...
J T Bedell aboard Socially Sea Cured

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ICW travel or offshore?

I have towed hard shelled dinghies across the Mediterranean with no issues.

Ribs are easier to dock with. Just tie them to the bow on a short line and back into the slip.

When I use my 13’ Boston Whaler (best dinghy I have used) I need to have a crew member dock it before we dock the mother ship.

For a lot of good info, including towing spots, weights by year, and support plates for Boston Whalers google Continous Wave. We bought our 1978 Whaler as a backyard decoration and NEEDED that site to know how to rebuild it. It was originally sold as a tender to a 76' Hatteras. Many BW's were sold that way and were painted Hatteras cream with an identifying hull number as a tender. Most of our cruising and towing was in the ICW with a few offshore legs in good weather. I don't see a big difference towing offshore and towing through Chesapeake or Pamlico sounds - in any place like that if I can't tow in that water at that time I don't want to be cruising there at that time either.

I used to tow a 1967 13' Whaler with a HEAVY 50 HP Johnson with powered trim. That sucker slowed my twin engine Grand Banks by a knot and a half at normal cruise RPM. My regular marina covered slip was a back-in deal; so before getting to the home slip, I stopped and moved the towline to the port cleat on the bow bringing the Whaler's stern even with the GB's. I tied the sterns together so the Whaler was "on the hip." As I moved down the fairway between slips, I left go the Whaler's stern tie as I slowed to a stop and put the boat in a twist to port aligning the stern with the slip as the Whaler remained in the fairway with a slack towline. After backing in, I pulled the Whaler to me and lowered myself into it to run it around to the boat ramp to trailer it home. I did this single-handed.

If I were going to a side tie, I would not have untied the Whaler's stern line in order to keep it on the disengaged side.

I have also towed a 23' Mako to the Bahamas from the panhandle of FL and towed a Whaler like mine up the coast of California after it got ripped off the top of the 60' Chris Caft Roamer I was delivering in 14' seas.

My advice on towing into inlets with any kind of sea making would be to shorten up the tow to get the dink as close as you can and keep a fair turn of speed. This keeps the dink's bow up. As commanding officer of a 205' US Navy oceangoing tug, I did this while towing a big aircraft barge going into Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Kaneohe is on the windward side of Oahu and subject to large breaking waves nearly 24/7/365 due to the trade winds. We got the barge in close and went to "ramming speed." It's pretty awsome to look up and see a large wide barge on a 10-12' breaking wave towering over your stern, but it was over almost before it began with no harm done, thank goodness and the pygmies.

BTW, I eventually tired of the Whaler and sold it and continued with a good RHIB and a 9.8 HP Nissan which I preferred to keep an board the big boat.

We towed our 11’ whaler on the sound all last year. Always used a safety line. Also kept her about 50’ behind the mothership. Paying attention to the weather and seas. Installed a small bilge pump to keep her dry while under way and in port. Brought her in very close to mothership prior to entering Harbor and let her out when clear of all Harbor traffic. Planning on doing the same this year.

11’ Whaler

Wonderful to have it once we got into port.

Nice whaler. Ours is the older style with wood console and seats, pretty but lots of maintenance! Instead of a bilge pump we leave the plug out when towing or when rain is forecast. Even after several days of rain we only have 1.5 inches of water to bail when it stops. ?