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Old 04-14-2018, 11:21 AM   #18
Art
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City: SF Bay Area
Vessel Model: Tollycraft 34' Tri Cabin
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 12,569
From my very young days - when event-memory began aboard boats...

I was brought up with a dink always on a tow line. Some dinks were small some were runabouts. Currently we tow a fast 15' Crestliner runabout, comfortable 4 seater on back to backs with bimini snapped to windshield and 50 hp Johnson o/b. Great fun for anchoring our Tolly and then gunk holing as well as cruising the areas, visiting folks, going to restaurants and getting shore supplies when desired.

Due to all my life, having been exposed to towing dinks and runabouts, towing is second nature to me... no matter what conditions may arrive. Final emergency response that we've never used but always have in our "tool box" is cut the line and loose the towed boat. This would only be employed in the most dangerous weather/sea conditions. Bottom line in that instance - loose a dink, save lives. Dinks are very replaceable!

A tow behind is easy to deal-with/handle once you become accustomed to towing it and have required "control" items set up correctly. That includes but is not limited to:

- - > Applicable sized and positioned lines, cleats, chocks, harnesses, quick-clamps, fenders, soft non mark rub-rails and cushy nose piece [on the towed boat]... as well as completely easy to handle and quick to employ alternative side tie capability off either side when required.

These and other useful personally-inventive circumstances/conditions make it so that towing a dink or runabout fits hand and glove with handling the larger primary boat. Including any weather or sea conditions, operating in tight quarters with other boats in bays, channels or marinas and docking into slips or at fuel docks.

Happy Dink Daze! - Art
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