Walker Bay dinghy towing

[charlesson]

We are planning a cruise, of a few weeks, up the Eastern side of Lake Michigan and are debating whether our 8' dinghy should accompany us. As we have an emergency inflatable, this would only be for anchoring out situations where it would be nice to have shore access. Last week we towed the dink under power and sail with fairly good results.This is a sailing dinghy, so I guess I could insert the centerboard for better stability and tracking. I would also get a bridle which I didn't have previously.
My concern is getting the dinghy on board if
the seas turn unfriendly. Short of buying davits has anyone come up with a simple arrangement to get a 70 pound dinghy on/off the bow as well as a good way to secure it up there.

Thanks in advance,

Ken Heyman
1988 c34
"wholesailor"
Chicago, ILL

[Eliosso]

your best bet would be to use your spinnaker or even your main halyard to hoyst the dinghy on the forward deck.Lay the dinghy on a couple of cushions To secure it you can use adjustable ratchet strap secured to stanchion base which can be bought for cheap at Home Depot. Good luck

[Tim]

Our Walker Bay dinghy tows very nice.  Vary the length of the towline to adjust where the dink rides in your wake.

Take the center board out and place the plug in the seat.  Leaving the center board in will cause the boat to wander when being towed.  Leaving the trunk open (without the plug) will allow water to enter the dink.

Tim Brogan
April IV  C350  #68
Seattle

[Ted Pounds]

We have an 8' fiberglass, sailing dingy similar to the walker bay.  I would echo everything Tim said and add that we've towed her (on Lake Michigan) in waves up to 10 feet with no problems.   :cool:  If things are worse than that you'll probably want to stay in port anyway and weather forecasting is good enough you shouldn't be blindsided by really bad weather on Lake Michigan.  

By the way, have fun on your trip.  There are losts of great spots to visit on the Michigan coast.  If you don't have one, make sure you get a copy Lakeland Boating's cruising guide to Lake Michigan.  It's got all the important info you'll need on all the ports on the lake. They cost about $50, but are worth every penny.

Ted

[tsoko]

Ken,
One other small item to add is to tow the dinghy on the leward side of the stern, and not the windward.  I've found it makes a big difference in the stability of the dinghy under tow.

[Ken Juul]

We routinely lift our 9.6 inflatable onto the bow using the Spinaker Halyard.  Fasten to the bridle and crank up with the winch.  We tie the tow rope off to a bow cleat to keep the dinks bow forward.  As the stern approaches the rub rail, we stop hoisting and man handle the dinks stern to the cabin top just forward of the mast.  Slaken the halyard and tie it down.

[charlesson]

Thanks to all for the great info. AS mentioned, I was planning on rigging a bridle from the stern cleats which will be attached to a length of single line that then attaches to the towing eye on the dink.I have some 3/8 inch polypropolene line (essentially water ski line) that floats. Is this OK or am I better off using traditional line (that sinks) with the floats mentioned in Ron's reply.If I go the above route I would not be adjusting the tow line to the leward sides of the boat (per Tom's reply). Maybe just a single line and no bridle is best?
Thanks again for all the help

[Phil Yates]

Ken,

I have a  8ft grumman, and sail on the  gulf coast area, the 600.00 or so,  that I spent on the davits was one of the best monies I spent on the ECLIPSE.
Phil

[rbeecham]

Phil,

Where and what kind of davits did you purchase for $600.  Sounds like a bargain.  Most of the ones I looked at were at least twice that amount.

[Ted Pounds]

Nylon absorbs the shocks better.  The dingy will sometimes try to pass you on waves then the line will jerk taut as the dingy slows in the trough.  However, as Ron says, it doesn't float.  I always make sure I shorten the line to just a few feet for maneuvering in marinas.

Ted

[Phil Yates]

Hi Dick,
If you will look in the June Cruising World, there is an ad in there  for davits for MarTec  (www.martekdavits.com), for 555.00  they look pretty good to me ,but I did buy mine for less than 600.00 a few years back...
Phil