| SJ23 Tech Tip J01, (Updated 2019-02-24) Bob Schimmel | |
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The Dinghy - Rigid or Inflated, Carry or Tow. INDEX - Rigid, Inflatable, RIB, Tow, Carry. |
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There is usually a love, hate relationship with the tender, dinghy or pram. A rigid usually rows and tows very well. Not so an inflatable, unless its a rigid inflatable boat (RIB). The buoyancy, comfort and dryness of an inflatable can't be beat. I've posted this Tech Tip for all those sailors who tow their dinghy over the deep blue brine. It's in those deep troughs that the dinghy can assume a mind of its own, pulling the stern of an SJ23 sideways.
INFLATED - Lots of reserve buoyancy, stability and comfort if you can keep your bum dry sitting on a tube. Be very careful beaching it to prevent a puncture on rocks. Wash the sand off your feet before you step onboard so it doesn't work its way between the floor and the tubes to create a leak. A soft bottom dinghy tows heavy and tends to wander left and right. For that reason, use the bridle arrangement shown here. RIB - The Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) is a hybrid of a rigid and an inflatable. If you ever have an opportunity to try one, go for it. It really is the best of both worlds. The bridle also works on a RIB.
CARRY - A 8' long rigid dinghy can fit on the foredeck, either upside down or right side up, which looks a bit goofy on such a small sailboat as an SJ23. However, you are on a recreational boat, so make it suit your needs. Under sail it should be turned upside down so the jib sheets don't foul and ALWAYS tied so it can't blow off. "A nested dinghy takes half the space of a full size dinghy and it might be possible to carry it on the cabin top. Consider the fact that the boom is about 14" above the cabin top when the main is sheeted hard on a beat. This space will vary according to the rake of the mast. The boom will likely touch the top hoop of a dodger. There is more room on the foredeck to assemble the dinghy". Gleno " I have a 6' Columbia dinghy that can't fit on the foredeck because of the bow pulpit. It can fit on the cabin top under the boom but makes access through the companionway difficult. Towing it noticeably slows the boat. I use it mostly at the anchorage to row between shore and the boat, a 100' or so". Harry
TOW - I bought a
Walker Bay
8 in 2000
just after it came on the market as it was the most stable dinghy for rowing
to/from my mooring and has no
hull maintenance other than occasional washing. I hardly ever tow it
because the drag reduces the speed under sail and I don't need it for an
afternoon float. Later that summer
while motoring to another anchorage, I
discovered how little towing resistance it has. If I tow my dinghy the line is tied to the top of the pushpit and goes to the bow eye that is low enough to keep the bow up a bit.
The keel does a good job of keeping the dinghy in a straight line. But if I'm in large waves and the dinghy decides to take a tack of its
own, I may use the 3 point bridle (shown above) to keep it in a straight line. Use
floating polypropylene
or Dyneema floating line so it doesn't wrap around the propeller. My dinghy has
never capsized under tow BUT one time I forgot to remove the 2HP outboard and came close to loosing
it in rough water.
That was not a good day! The extra weight
on the transom changed the
balance aft too much and that's the last time I towed it with the outboard
on. The oars are always tied (square lashing) to the central seat so they are there when I
arrive. Thanks to the SJ23 shoal draft keel I can nudge Panache to
the shallows and step on shore almost anywhere, which is another
reason why I seldom tow the dinghy. However, there are some rocky shores
around here that make it mandatory to tow the dinghy. One day I may convert it to a RIB by adding the gunwale
flotation option. Bob
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