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#43128
03/03/2015 09:55 AM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 260
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Can anyone comment on how to rig lines to tow a RIB behind a sailing cat? In particular I'd like to know of any quicker methods of hooking up the tow.
In the past we've done a couple of things, but nothing we've tried is very efficient and I figure maybe some of you all have some suggestions.
The previous RIB rentals we've towed have had a long floating line with a circle stainless tow eye about 2 inches in diameter.
Perhaps a bowline on a bight between the pontoons, with a heavy duty clip of some sort to catch the tow eye? Any suggestions welcome/appreciated.
PS- we won't be making the Anegada run this year, so all island hops will be relatively short and protected. Also, we're not trying to set any speed records.
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Joined: Sep 2006
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We normally bring the RIB up, but when we're towing it for a short period of time, we secure each painter to the cleats on each of the scoops. Just remember to bring it in on a short line and have someone watch it while you're picking up a mooring or anchoring.
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Appoint a dinghy captain. Have the delegate work with the checkout guys on the dock to understand the best option for your charter and dinghy... The boats, rigs, and materials available vary too much between boats for one size guidance to fit all.
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All the cats I've been on had davits - does this cat not have them? Much easier to just put it on the davits and not tow at all.
Matt
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I appreciate the comments...
We will have the freebie 5 hp/8 ft dinghy on davits, and have rented an additional rigid inflatable which we will tow.
The dock guys are always helpful, they're just a little slower than I'd like, particularly on day 1. I was thinking too it would be nice to have whatever piece of hardware we might need to speed up the process.
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Joined: Jan 2012
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Just not having to worry about the tow line getting wrapped around a prop is one good reason to out the dinghy on davits.
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We were at Sopers doing some re-provisioning a couple weeks ago and I watched a big Moorings Cat come in and grab a ball. They had a CC dink in tow with what had to be like 50+ feet of line out. After they tied up, the dink was behind the boat that was on the mooring behind them. The captain dropped off the crew and then went back to the base. The crew was going to cab it back to town later...turned out it was a Moorings captain. If they missed that ball and had to turn... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" />
Kirk in Maryland
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Jim, all painters should be floating line, tough to get stuck in a prop.
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Also, if you bring the dink up tight before picking up a mooring it's darned near impossible to even pull the painter under the boat to get it tangled in the prop.
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Joined: Oct 2012
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I've seen more than a few people back down on the painter. Last trip to Norman I saw a guy backdown on one and heard a loud bang and black smoke came out and the boat/cat lost power and began to float aimlessly... there were a bunch of us that had to use our dinghys to push the boat to another boat that it was likely going to hit anyways....but we had both boats put fenders out and got them positioned where they were both on the same ball for a period of time. It was quite a scene! I didn't see it but I believe the boat with power then moved to another ball. There may even be one or two people reading this that were involved in the crazy scene in May of last year.
https://www.tickerfactory.com/ezt/d/4;10765;405/st/20220331/e/USVI+and+BVI/dt/0/k/05ce/event.png
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The potential cost differential between "tough to get stuck" and "impossible to get stuck" is quite significant. 
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The ONLY way to absolutely prevent the painter getting wrapped on your prop is to bring the dinghy alongside or behind the boat with just enough line between the tow ring on the dinghy and the cleat on the towing vessel that the boat is still floating in the water. This is made much easier by the inflatable ribs that are standard these days. Remember when standard dinghies were fiberglass with rub rails?
Bottom line, always pull the tender up as tight as possible when anchoring, mooring or docking.
As for the OP's question about a towing rig, I think you're over thinking things. From the sound of your trip itinerary, you should be fine just tying off the end of the tender painter to the stern cleat on the cat. Attach the painter to the bow towing ring on the tender at the other end. If you can, it is usually best to tow from the lee side hull. Aside from that, you should be fine. Why worry about a bridle or anything else like that when you're only island hopping sailing an hour or two at a time? Relax mon!
Enjoy!!!
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onlymedication said:
The ONLY way to absolutely prevent the painter getting wrapped on your prop is to bring the dinghy alongside or behind the boat with just enough line between the tow ring on the dinghy and the cleat on the towing vessel that the boat is still floating in the water. This is made much easier by the inflatable ribs that are standard these days. Remember when standard dinghies were fiberglass with rub rails?
Bottom line, always pull the tender up as tight as possible when anchoring, mooring or docking.
As for the OP's question about a towing rig, I think you're over thinking things. From the sound of your trip itinerary, you should be fine just tying off the end of the tender painter to the stern cleat on the cat. Attach the painter to the bow towing ring on the tender at the other end. If you can, it is usually best to tow from the lee side hull. Aside from that, you should be fine. Why worry about a bridle or anything else like that when you're only island hopping sailing an hour or two at a time? Relax mon!
Enjoy!!! +1 on that.. with the basic dinghy there is nothing to gain with a bridle. Just more details to act on when the line must be retrieved. The dinghy will find its place behind the boat. If you are truly concerned with backing down on the dinghy? Then when you are positive you will travel at dead slow. Bring the dinghy forward. That would be an issue for many in the Mooring fields who travel much faster than they need to. We always try to have a dinghy captain who owns the little boat. Keep the painter clear, keep the dinghy from filling with engine, AC, bilge, or genset exhaust. Bail it and dry it after any rain or mishap on his/her boat.
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has any charter guest ever had a dinghy without a painter already attached to the dinghy? I think not.
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I always tow with the dinghy motor down...
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Interesting... I always tow with the dingy motor up, though lately I sail with the dingy on the davits. :-)
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I always towed with the motor down because I thought it tracked better. Although with the davits on cats it has been a long time ago.
Back to a mono this year.
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I am with Only and Storm I'd just tie the second dingy to the leeward side stern cleat and I'm with twanger on towing with the motor up. Motor down is such a drag...
Life involves risks, take some prudent ones (NOT with the BVI ferries)!
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When we were having the dinghy davits extended on our boat we had to tow the dinghy. A trick we learned from the TMM briefer was to pass the spliced eye of the painter thru and around a stern cleat to secure the painter to the cleat. When we slowed the boat in preparation for docking or mooring, we pulled in the painter such that the dinghy was tight against the side of the hull and secured painter to a cleat via figure 8 around horn of cleat. When we were underway again, it was a simple matter of just undoing the figurre 8 around the cleat and throwing the painter overboard, knowing the end was still attached to the cleat.
Difficult to describe in words but very easy to do.
Cheers,
Tony
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Thanks to everyone for comments.
I probably should have mentioned in the original post that the RIB we will be towing is 21 feet in length.
Tito at Leverick showed me a couple things last year, adding one of our spare spring lines to the lengthy floating line we already had, connecting to the tow eye with a double neck bowline to the leeward stern cleat.
However, I was sort of thinking maybe there is some way to hook into some sort of rig between the hulls, underneath 'freebie' dinghy on davits as there is some hardware there....though you'd still be required to lengthen and shorten line in that setup too and in an awkward position/fashion.
We always appoint a crew member to man the lines when mooring/docking shortening and lengthening as required.
Last edited by Murdock; 03/03/2015 08:13 PM.
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21'? What are you towing it with?
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I don't like putting a spliced eye through a cleat because it's too hard to undo under load, like in an emergency.
M4000 "Lio Kai"
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With a 21 foot boat you should have a long tow line to work as a shock obsorber and avoid high instantaneous loads on the cleats. I would consider 50' a bare minimum. 75 would be better. Watch the big yachts when they tow the larger tenders and they often use 150' plus lines. You will also have to be very careful not to tear up the sugar scoops when boarding.
G
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Murdock said:
Thanks to everyone for comments.
I probably should have mentioned in the original post that the RIB we will be towing is 21 feet in length.
Tito at Leverick showed me a couple things last year, adding one of our spare spring lines to the lengthy floating line we already had, connecting to the tow eye with a double neck bowline to the leeward stern cleat.
However, I was sort of thinking maybe there is some way to hook into some sort of rig between the hulls, underneath 'freebie' dinghy on davits as there is some hardware there....though you'd still be required to lengthen and shorten line in that setup too and in an awkward position/fashion.
We always appoint a crew member to man the lines when mooring/docking shortening and lengthening as required. You will likely be motoring everywhere. The 21 foot item dragging in the water and sticking up into the windage will greatly diminish the performance of any sailboat. When we have rented a separate larger motorboat. Part of the crew than was into that and thought we needed that ran the tender on there own on the hops between islands..
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