Dinghy tow line
What is the best line for towing a dinghy?
I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry |
Dinghy tow line
A number of people are making this stuff these days, but I will only list
the stuff made by Samson Ropes as that is probably what you were looking at based on the color you describe. MFP Floatline- least expensive ultralight- high tech line Litespeed- high tech line You are correct. A floating line is important. Non floating lines often get caught in props- especially at the worst possible moment such as when backing down an anchor or maneuvering in tight spaces. |
Dinghy tow line
Gerald
For what it's worth, I use the cheapie braided polypro line foudn at th elocal hardware store to tow our 8' Fiberglass dinghy and change it every few years when the UV gets to it. Matt "Gerald Atkin" wrote in message ... What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry |
Dinghy tow line
I have used Wellington yellow Poly braid and Yellow Poly from Lowes and
Home Despot and I swear I cannot tell any diference. You do need to change a dinghy painter out every other season at least because it will not stand up to UV but 20' of half inch is only about $8. Gerald Atkin wrote: What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry -- Glenn Ashmore I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com |
Dinghy tow line
On Wed, 12 May 2004 10:56:49 -0400, dbraun wrote:
A number of people are making this stuff these days, but I will only list the stuff made by Samson Ropes as that is probably what you were looking at based on the color you describe. MFP Floatline- least expensive ultralight- high tech line Litespeed- high tech line You are correct. A floating line is important. Non floating lines often get caught in props- especially at the worst possible moment such as when backing down an anchor or maneuvering in tight spaces. I have been using a poly floating line that looks like yacht braid, it's a braided cover with an un-braided bundle of fibers inside. I don't know the brand, got it at a flea market, but it's red with a yellow tracer. This line handels well and holds knots ok but it doesn't have a lot of give and can't be spliced. I use a double figure eight and nylon thimbles. The last thing you want for a tow line is some high tech low stretch stuff. I took to leading the line over a fender lashed flat near the stern cleat to reduce the shock loads in rough weather. I am planning to replace it with three strand polypropelene with spliced eyes this year. RB |
Dinghy tow line
On Wed, 12 May 2004 08:47:05 -0400, Gerald Atkin
wrote: What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, The West catalog has both laid and braided polypro on page 725. No red thread. I am sure you could find it on their web site if you don't have a catalog. I would use this for a dinghy tow line because it floats, making it less likely to get into your prop in reverse. Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a Ask not with whom the buck stops . . . |
Dinghy tow line
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
The West catalog has both laid and braided polypro on page 725. No red thread. I am sure you could find it on their web site if you don't have a catalog. I would use this for a dinghy tow line because it floats, making it less likely to get into your prop in reverse. "Less likely" is the key phrase. Floating line can still get wrapped in the prop, ask me how I know. So far, I don't know of a single way to totally fool-proof any aspect of sailing or cruising. The best you can hope for is a slight degree of "fool-resistant." Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
Dinghy tow line
Thanks for all the good info. It really beats talking to someone at WM who
last week was working at a fast food place!! Jerry |
Dinghy tow line
On Wed, 12 May 2004 15:28:30 -0400, DSK wrote:
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote: The West catalog has both laid and braided polypro on page 725. No red thread. I am sure you could find it on their web site if you don't have a catalog. I would use this for a dinghy tow line because it floats, making it less likely to get into your prop in reverse. "Less likely" is the key phrase. Floating line can still get wrapped in the prop, ask me how I know. So far, I don't know of a single way to totally fool-proof any aspect of sailing or cruising. The best you can hope for is a slight degree of "fool-resistant." Yes, that is why I said "less likely." I have seen dinghy painters with a series of floats, that might make it "even less likely." However, hauling the dinghy up short against the stern before going in reverse is still a great idea. Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a Ask not with whom the buck stops . . . |
Dinghy tow line
I think having a tow rope with some stretch is important when for example,
you have a following wind and the dinghy starts sailing from side to side, not keeping pace with the boat. The boat can actually lag the dinghy at certain instances, so when it finally exceeds the dinghy speed, there will be a big tug on that tow line. I think this pull should be dampened with a stretchable line to reduce loads on whatever the line is tied to on the boat, and not cause any affects on boat handling. The solution to lines getting tangled in the prop is to bring up the dingy close to the boat when anchoring, reversing, etc. Sherwin D. DSK wrote: Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote: The West catalog has both laid and braided polypro on page 725. No red thread. I am sure you could find it on their web site if you don't have a catalog. I would use this for a dinghy tow line because it floats, making it less likely to get into your prop in reverse. "Less likely" is the key phrase. Floating line can still get wrapped in the prop, ask me how I know. So far, I don't know of a single way to totally fool-proof any aspect of sailing or cruising. The best you can hope for is a slight degree of "fool-resistant." Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
Dinghy tow line
Lucky you! You can find that stuff at Home Depot for next to nothing, since
it's not labeled "marine"! -- Keith __ The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off due to budget cuts. "Gerald Atkin" wrote in message ... What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry |
Dinghy tow line
"Russ Barron" wrote in message ... On Wed, 12 May 2004 10:56:49 -0400, dbraun wrote: SNIP I took to leading the line over a fender lashed flat near the stern cleat to reduce the shock loads in rough weather. What a great idea. Thanks Matt |
Dinghy tow line
On Wed, 12 May 2004 17:31:21 -0400, Rodney Myrvaagnes
wrote: Yes, that is why I said "less likely." I have seen dinghy painters with a series of floats, that might make it "even less likely." However, hauling the dinghy up short against the stern before going in reverse is still a great idea. I have a rough idea of the distance between my prop and the tender's D-ring in a straight line, and a tad shorter than that is my standard "deployment". If it's choppy, I let off 20 feet or so. If it's light air in a current, you can sometimes have under sail the slightly humiliating vista of seeing your tender passing your sailboat. This is your cue to switch on the motor or retire below for "recreation". BTW, the fender as shock absorber idea is great. That's why I love NGs like this...someone's solved problems you've yet to consider or discover. R. |
Dinghy tow line
I rigged my towline up from a suggestion I received earlier. There are
actually two lines, both three straid laid nylon. I used this for the shock absorbing characteristics. The first line is about 50', and has a thimble spliced into both ends. One gets shackled to the dink. Then I have another line with an eye spliced into one end. I hook this onto my cleat/hawsepipe on the starboard side, pass the line through the thimble of the tow rope, then pass it through the cleat/hawsepipe on the port side. This allows me to adjust the length of the entire assembly to get the dink to where it wants to run based on the wake and bow wave ( I have a trawler that runs around 7 knots). If I need to cinch it up for docking or whatever, I just pull in the bitter end of the cleat line until the towline is reachable, then grab it and pull it up close and cleat it off. Another suggestion that I haven't done yet is to make a towline that splits into two, with eyes spliced into two ends to pass over the tubes at the reat of the dink, then forward to attach to the towline, or spliced together. The idea behind this is to prevent a towing eye from pulling out of the dink and losing it. -- Keith __ A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative. "rhys" wrote in message ... On Wed, 12 May 2004 17:31:21 -0400, Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote: Yes, that is why I said "less likely." I have seen dinghy painters with a series of floats, that might make it "even less likely." However, hauling the dinghy up short against the stern before going in reverse is still a great idea. I have a rough idea of the distance between my prop and the tender's D-ring in a straight line, and a tad shorter than that is my standard "deployment". If it's choppy, I let off 20 feet or so. If it's light air in a current, you can sometimes have under sail the slightly humiliating vista of seeing your tender passing your sailboat. This is your cue to switch on the motor or retire below for "recreation". BTW, the fender as shock absorber idea is great. That's why I love NGs like this...someone's solved problems you've yet to consider or discover. R. |
Dinghy tow line
Gerald Atkin writes:
What is the best line for towing a dinghy? Go to K-Mart, buy a water ski tow rope. It will float, it's cheap, and it does the job. -- Lew S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland) Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures |
Dinghy tow line
Depends on what you call a dingy.
For my small inflatable in calm water, I use Poly... easy to splice, cheap, will last for years if you get it out of the sun after use. For my tender (18' whaler)in rough water, I use 5/8" nylon with a VERY long bridle (40') and another 60' of tow line. Great stretch for rougher seas. I shorten it at the tender end if needed so that the long bridle stays intact for stabilty and a more straight pull. (Tested to 22 kts in 3-5' seas, 17 kts in 5-7' seas) When pulling into port, we do shorten it on the tow boat end and go down to towing on the non-slip side cleat. My neighbor calls a 31 jupiter his "dingy" He uses a 3/4" Multibraid with a similar setup to my Whaler. Funny thing.... the ONLY time I ever got the line caught up in the wheels was when I was towing the little guy with the floating line. (had to cut it loose in 1000+ ft of water... you tend to be VERY careful with heavy diameter nylon...) Gerald Atkin wrote: What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry |
Dinghy tow line
I know this is late, but I just got back from a few weeks on the boat.
I have a heavy fibreglass 8' dinghy. I use "Marstron" (brand name, I assume) - it is the flexible braided polyprop line such as others have described. Mine has been in use for 15 years and shows no signs of deteriorating in the sunlight. But I'm replacing it this week with a new one, just in case. I use a rubber mooring line snubber (the kind with loops in the ends, rather than the kind that you twist your mooring line around) in the towing line right at the dinghy - it takes up the shock loads, and if it tries to stretch too much, the part of the painter that "bypasses" the snubber takes the load. I've also just started playing with a trick I saw on another boat. There is a short line (with the snubber) from the dinghy to a small block. This block rides on a piece of line (Marstron) that runs from the port stern cleat to the startboard. This line is rather short (barely reaches the water). When we are towing the dinghy under power, it is up close, and rides in the center behind the boat, rather than off to one side. The block lets it easily move around if the wave/wind conditions move it. Only used it briefly - not sure if it is going to be any better than just towing close behind. But it LOOKS cool! Larry Bradley C&C Corvette 31 "Lady Di" Kingston, ON, Canada Gerald Atkin wrote: What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry Larry Bradley VE3CRX Remove "removeme" from my e-mail address for direct mail Ottawa, Canada (use the e-mail address above to send directly to me) |
Dinghy tow line
This might be another option.
http://www.shockles.com/usage/dinghy-towing.cfm "Larry Bradley" wrote in message ... I know this is late, but I just got back from a few weeks on the boat. I have a heavy fibreglass 8' dinghy. I use "Marstron" (brand name, I assume) - it is the flexible braided polyprop line such as others have described. Mine has been in use for 15 years and shows no signs of deteriorating in the sunlight. But I'm replacing it this week with a new one, just in case. I use a rubber mooring line snubber (the kind with loops in the ends, rather than the kind that you twist your mooring line around) in the towing line right at the dinghy - it takes up the shock loads, and if it tries to stretch too much, the part of the painter that "bypasses" the snubber takes the load. I've also just started playing with a trick I saw on another boat. There is a short line (with the snubber) from the dinghy to a small block. This block rides on a piece of line (Marstron) that runs from the port stern cleat to the startboard. This line is rather short (barely reaches the water). When we are towing the dinghy under power, it is up close, and rides in the center behind the boat, rather than off to one side. The block lets it easily move around if the wave/wind conditions move it. Only used it briefly - not sure if it is going to be any better than just towing close behind. But it LOOKS cool! Larry Bradley C&C Corvette 31 "Lady Di" Kingston, ON, Canada Gerald Atkin wrote: What is the best line for towing a dinghy? I have seen somewhere on the net a multifilament polypropylene dinghy tow rope that looks a lot like braided line but it is poly and floats. Assume this would be good. But can't seem to find it. If I recall it was yellow with a red thread, Jerry Larry Bradley VE3CRX Remove "removeme" from my e-mail address for direct mail Ottawa, Canada (use the e-mail address above to send directly to me) |
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