What is a good dinghy tow rope and painter? Should float well enough
that it doesn't get sucked into the prop but still pleasant to handle
and hold knots well.

--

Roger Long

On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 15:07:08 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

What is a good dinghy tow rope and painter? Should float well enough
that it doesn't get sucked into the prop but still pleasant to handle
and hold knots well.

I have sailed many charter boats and have handled many painters. I am
partial to braided polypropylene.

Jack

_________________________________________
Jack Dale
ISPA Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor
CYA Advanced Cruising Instructor
http://www.swiftsuresailing.com
_________________________________________

I find that it doesn't hold knots well, though, and I tape them up with
plastic tape.

Capt. jeff

How about an overhand knot p'styrene sphere (craft / hobby store) drilled
to the line dia overhand knot: every (two times the depth to the top of
your screw) on your preferred line type?
BF

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I find that it doesn't hold knots well, though, and I tape them up with
plastic tape.

Capt. jeff

Yuck. This all sounds like a horrible kludge and I hate that rope.
Isn't there anything else that floats?

--

Roger Long

On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 15:07:08 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

What is a good dinghy tow rope and painter? Should float well enough
that it doesn't get sucked into the prop but still pleasant to handle
and hold knots well.

I use braided polypropylene in a two-point bridle off the
stern-quarter extrusions, and I put a lot of extra hitches in the
knots. I also use the usual three-braid (non-floating) painter as a
back-up, but it's paid out mostly as a shock absorber and is never
slack enough under way to foul the rudder or the prop. If I'm backing
down, I use a boat hook to keep it out of harm's way.

One comment: Having a 10 foot RIB with a 9.9 four-stroke *does* have
one not-so-obvious advantage in that if your engine hits a spot of
trouble and the wind's dead, you can get home using the RIB to tow the
boat at the hip.

I did this at 4 knots for about 10 nm when I had an engine overheat on
my 33 foot sailboat, and we got home fine. I tied the RIB off,
gradually tweaked the throttle and the direction for "least resistance
dead ahead" and then got back on the sailboat at the rail and had my
wife at the tiller. Thus an empty but closely observed tender "towed"
us back to dock.

The only tricky part was going through our seawall with the
unaccustomed beam and keeping enough way on to dock with the Zodiac
hauling us to starboard.

Mainly, I use it as a toy on windless summer nights. I didn't even
bring it when we went for a week's cruising to Belleville in October,
as we had dockage everywhere.

R.

Roger Long wrote:
What is a good dinghy tow rope and painter? Should float well enough
that it doesn't get sucked into the prop but still pleasant to handle
and hold knots well.

Use anything you like but put a float on it.

Subject

Standard 3/8", 3 strand yellow poly sold as low cost rope for
construction sites at places like Home Depot.

Low cost, high visibility, ready availability, and it floats.

Replace yearly in northern climes, semi-annually in places like South Fl.

Lew

Roger Long wrote:
Yuck. This all sounds like a horrible kludge and I hate that rope.
Isn't there anything else that floats?

Spectra

"Roger Long" wrote in news:wU9wf.77876$XC4.33248
@twister.nyroc.rr.com:

What is a good dinghy tow rope and painter? Should float well enough
that it doesn't get sucked into the prop but still pleasant to handle
and hold knots well.

--

Roger Long



The Mizzen boom! Put a preventer on it to hold it out to whichever side
you like. Tows the dink well under power in the ditch. In port, tie up
the dink to the outhaul car to you can easily retrieve it alongside the
boarding ladder to board. Haul the dink out to the end for "storage" so
it can't bump into anything it might scratch.

Isn't that why they put that little car on top of the mizzen boom,
anyways?...(c;