I'd like to play devil's advocate here, so I'll offer whatever
criticisms of the scheme I can, but in truth I do not really have any
expert opinion about this, I'm just speculating. I think that was what
you were asking for, please forgive me if I misunderstood.


So, from the home office in sunny California, the top ten reasons why I
think this might not work...


1) Trailing a dingy is often untenable during rough conditions, exactly
the time you'd like to incorporate the "quick release" system you proposed.

2) The dingy would need some form of covering to protect it from
becoming swamped, thereby reducing its effectiveness as a "life raft"
for the MOB.

3) The overall amount of drag the dingy would add to the vessel's
progress over the entire passage would not compensate the practical gain
of using this approach over a "life sling" or other similar device.

4) You increase the chances of fouling the prop or rudder by
continuously towing a dingy, thereby offsetting any benefits you might
have gained.

5) The dingy might be better employed as an additional search and rescue
vehicle, especially if the MOB is incapacitated and/or unable to place
themselves back on board.

6) The dingy could be lost during the attempted rescue, thereby greatly
endangering the rest of the crew should the vessel flounder.

7) The dingy could act to further injure the MOB, complicating an
already difficult situation.

8) Even if the MOB could self rescue, there is still the very real
possibility that the dingy would be overturned again.

9) Bringing the dingy back on board would require some form of winching
system in any kind of weather. This could complicate the boat layout
or its maneuverability.

10) It just looks funny.


KLC Lewis wrote:
But this inflatable dink has me rethinking things. By towing the dink when
weather allows, if crew should go overboard the dinghy could be cut loose
immediately. This would provide conscious MOB with a boat to swim towards,
and give rescue crew another marker (though one with more windage) to help
with locating the missing crew. The floating line in the water would also
give the MOB something to grab, and its streaming direction would offer
clues as to the current and rate of drift, assuming it's not being trailed
behind a wind-driven dink.

And, of course, trailing a dinghy in the water in fair weather could become
a handful if the wind picks up.

Any thoughts?