Dinghy not only floats, it tows!

[Lootas1]

Couldn't wait to see if the patched up dinghy would tow behind Rosario. The good news is, it will. The bad news is that it appears 15 mph was about it's limit. After that it started dancing off one wake and then the other. Never flipped but it was too wild a ride to take it above 15 mph. Here it is doing 15 on a down wind, with the current run.

[Skagitguy]

Jerry,How long is your tow line and were you towing it with Rosario ? If so how about 35-50 feet of line so it will get back in the calmer part of the propwash? Chuck

[Lootas1]

Yuh know what? That was what I was thinking as I looked at the pic. I was on maybe 25 feet of line and it looked like it was right in the heaviest of prop wash. Yup, that was behind Rosario. Think it might ride calmer with the Mystery Bay boat propelled by the 9.9 Johnson I bought from you a few years back. Oh, yeah, I forgot I was just dreaming about Marty's new boat. If I could only teach the family to live on sawdust, I might be able to buy one in about 20 years. Why wasn't I born to be an investment banker or even a great ponzi scheme operator?

[Lootas1]

Oops. Tried to upload a pic that shows the distance behind Rosario. What can I be doing wrong here?

[Tim McCrain]

What can I be doing wrong here?

Jerry, you have no idea how often I ask myself that ...

[Helmar]

Pictures look good to me and Yes, ask McSkagit about the towing as he would put out Lots of line.
Remember some of those images he had showed us out the back of his tow boat was the line Under a swell so Yes, he puts them back aways.

If anyone knows this for sure its Tim Jones.

[rjparksjr]

I towed several different boats behind my 32' and then the 39', the last being a 17' Whaler. Needs to be about 6' to 10' behind where the prop wash and wakes meet otherwise the towed boat wants to dart from side to side. There is kind of a sweet spot that you are looking for. When you go to dock just pull the little boat up tight and pay attention to the tow line.....some guys like floating line. A bridle is nice.... I also used two equal length lines once I figured out the correct length.


Kindest Regards,

Bob

[Lootas1]

Thanks Bob. I'm using a tow bridle for a water skier that I picked up at a garage sale for a couple of bucks. So, I gather I'm about 10 feet too close to my tow boat in this shot. I'll add some rope and see what happens. I watch boats go by my house all the time dragging dinghies at various distances so guess I should give my wife the tow line and find that sweet spot. I'd like to be able to tow at 20-25 mph if possible.