Using Your Dinghy as a Towboat
Marhc 25, 2006
By CaptainWiki
As long as you do it right, towing a boat from a dinghy is a surprisingly easy task. A 15 hp dinghy can easily handle a 50foot 30 ton vessel. It is always better to have multiple people standing by, one or two dinghies to push, a steering captain and a person to relay messages from the captain to the dinghies. It is also helpful to use portable radios to communicate with the towing dinghies.
Steering
Some amount of steering will be able to be accomplished by the towing dinghy (as long as it isn't pushing astern) but if possible, someone should be onboard the towed vessel to steer. The next option is to tie the rudder amidships so it is not left free to move.
Dinghy Placement
First Option: Pushing Astern Without Tying Up
To push a vessel astern you need to make sure the towed vessel has steering capabilities. It is not possible to steer while being astern so the towed vessel must perform all maneuvers. The towed vessel must also let the dinghy know ahead of time if any abrupt maneuvers are to be made so the dinghy can follow.
The transom must be flat, not the reverse type, or it must be possible to push the towed vessel without worrying about the dinghy getting stuck or deflected of the transom then pushing the vessel astern is a safe way of moving a vessel.
Pushing Astern While Tied Up
Do not tie up the dinghy to the stern so you will better be able to do emergency maneuvers and so it will not pull (and possibly swamp) the dinghy if the dinghy motor cuts out. You may think tying the dinghy astern will help the towed vessel slow down or even go in reverse but really it will only complicate things and cause problems.
Second Option: Pushing While Tied Up Alongside
Tying up alongside is the most common way to tow a vessel with a dinghy because you can steer for the towed vessel, you can use multiple dinghies (one on either side) and the dinghy can go forward and reverse to steer and maneuver the towed vessel.
Make sure you do not need to go through any tight bridges or spaces, otherwise you may need to switch from side to side, or even let go of the towed vessel for brief periods while it is docking or maneuvering. Because of this make sure the dinghy is tied up with quick release cleats
Leading Towline
Using a leading towline is not recommended but if the rudder is gone and it is not possible to push while tied up alongside then you may need to tow with a towline. A towline is not used in confined spaces because a short towline scope will cause the rear of the dinghy, along with the powering dinghy engine, to lift out of the water. Effectively cutting the power to the tow and possibly flipping the dinghy. In calm conditions the towline must be at least a 10 to one scope of the height of the tie up to the waterline. In worse conditions the towline should be anywhere from 100 to 300 feet.
The towline should consist of bridles on both the towed vessel and the dinghy. It should also have a float for the dinghy bridle so it does not get caught in the dinghy prop. If shorter line needs to be used it is possible to tie floats on towline, the best use of this is to tie up a weight (maybe a filled jerry can) that will dangle in the air from the towed vessel and not enter the water to produce drag if tension is let loose on the towline.
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