Towing or being towed on the water

[brutus]

People who live in coastal communities & have extensive boating experience typically help each other regardless of whether or not they have history between the boats/people. It's called being a responsible adult when it is important to put differences temporarily aside. Could be you the next time - and the roles are reversed.

Too bad the seasonal testosterone addicts can't pretend to be an adult long enuff to help someone. Doesn't take long - if the weather turns - to go from a minor inconvenience into looking for bodies. I've done too much of that myself. You typically never find them - but keep going because you know the family & want closure for them.

Oh I am with you, It was just mind blowing to me when it happened, people could not be bothered by a stranded boat, all about themselves attitude is what I read from them, I know if it happens that I crap out in the area I am on my own

 

[Aces]

That's because you're not an asshole

Depends on who you talk to

 

[brutus]

Depends on who you talk to

I am good at it

 

[chris73]

I towed a couple of times over the years. First time was with my 17' and I had nothing prepped. The to be towed was a 28' dead in the race passage. Built a tow bridle with what we had and hooked it up to both stern eyes. They found a 50' piece of decent rope and off we went against the tide in the passage. Did not have much hope to actually make it but I was hoping for someone to take over sooner than later as we called Pedder Bay Marina for help and coast guard. My initial goal was to just prevent them from drifting onto the rocks. Nope, towed it all the way to Pedder Bay dock in 2h. Went actually pretty smooth. Granted, no swells and not really rough water.
But since then I carry a tow bridle that I also use for towing tubes and skis, and 50' of rope.

 

[brutus]

38 Reaktionen · 6 Kommentare | Yes - we bought REAL tow ropes after this incident. | Michael Bunker

Yes - we bought REAL tow ropes after this incident..

www.facebook.com

 

[Max123]

38 Reaktionen · 6 Kommentare | Yes - we bought REAL tow ropes after this incident. | Michael Bunker

Yes - we bought REAL tow ropes after this incident..

www.facebook.com

GD that's a sketchy tow. Looks like the vessel under tow may not have been helping matters (maybe engines out of the water, or cranked to one side). Glad I'm a fair weather boater.

 

[jackfish]

I generally try to keep my radio on 16 all the time, volume cranked. I find that nearly every time I go out I'm hearing some kind of distress conversation. Last fall one such call was about 5 miles from my location, so I hustled over with my 21' boat you see to the left. 38' sailboat with a family of 7 or 8 onboard, motor down, absolutely zero wind, two hours from dark and 5 miles from safe harbour. I managed to cobble together a rope from a couple dock lines (really not long enough to be safe), tied to a mount point on my boat that really shouldn't be towing a 38' sailboat. Tugged them to harbour at about 5 knots. All was well. Pulled the sailboat from deck mounted cleats...which made me very nervous, but it was all we could figure out that could work. Was very worried about the rig snapping and hitting me on my boat.

My lesson learned was to have a dedicated bridle so I could tow from the hardpoints at the transom, and a nice long rope with some stretch. Which I now have. Dock lines could be used to make a bridle for the boat under tow.

Is there a good way to help ensure a snapped line doesn't raise hell?

And listen to the radio.

 

[agentaqua]

I always carry 100 ft of floating heavy line. I think it’s 5/8. I’d probably just tie off to my front cleat and thro the line to the tow vessel. One thing I learned two years ago in Nootka towing a Moutcha Bay boat back to Friendly was keep the skeg in the water. The guy I was towing decided to raise the motor and the towed boat went squirrely back and forth till he dropped the motor.

Light boats are bad that way. displacement hulls trimmed corrected are pretty good. The skeg helps - as you mentioned: but a sea anchor also does.

I make a v shape from my back cleats, so the shackle in behind my motor slides from side to side ( not sure if this makes sense), on another note, don’t count a on 99% of the boats fishing Renfrew to come help you out because your SOL. Ask me how I know

I've tried that a couple times, but I found it tends to cause the tow to fight the lead boat in turns. I like to have the length of the "V" in the stern bridle to stay constant so that the towed boat is directed to turn.

So, either joining 2 stern mooring lines together into an eye/shackle - or putting an eye in a longer rope solves that issue.

Also, the weight of any shackle also causes your bridle to sink. That gets dicey wrt getting going/stopping and having your bridle get tangled in your props. Usually, it's already a high-risk situation - often adjacent to shore and getting pushed onto the shore when you are disentangling yourself.

No shackle - using a figure 8 to make an eye (can untie that one after strain) in a single tow rope - or putting a bowline in the end of one of your stern mooring lines (if they are long enuff) will solve that issue.

 

[agentaqua]

I generally try to keep my radio on 16 all the time, volume cranked. I find that nearly every time I go out I'm hearing some kind of distress conversation. Last fall one such call was about 5 miles from my location, so I hustled over with my 21' boat you see to the left. 38' sailboat with a family of 7 or 8 onboard, motor down, absolutely zero wind, two hours from dark and 5 miles from safe harbour. I managed to cobble together a rope from a couple dock lines (really not long enough to be safe), tied to a mount point on my boat that really shouldn't be towing a 38' sailboat. Tugged them to harbour at about 5 knots. All was well. Pulled the sailboat from deck mounted cleats...which made me very nervous, but it was all we could figure out that could work. Was very worried about the rig snapping and hitting me on my boat.

My lesson learned was to have a dedicated bridle so I could tow from the hardpoints at the transom, and a nice long rope with some stretch. Which I now have. Dock lines could be used to make a bridle for the boat under tow.

Is there a good way to help ensure a snapped line doesn't raise hell?

And listen to the radio.

Good, experienced advice, JF. Thank you for your input here.

The best way to ensure a line doesn't snap is to have a thick enuff line (3/4" or larger is best); and to periodically check all your lines for UV damage that limits their breaking strength. For people that tie their boats up to the dock for long periods of time - this is particularly important when using mooring lines. many boats - people store their shore/towing line(s) away and the sun doesn't get at them.

The lines start with fine plastic slivers coming off when the line starts to degrade. Every couple years - I replace a line or 2 on my boat - just the worst ones, but I use nylon. Poly is more resistant to UV:

Résistance et durée au UV des fibres textiles techniques

Bonne résistance aux UV, mais peut se dégrader avec le temps, surtout en cas d'exposition prolongée.

www.nodusfactory.com

 

[trophywife]

Tying on a couple bumpers or anything that floats at the wye and also mid way helps with not fouling the line, also makes visuals far better by knowing where the ropes are at all times..
deploying or passing the tow rope should be done at at distance by using a float, lifejacket etc so that boat contact does not need to happen. be patient and let the rope and float drift to the boat needing to be towed. you can also attach needed supplies to this, beer, first aid, radio, doobies.

 

[Max123]

Again, would strongly recommend just a very basic setup for pulling a kids inflatable/tube, but buy double the rope and join them together so you get 120ft. They come with a simple bridle setup, the tow line is rated for 6000lbs and it is all floating line.

Heavy-Duty 60 ft. Tow Rope for Tubing | Airhead

This 60 ft. tow rope holds up to 6 people and has a break strength of 6,000 lbs. Purchase this heavy-duty tow rope for tubing online at Airhead!

www.airhead.com

16 ft. Heavy-Duty Tow Harness for Boats | Airhead

This 16 ft. heavy-duty tow harness easily stretches across beams and is ideal for use with 4-person tubes. Purchase this tow harness online at Airhead!

www.airhead.com

To avoid the tow bridle fouling up your prop, you need to be mindful of how you play out the line. You don't just throw all the line/bridle overboard behind the boat, tighten up and hope for the best (that's just a recipe for a tangled line at best, and a fouled prop at worst). You put the tow bridle over the engine, but pull it back inside the boat tight to one side - you keep all the line on the ground inside the boat, and play it out as you tighten up and then toss the bridle out at the very end.

I also have a small 12" boat bumper that I can use as a weight/float to toss the line.

 

[Tips Up]

…you can also attach needed supplies to this, beer, first aid, radio, doobies.

If you gotta get towed you want to get towed by trophywife!

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks for all the replies. Lots learned.
Still knocking wood and hoping to not need to use any of this info but has helped me to put together a tow kit to be stashed up front and hopefully never used.

 

[agentaqua]

Thanks for all the replies. Lots learned.
Still knocking wood and hoping to not need to use any of this info but has helped me to put together a tow kit to be stashed up front and hopefully never used.

Guess TW includes zip-locks in his tow kit

 

[Squire]

GD that's a sketchy tow. Looks like the vessel under tow may not have been helping matters (maybe engines out of the water, or cranked to one side). Glad I'm a fair weather boater.

I think pulling down on the starboard deck cleat is the cause of the erratic behaviour of the towed boat. Many of the guide boats I’ve been on have a line attached at the bow eye and tied off to an aft deck cleat to aid in anchoring offshore. A stainless ring slides along the line so the anchor can be safely tied off from inside the dance floor of the boat then allowed to slide down to the bow eye. This would be useful when the boat is in need of a tow when the water is too rough to get close as well.

On Friday evening I heard a distress call on channel 16 as I was pulling my crab trap on the way back to the marina. It was a sailboat that had lost power and was drifting toward shore. As I got there a guy from a companion sailboat already anchored across the channel arrived in his dinghy. The captain of the sailboat was an elderly gentleman who explained he had Parkinson’s and was having difficulties dealing with the situation. He was tied alongside in his dinghy but didn’t have enough power to guide the approximately 36-38’ sailboat. The companion was a very competent sailor and when I agreed to tow the sailboat across to the bay he was anchored in he set about tying four large bumpers off the sailboat near midship to cushion me at my rubrail. I pulled alongside and threw him my starboard bow cleat line which he tied off near their bow. Then I was handed a line from their midship cleat which I tied off at my stern cleat. I towed them across the channel at pretty much no-wake speed snugged up alongside while he steered the towed boat. This method wouldn’t have been practical or safe in rough weather but it worked to give me the control needed to stop the sailboat and reverse it to set the anchor after they dropped it.

Last summer I towed two guys in a 17’ runabout with a dead outboard and they were able to lie on the bow and tie a line to the bow eye. Once again the weather was cooperative so this was possible. The guy wanted to sit on the bow though and wasn’t impressed when I told him to move to the back of his boat. I prefer to raise the towed boat’s outboard so you’re not dragging the prop but I can see how the leg set straight could help with control in sloppier conditions.

 

[Rain City]

I think pulling down on the starboard deck cleat is the cause of the erratic behaviour of the towed boat. Many of the guide boats I’ve been on have a line attached at the bow eye and tied off to an aft deck cleat to aid in anchoring offshore. A stainless ring slides along the line so the anchor can be safely tied off from inside the dance floor of the boat then allowed to slide down to the bow eye. This would be useful when the boat is in need of a tow when the water is too rough to get close as well.

On Friday evening I heard a distress call on channel 16 as I was pulling my crab trap on the way back to the marina. It was a sailboat that had lost power and was drifting toward shore. As I got there a guy from a companion sailboat already anchored across the channel arrived in his dinghy. The captain of the sailboat was an elderly gentleman who explained he had Parkinson’s and was having difficulties dealing with the situation. He was tied alongside in his dinghy but didn’t have enough power to guide the approximately 36-38’ sailboat. The companion was a very competent sailor and when I agreed to tow the sailboat across to the bay he was anchored in he set about tying four large bumpers off the sailboat near midship to cushion me at my rubrail. I pulled alongside and threw him my starboard bow cleat line which he tied off near their bow. Then I was handed a line from their midship cleat which I tied off at my stern cleat. I towed them across the channel at pretty much no-wake speed snugged up alongside while he steered the towed boat. This method wouldn’t have been practical or safe in rough weather but it worked to give me the control needed to stop the sailboat and reverse it to set the anchor after they dropped it.

Last summer I towed two guys in a 17’ runabout with a dead outboard and they were able to lie on the bow and tie a line to the bow eye. Once again the weather was cooperative so this was possible. The guy wanted to sit on the bow though and wasn’t impressed when I told him to move to the back of his boat. I prefer to raise the towed boat’s outboard so you’re not dragging the prop but I can see how the leg set straight could help with control in sloppier conditions.

The side by side method is great for once you're at the marina and trying to maneuver in tight quarters. Just make sure to have all your lines easily removable for when it's time to let go. I've had to do this a few times when I was rolling with other Bayliner owners. The other trick is to tie yourself about 1/2 way back from the towed boat to allow better steering. The last essential for a tow kit is the biggest 602s you've got.

 

[profisher]

The only ones that will help are the guides, the sporty are too busy making sure they don’t miss the bite

I was off Otter Point a couple years ago and noticed a 21-22 ft boat drifting in towards the beach and by the movements of the two guys on board they were having issues with no power. There were about 30 boats there in close proximity. As the boat got dangerously close to beaching I pulled my gear and got there just in time to (he was in 3-5 feet of water) grab a line and pull him out. I got him far enough off the beach to give him more time to resolve his problems and if he didn't he would drift safely past the point into deeper water. Everyone else just kept fishing.

 

[brutus]

I was off Otter Point a couple years ago and noticed a 21-22 ft boat drifting in towards the beach and by the movements of the two guys on board they were having issues with no power. There were about 30 boats there in close proximity. As the boat got dangerously close to beaching I pulled my gear and got there just in time to (he was in 3-5 feet of water) grab a line and pull him out. I got him far enough off the beach to give him more time to resolve his problems and if he didn't he would drift safely past the point into deeper water. Everyone else just kept fishing.

Sad very sad, but whoever you rescued is not that smart, get in a situation like that you through out your anchor. Still baffles me that nobody helped besides you

 

[NOOMA]

Last night I towed in a 27 ft. aluminum with my 12 ft. RHIB. Tied off bow to bow with about a 10 foot rope. Managed to drop him off right at his slip. For short distances, I think bow to bow give you far more control. With my bigger boats, I have always side-tied rescued boats as again I think you have better control in calm seas.

 

[brutus]

Last night I towed in a 27 ft. aluminum with my 12 ft. RHIB. Tied off bow to bow with about a 10 foot rope. Managed to drop him off right at his slip. For short distances, I think bow to bow give you far more control. With my bigger boats, I have always side-tied rescued boats as again I think you have better control in calm seas.

Now sure how bow to bow would work, kind of weird lol, I’ve watched thousands of video of rescue boats out of Florida and stern to bow is how the pros do it