Crazy Dingy on Deck Idea

[witzgall]

I have a rather unconventional idea on how to store a hard bottomed rib on our boat.

Alchemy is a 35' sloop. She has a removable baby stay, that is put in place using a himod lever. This attachment point is about four feet forward of the mast. It is put in place when we go offshore, or any time the wind is strong enough to worry about mast pump.

The trouble with this is that it breaks up the deck area that can be used to store a rigid boat. So here is my idea.

Take a Aluminum hulled rib that has a double floor. Put some type of fitting in the hull, like a big thru-hull, lined up to be over the baby-stay attachment point. Then, put a deck access port fitting on the floor over the thru hull. When using the boat, the thru hull would be capped off. When it is put on the deck, the cap is removed, along with the deck access port.

The baby-stay is modified with a dyneema strop, effectively raising the himod lever above the dingy when it is upside down on deck. The strop is passed through the "Holes" in the dingy, attached to the bottom of the lever, and the lever is engaged.

Is this crazy? Any potential problems that I am not seeing? I know that getting things lined up so there is no chafe, might not be possible, but maybe it would work?

Chris

[Shanaly]

good thinking imho -

1 why not just have the baby stay as a detachable with a pelican hook or similar? you could always add a stronger fitting 'inline'


2 a question for you - do you find that travelling with yr dingy right way up and 'high up' causes windage or handling problems? I ask because we have a small RIB which we deflate and invert, but i am wanting to put it like yours in a couple of v cradles. I've seen it on motor yachts but I'm not sure how showy it is really? luckily we just have space between forestay and inner fore stay. however, in time we will replace the rigging with dyneema and be much more flexible as to how we set up / change the standing rigging as we sail or derig while moored.

[rebel heart]

As long as it is structurally sound I don't see the problem. Just really give it a twice over before you start up on it. Make sure it doesn't obstruct anything else, you can still move forward somehow if you need to get to the bow, etc.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by witzgall

I have a rather unconventional idea on how to store a hard bottomed rib on our boat.

Alchemy is a 35' sloop. She has a removable baby stay, that is put in place using a himod lever. This attachment point is about four feet forward of the mast. It is put in place when we go offshore, or any time the wind is strong enough to worry about mast pump.

The trouble with this is that it breaks up the deck area that can be used to store a rigid boat. So here is my idea.

Take a Aluminum hulled rib that has a double floor. Put some type of fitting in the hull, like a big thru-hull, lined up to be over the baby-stay attachment point. Then, put a deck access port fitting on the floor over the thru hull. When using the boat, the thru hull would be capped off. When it is put on the deck, the cap is removed, along with the deck access port.

The baby-stay is modified with a dyneema strop, effectively raising the himod lever above the dingy when it is upside down on deck. The strop is passed through the "Holes" in the dingy, attached to the bottom of the lever, and the lever is engaged.

Is this crazy? Any potential problems that I am not seeing? I know that getting things lined up so there is no chafe, might not be possible, but maybe it would work?

Chris

It's a great idea. I've not needed to do it, but I have seen it done. It worked just fine, according to the owner, who'd done the mod himself.

I recall he had a rail just behind the transom that he could sit the dinghy up on, while he connected the lower glad-hand connector to the deck.

[witzgall]

I would not trust a hook that could come undone.

We have thusfar only stored our catamaran dingy rolled up in front of the mast. I would think hard about the "V" chocks, as the boat would be right-side up, and could easily fill up with water, as well as be even higher on deck. the solution I envision would have the boat right at deck level, inverted, with the pontoons folded in, much like the dinks look like when shipped.

Chris

Originally Posted by Shanaly

good thinking imho -

1 why not just have the baby stay as a detachable with a pelican hook or similar? you could always add a stronger fitting 'inline'


2 a question for you - do you find that travelling with yr dingy right way up and 'high up' causes windage or handling problems? I ask because we have a small RIB which we deflate and invert, but i am wanting to put it like yours in a couple of v cradles. I've seen it on motor yachts but I'm not sure how showy it is really? luckily we just have space between forestay and inner fore stay. however, in time we will replace the rigging with dyneema and be much more flexible as to how we set up / change the standing rigging as we sail or derig while moored.

[Cheechako]

Here's an idea. (warning , thread drift!) Design a cruising boat with tiller steering and no controls inside the footwell of the cockpit. Open transom. Then design a dingy that nests perfectly inside the cockpit well, with 4 latches. When at sea you have the dingy as the cockpit well, and the dingy stern encloses the open-aft cockpit. When at anchor, you get the open aft cockpit for easy getting aboard etc.....

[Vasco]

Seen it done on a hard figlass dink. They put one of those large tank access covers on the bottom. Unthread the cover, a big hole. Remember to put the cover back on when you launch the dink. Only difference, it was a babystay.

[Viking Sailor]

Why not bolt and seal two SS pad-eyes back-to-back through the bottom of the dink. Make the eyes large enough to handle the baby stay loads. Attach one eye to the deck fitting and the stay to the other eye. All of the load would be transferred through eyes and no hole in the bottom of the dink. With the eyes installed fore and aft there would be little drag from the underwater eye. This could work for either a right side up or inverted dink configuration.

[witzgall]

VS,

This method has crossed my mind. I guess I dismissed it as I was unsure how I could make the connection under the boat, and have it short enough, and also the drag of the pad-eye in the water.

Chris

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

Why not bolt and seal two SS pad-eyes back-to-back through the bottom of the dink. Make the eyes large enough to handle the baby stay loads. Attach one eye to the deck fitting and the stay to the other eye. All of the load would be transferred through eyes and no hole in the bottom of the dink. With the eyes installed fore and aft there would be little drag from the underwater eye. This could work for either a right side up or inverted dink configuration.

[witzgall]

Ok, I must be crazy, as I am quoting myself. I am revisiting this idea! We have a double wichard padeye on our boat now for a removable storm jib mounting point. Two of those back to back thru bolted to the boat just might work. I realized that the boat would not have to be 100% firmly "pressed" onto the deck when it is mounted. I might have to have a custom length tang made for the baby stay, but that would not be too problematic. The folded padeye would certainly create drag, but it would not be too bad? How would the salt water immersion effect the pad eye? That could be an issue.

Chris

Originally Posted by witzgall

VS,

This method has crossed my mind. I guess I dismissed it as I was unsure how I could make the connection under the boat, and have it short enough, and also the drag of the pad-eye in the water.

Chris

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Here's an idea. (warning , thread drift!) Design a cruising boat with tiller steering and no controls inside the footwell of the cockpit. Open transom. Then design a dingy that nests perfectly inside the cockpit well, with 4 latches. When at sea you have the dingy as the cockpit well, and the dingy stern encloses the open-aft cockpit. When at anchor, you get the open aft cockpit for easy getting aboard etc.....

Wheel steering, at the bulkhead. next to the hatch. Pick one side or the other, or have steering available on both, with a quick removable wheel that you can pull out from one side and plug into the other when tacking. Tiller would be in your way.

Big big drain holes. These would be your cockpit scuppers when the dinghy is in its nest.

Removable seats, thwarts in the dink. Flattish bottom, pram or scow type bow. It could work. You would have to design the cockpit around the dink. Maybe take an existing popular design for the dinghy, for easy replacement.

For a 10 foot dink, you would have to have a 10 foot cockpit. 8 foot would be a fairly small dink but still be maybe an overly large cockpit for a small cruiser.

Angle the dinghy well downward so you can simply get in and release, like a freefall lifeboat. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!! Then hook up to the painter and crank yourself up with a winch in the dink on your return to your boat.

You might have a problem if your engine is right under the cockpit and it has any height to it.

It is actually a pretty clever idea. I like it. I thought about having a dinghy that would nest upside down over the coachroof, with windows in the dinghy sides so as not to totally block the view and the light through the cabin windows. Anything to not significantly degrade the wind resistance of the topsides is worth considering. Do you mind if I use your idea in another thread?

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by witzgall

Ok, I must be crazy, as I am quoting myself. I am revisiting this idea! We have a double wichard padeye on our boat now for a removable storm jib mounting point. Two of those back to back thru bolted to the boat just might work. I realized that the boat would not have to be 100% firmly "pressed" onto the deck when it is mounted. I might have to have a custom length tang made for the baby stay, but that would not be too problematic. The folded padeye would certainly create drag, but it would not be too bad? How would the salt water immersion effect the pad eye? That could be an issue.

Chris

Chris,

Not knowing anything about your boat I can only make some general suggestions.

I don't know of any reason why the folding SS pad eyes wont work.

To press the dink against the deck you might be able to use a length of Dyneema line from the dink's pad eye, through the baby stay deck eye, to a cleat or other attachment point. With a pre-measured length of Dyneema it should be possible to get the correct baby stay tension without any adjustment.

[cwyckham]

Padeye or hatch should work. Padeyes need to be lined up so they don't have any twisting on then and need to be plenty strong. Not sure how you hook up underneath the dink, as you said.

I'd make up a length of cable instead of dyneema if you go with the hatch idea. If the dink shifts in heavy weather, you could chafe the dyneema.

[chris07732]

Would love to see picture of your bow area where you plan on storing the RIB. I can't imagine a 35' sloop having enough clear area forward of the mast to store the dingy, even if it's only a 10 footer