Hard dinghy up front, How do you deal with the issues?

[nematon785]

My plan incudes a basic hard dinghy, with oars. I am also looking very closely at 30 foot boats, to get on with sailing as soon as possible, because it is such a drop in cost compared to 35 foot.

Some concern has cropped up because the logical location is to lash it down on the cabin trunk ahead of the mast. In this location a baby stay or storm sail close to the CE option seems impossible without glassing a recessed fitting to the underside of the dinghy or rigging some bridle or other monstrosity. The concern of fouling the windlass and mooring bits as well as dealing with classic rigging snarls or sail changes at the bow while dinghy hogs the deck seems significant, and high clew foresails seem necessary to get it past the dinghy on tacks, and visibility might be reduced noticeably. gybing a spinnaker while dancing with dink looks all but impossible.

Will I just eventually realize the inflatable and outboard is the only way to go at this length of mothership? should I avoid the time and money waste of messing with the hard dinghy?

I have never seen a dinghy with a removeable transom, but this would allow it to nest very nicely right over the cabin trunk rather than precariosly on top. What is the reason this has not been tried more often?

I like simple and tough, but this hard dinghy thing does not seem so simple the more I look at it. I guess my dream of an ugly beater dinghy with no outboard not giving me problems or being a target for theft may just be a dream.

[ctl411]

Look at nesting two part dinghy or portabote. Depending on size you may be able to put it behind the mast also.

[Cheechako]

I've done it. It is a PITA but doable. Buy a boat that has enough length forward of the mast but behind the windlass/anchor locker to stow the dingy. I would likely opt for a rollup or ply floor inflatable myself. Broke a rib going forward on the hard dingy chine when at sea once. It's in the way a bit and a lot of windage for a 30 footer too. Other options: Fold Boat/porta bote.

[capt-couillon]

Home built dink to fit the space.... PITA but better than a "de-flatible"
Just sayin....

[Kelkara]

Originally Posted by nematon785

Some concern has cropped up because the logical location is to lash it down on the cabin trunk ahead of the mast. In this location a baby stay or storm sail close to the CE option seems impossible without glassing a recessed fitting to the underside of the dinghy or rigging some bridle or other monstrosity. The concern of fouling the windlass and mooring bits as well as dealing with classic rigging snarls or sail changes at the bow while dinghy hogs the deck seems significant, and high clew foresails seem necessary to get it past the dinghy on tacks, and visibility might be reduced noticeably. gybing a spinnaker while dancing with dink looks all but impossible.

My boat came with a small dinghy stowed on the foredeck ... I don't have any real problems with it there. My baby-stay goes from the bow to the spreaders, the mooring cleat is unobstructed, and the genoa tacks without problem. I don't think the reduction in visibility is any worse than if the dinghy were stored behind the mast. But I don't have a windlass or spinnaker.

The biggest problem is hauling the thing up onto the deck, and flipping it upside down to lash down.

[JPA Cate]

Start googling on nesting dinghies. Some of them break down into two boats, which can be convenient. When together, you have a longer waterline and it is easily driven by the oars, but separate, you can still get ashore in a hurry, if such is your need. And you can make it look like someone is home, if the other dinghy is left attached to the boat while you're off exploring.

About the storm jib: usually they are high clewed, and set with pennants, so not too much fouling with a dinghy on deck.

However, as a swim platform, if such is your wish for your dinghy, then some kind of roll up will serve you better. We used to carry the lashed and rolled skin forward of the dodger, and the plywood bits below on our 36 footer, and on the 30 footer we had a soft floor Achilles, rolled up fwd of the dodger. Both were hypalon and gave good service.

Ann

[Benz]

I carried an 8-foot hard dinghy on the foredeck of an Irwin 27. After one got stolen, I secured a pram-bowed one which was better. A motherboat that small hardly has an excuse for a baby stay. If you can put a dinghy aft of the mast, so much better, but foredeck seems standard for smaller boats. I would not go to an inflatable unless there was absolutely no other choice.

Ben
zartmancruising.com

[newhaul]

I built one of these years ago even fit in the trunk of a datsun b210
RowBoats ThreePieceBoat

[Kim Gregory]

Ten foot Danny Green Chameleon nesting Dinghy on deck of Douglas 32


Lots of room on deck to access windlass and cleats.

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I built one of these years ago even fit in the trunk of a datsun b210
RowBoats ThreePieceBoat

How did you like it? Mostly I've seen two piece nesters, but a three piece seems to fit a small boat much better!

[Adelie]

Nesting dinghy sitting behind the mast and over the companionway scabbard.

You probably need 3'-4" clear behind the mast for downhaul/cunningham; reefing lines too depending if you want to reef in the cockpit. So the important dimesion is mast to aft end of scabbard or aft end of sliding hatch in the open position.

If is isn't apparent you won't be able to have a boom-vand. On the Cal40 I used to race we didn't use a vang.
On the wind we used the traveller.
Reaching and off the wind we used preventers, one each side that led to the rail near the shroud base. Attachment to the boom was with 2 rubber strops, I for each side, and the tensioning line went aft to a small winch on the cabin top.

Apparently West Marine stopped stocking these about 12yr ago. The closest I could find currently is called a "Tong Strap/Strop" which is used for elevators and misc. industrial applications. This may have been where they were sourced originally.

Another thought is to run a line from the cockpit forward on each side of the boat, thru blocks near the bow then back to a block on each side at the rail then up to the boom. This puts a lot of line in the system so if you roll the boom in to the water the line will give a lot before breaking or breaking the boom. I would use a 3 strand nylon line about 1/4" dia. Lots of elasticity and hopefully it breaks before the boom.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by brownoarsman

How did you like it? Mostly I've seen two piece nesters, but a three piece seems to fit a small boat much better!

Actually built it as a weekend project with my boys. They loved.it personally I thought it would work good on a small boat it was a bit boxy in appearance . Many years ago. But from memory I bet it would even fit on the lazzerette on my curent islander. And being three pieces you can store it in multiple locations like putting the stern part on the bow ( it was the largest.) And the middle would fit great on top of the companion way (it looks like a bridge ) and the bow part under the stern piece on the bow. ( the nice part is all three parts will float independently. ( in emergency you can throw it overboard and assemble it in the water)

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Actually built it as a weekend project with my boys.

That's what I was curious about. It mentions being designed for kids, but at 7 feet, it should fit an adult. Were you able to row it?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by brownoarsman

That's what I was curious about. It mentions being designed for kids, but at 7 feet, it should fit an adult. Were you able to row it?

Rowed just fine . When its assembled it is just like any other 7ft pram. Im sure it would even take a small (2horse) outboard motor or electric troller.

[Jim Cate]

A comment for all of the <30 foot boat shown with hard dinks on the foredecks: Do you really go to sea like that? One boarding wave and I'd expect some serious damage to dink or to the yacht, or simple loss of dinghy. Especially iin the case of the Coronado 25 depicted... wow, I can't imagine going out of the harbour like that!

When I opted for an inflatable tender for voyaging in my Yankee 30, I accepted the poor rowing performance to be sure that it was still with me when I reached my destination.

Jim