How Do You Get Your Tender / Dinghy on the Bow ?

[Jimbo2010]

I have a 36' and want to get my 9' cedar strip dink (70lbs) on the bow, I know I can hook it up to a halyard, but I would like to turn it over so it can't catch water.

Any tips or suggestions

[Ziggy]

I have a towing bridle on my dinghy, which I also use to lift it out of the water. I hook up a 4-part purchase to my spinnaker halyard and haul it up until the upper block of the purchase is above the spreaders. I then hook the dinghy bridle to a carabiner attached to the bottom block. I can then lift the dinghy from the water while standing on the foredeck, using one hand to keep it from hitting the shrouds or the mast. The dinghy hangs down vertically from the halyard, so I can easily lower it so lays bottom up, bow forward, on the foredeck.

Of course in my younger days I used to be able to manhandle it over the lifelines into position without any mechanical advantage.

[Jimbo2010]

That's a different way, but what about if it's blowing hard?

[Ziggy]

I can do this by myself up to about 20 kts. If it's blowing harder, you'd better have someone to help you.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Jimbo2010

I have a 36' and want to get my 9' cedar strip dink (70lbs) on the bow, I know I can hook it up to a halyard, but I would like to turn it over so it can't catch water.

Any tips or suggestions

We hoist the dinghy with either the staysail halyard or pole topping lift or spin halyard. THis is usually hooked to a three point harness which lifts the dinghy flat.

But if its full of water or we want to put in on deck upside down, we just hook the halyard to one of the attachement points, which will splill the water as the dinghy is lifted. We usually use the bow as the single attachment point, as that makes it easiest to lay the dinghy updise down on deck.

If you are lifting the dinghy alone in strongish winds (either flat or vertivally), its helpful to attach a line (coming from the boat's bow) to the dinghy that is just the right length to place the stern at the right point on deck. That way the wind will blow the dinghy back to exactly the right point were you want to lower it.

[foggysail]

I used to lift my 115# Avon RIB by attaching a halyard to a tight bridle on the dinghy's stern. I would crank it up until it was vertical with the stern above the lifelines. Then I would grab the dingy's painter which I tied to a lifeline prior to lifting. I next lifted the bow of the dingy over the life line and pulled it towards the bow while Wifey released the halyard. Next involved manhandling the dinghy to turn it upside down with the bow at the bow of my Hunter 30.

The project of removing the outboard (another 70#s or so), seat, oars, fuel tank, anchor and whatever else was in the dinghy, then lifting, setting it on deck, turning it over and securing it took me about 15 minutes.

Today on my 40' Silverton, I attach a crane hook to lines tied to both the dinghy's bow and stern, push an electrical contact button, lift the dinghy with the outboard, oars, seat, fuel and everything thats in it over the life lines, push the crane around so the dinghy is above its chocks and lower it.

Takes about 3 minutes with no pain.

Foggy

[roverhi]

My dinghy is stored on the foredeck upside down. I use a block and tackle on my spinnaker pole to launch and retrieve the dinghy. I have a three point harness, a loop to stern eyes and a single line to the bow that attach/run through a stainlees ring on the dinghy. The looped stern harness line makes it relatively easy to pull the harness to one side to facilitate rolling the boat on launch and retrieval. Launching the boat, I pull the harness out one side, attach the tackle, and roll the boat as I hoist it up. It's a bit of a struggle but am able to do it single handed without banging up the paint/gel coat. Retrieval is a reverse of the procedure. The loop to the stern harness lines through the eye makes it relatively easy to roll the dinghy and it launches and retrieves level.

I tried hauling the boat up with a halyard and also just boosting it over the side but it banged the dinghy and the boat up doing it by myself.