Dinghy on the Foredeck - Boarding Seas

[RaymondR]

Be mindful if you install eyes thru the deck that an immersed dingy even upside down generates a lot of bouyancy and will consequently place a fair bit of load on them.

I have been carrying a dingy on the for deck for 27 years without problems but I don't get much water on deck anyway. Since I am only coastal cruising I tend to leave it right side up with the outboard on. However if I was doing an offshore passage I would remove the motor and stow it upside down.

[moseriw]

In fact you have about 700NM in the open, say 6 Days. Youzr foredeck is exact the place for the Dink and you have a replacement for your staysail. Follew weather predictions and go go go. In case you have a problem with the dinghi on a really worse situation let it go. You cannot be prepared for everything

[sailcrazy]

Our RIB was heavy enough and hard to flip over, so we built a fwd and aft chock(to match the RIB bottom) and bolted them to the fwd coachroof. Once in place, we tie the RIB painter (right side up) to the babystay eyelet fwd, use a ratchet strap over the RIB side-to-side midway, use crossed rachet straps to the aft chock to secure the transom down, and tie the transom to the mast base.....it can't go fwd, vertical, sideways, or aft. We've sailed Asia, the Medd, and now the Caribb with the rig, and so far no issues! It does cut down on the fwd visibility some, but it's secure. We've had green water over the bow on several occations, and have bailed out the RIB on a few times, but the system seems to work well.

[Sulaire]

Hi

We carry our trinka dink under the boom, upside down on a stainless frame off shore, tow it otherwise as it tows like a dream.

I have thought of putting it on the fore deck like you, as it does hamper forward vision a little , but in the end under the boom seems the safest, it has crossed oceans that way. Would not like to try and fight it back onboard in a storm!

Our boat is 40 ft and the dink is 8ft.

C.


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[FamilyVan]

I keep my dinghy on my bow, I get boarded frequently over my foredeck when motoring into head seas.

I've never had a problem I just lash it down well. I don't have any pics on this phone of the bow burying in a greeny with the dink on the foredeck, but my wife might. Having the dink up there helps to keep waves pounding on my leaky forward hatch, which means my bed stays drier. I don't think a cradle will help to make it more secure, its just one more thing to flex and break. Boats are strong, cradles not always.

I've included two pics to show my set up.

The first one shows the stern forward wedged up against my bulwarks, which I find is more secure for me. The pic was taken after 3 days of pounding into rough stuff under power, no problems.

The second pic I took a couple of days ago and shows the dink with bow forward, which makes working up forward much easier.

In both pics my play pen is stored on the foredeck as well.

I have davits, but never use them, it would just add an element of difficulty to docking that I don't desire.

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[boatman61]

I carry my dinghy strapped to the foredeck with a piece of cloth under the bow and stern sections where they touch the deck.
Then I just lash it side to side to the toe rail.. bow to a fore cleat.. job done.. don't bother with the 'toe stubbers'..
Have crossed a few 1000 miles like that..
Its usually my life raft..
Only time I lost a dinghy was when it was towed behind me..

[dakno]

One thing I don't see here. Does your dink cover your forward hatch/fire escape?
S--t happens

[Sulaire]

Here is a pic of ours, you need to zoom in to see the dink over the butterfly hatch!



C.


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[domander]

BHI Guy, I do exactly what you plan to do, but I have an RIB. I once asked Fatty Goodlander if the foredeck was the best place for a dinghy in open ocean and he gave me an unequivocal "yes" saying he had carried his there for many circumnavigations and had never had a problem with boarding waves doing any mischief there.

- Brian Domander

[seasick]

We carry a 12' fiberglass, faux clinker built up side down on the foredeck during passages and in the davits in calmer areas. Our only complaint is the inability to fully open the forecastle hatch on fine, down wind days. A good sailing, pulling boat with a sculling notch and small outboard has proven a very good all round dinghy. With full length fore and aft flotation tube - thwarts, we feel as though we could cross an ocean in it, if ever it came down to it. As well, this type of dink seems the least likely to get stolen. Ours is a QM12 from Vashon Boatworks, my brother's old company. We sail a 43' ketch. Never had an issue with combers coming over it but getting fast access to the windlass would require a knife. In practice we unlash it when anchoring is an option.

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by dakno

One thing I don't see here. Does your dink cover your forward hatch/fire escape?
S--t happens

Yes, indeed it does cover my for hatch, this solution is an imperfect compromise.

That leaves me with only 2 of 3 escape hatches. Acceptable risk for me

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[jreiter190]

BHI, I think your thinking is right.

[exMaggieDrum]

We carried our 10.5' inflatable dink on the foredeck (as described by Familyvan above). I put a piece of good hard foam on the stern to keep it from rubbing the cabin top and the bow rested on the foredeck. I could have deflated it but never did. We secured it with three separate ropes crisscrossing back and forth to the rails and cleats there. We took it across the Pacific and in many rough storms with constant green water going over it. Never had a problem. I felt better because it was low enough that a big wave (or wind) would be unlikely to get "underneath" it and push it up. So all it had to do was to deflect the wind and waves. Never had a problem or even chafed rope. I would do it again. I liked the idea of having another usable "flotation" device if need be. It would have been hell to get it up and off of there in any kind of wind though as we could not control it once hoisted by a halyard in any kind of stiff breeze, even at anchor.

[Bulawayo]

Have a look at S/V Delos (YouTube) who carry a rigid dinghy, the right way up, forward. They have done this for years, albeit on a 54ft monohul.
Also, the Pardeys carried theirs on their coach roof.
In many years of cruising, this seems to be the preferred place on a monohull.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

Never had a problem or even chafed rope. I would do it again. I liked the idea of having another usable "flotation" device if need be. It would have been hell to get it up and off of there in any kind of wind though as we could not control it once hoisted by a halyard in any kind of stiff breeze, even at anchor.

You turn it right way up.. chuck your stuff in then get in and wait..