Safe & Easy Dinghy Storage at Anchor

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Yes, but for only about a meter and then the boat is tied to the shrouds to keep it from swinging as the boat rolls at anchor. Getting the boat inboard to the centerline of the boat also helps to keep the rolling down. My lower shrouds are almost 2 meters apart at the chain plates so they make a good stable support for the RIB. But I have seen plenty of other long term cruisers use the halyard to haul and then tie to the deck edge.
- - Besides the high probability of outboard motor theft in the eastern Caribbean, anchorages are normally all rolly, varying from minor to significant. A free swinging dinghy, like from a boom, would amplify the boat's rolling to a degree. Tying the dinghy to the shrouds/deck edge/etc. keeps the dinghy from also swinging and adding wear to the dinghy and spilt drinks to the cruisers inside the boat.
- - Like with most things, there are different ways of doing things based on the conditions where you are actually located. In the Bahamas, it used to be, that motor theft was unheard of so the boom technique with the dinghy just a millimeter or two above the water worked to reduce the sailboat's rolling at anchor.
- - Still, almost everywhere from Bahamas to the Caribbean basin the vast majority still simply tie the dinghy off the stern with about half using a security cable/chain and the other half keeping the motor thieves happy as they don't have to work hard to get motors.
- - Long term cruising usually evolves "simple" (in other words, lazy) ways of doing things consistent with security. Hauling up the dinghy on a halyard is seen quite a lot especially among the long term cruisers. Having the dinghy tied to the shrouds makes loading and unloading of "stuff" a lot easier than trying to lower it over the side to the dinghy 1+ meters below deck level.
- - And best of all, all of the various ways of lifting the dinghy keeps bottom growth off the dinghy. Without anti-fouling paint on the dinghy bottom, they become "aquatic gardens" quite quickly. Scraping an inflatable bottom is both a lot of work and hazardous to the "fabric" of the inflatable.

To stop the swinging, if the dinghy is in the water I tie it parallel to the stern, but that means leaving it in the water.

[blahman]

Thanks for all the great thoughts osirisail and others.

I have used direct halyards directly to put the dink on the foredeck, but engine and gearless. I feel like it would be very challenging for me to get it on deck alone using a halyard alone, especially with the W32's cutter rig having the mast so far forward. Well pulling the dinghy alone, I hoist from the d-ring tow points, so it points straight up; hauling it up the side just seems painful for the sink and topsides! I'll give it some though and see how this would work out on our boat. I'm thinking it would probably be more efficient for me to haul the boom higher and get the engine to a point where it could be removed easily.

Cheers!
Aaron