Dinghy Question

[Triumph]

See my website The Book of Sail – Cruising gadgets, knowledge, and ideas for the cruising sailor for an idea on a 20 foot dinghy lockup cable that is free.
The comments about chains that are short are true. Not good for others at the dock.
Also, you want a cable that is long enough so that your dinghy does not bump your boat all night long if you have it in the water behind your boat.

[Sailing Ohm]

For the love of all that is holy get a floating painter!!!! Nothing is worse than getting to the dock and find your dinghy is wrapped up in some folks line that has sunk and tangled up everyone’s motor.
We also have a SS hefty master lock and 3/8” vinyl coated cable attached directly to the motor for those times and places where we feel the need to lock her up.
Both cable and line should ideally be at least 20’ to ensure you give anough slack on your painter so other people can get their dinghies in and out. I’m always amazed at how many people tie off with a short little 2’ painter. A real pain in the ass especially because those folks are always the ones who try to stuff their dinghy into an already full dock.

[contrail]

Well, I have had two dinghies stolen (both eventually recovered, thankfully) and I know a dozen others, as well. All in the Northeast Caribbean. So, don't think it doesn't happen.

[Perfect Ride]

Originally Posted by Vizsla_Buddy

How do you handle tying it up? Do you use a simple rope or some sort of locking mechanism? I am sure everyone wants to get back to the dock and find their dingy and this is a problem long solved.
Vizsla_Buddy

We have a 25 foot plastic coated cable used for locking things up. One end locks the engine to the dingy, and then is looped through the gas securing it. We have 14' left over for tying to the dock, boat, or shore. We also carry a long painter.



We have the habit of locking our dingy everywhere we travel. Too many unique places and it becomes habit.

[reflectionsv37]

Locking the dinghy and motor is all dependant on where you're cruising. When needed I've used regular vinyl covered lifeline with thimbles in both ends. Mine was 12' long so I could use it on a dinghy dock and leave room for others.

In any place where there were any reports of theft I always use a 2' piece of canvas covered chain to lock the motor to the dinghy. In 20 years of cruising it's been my experience that most of the thieves don't want the dinghy, they want to motor. If stolen as a pair, the dinghy will regularly be found, but the motor is always gone.

In a few places you need to chain up everything. In the Solomon Islands, the dinghy was lifted out of the water every night. I ran chain through the motor, through pad eyes on the dinghy and locked it to the aluminum toerail. I thought I was safe until one morning I woke up to find my external fuel tank had been stolen! Until then, I'd never thought about locking up the fuel tank too. Fortunately, they didn't cut the hose or even steal it. They were just likely out of gas and since every motor in the Solomon Islands is a Yamaha, they already had a hose! In some places, theft is a way of life, the Solomon Islands is one of them. I even had 2 solar panels stolen from off the side rails in the cockpit at night while we were aboard. They had to come onboard to unbolt them, cut the wires and we never heard a thing.

[Amapola]

It depends on where we are. In a known safe area we use the rope painter. In sketchy areas we use a cable and lock. We always raise and stow her in the dinghy cradle on the top deck every night.

[searenity38]

One more thought along this line ... do any of you put your boat name on the dingy? (Something I never thought about before but with a stencil and spray*paint*....)

**
Some will put the name of their mother ship on the dinghy following the words "Tender To..". Depending on home state laws such wording precludes the need for registering the boat. Now, having said that, I recommend NOT putting the name on your dinghy because itvadvertises that fact that the owners may not be at home.

[Ric Sheridan]

Remember that you only want to make it harder for the thief to steal your dingy than the next guy's dingy.

[Mike Banks]

I used hard stainless chain and security locks both at motor and dinghy prow.

Just as lack of opportunity and difficulty in commitment turns thieves into honest men, hunger creates criminals where none existed before..

There are no safe places to leave an unsecured dinghy. The tougher it gets to eat--the more thieves there will be waiting for just such an easy chance.

[Vizsla_Buddy]

Great feedback everyone. Thanks.

[CarlF]

As should now be obvious, the decision as to whether to lock the dinghy depends where you are cruising. In most of the Caribbean, you should. In the Bahamas Family Islands there's no need. But in Nassau I always do.

My approach is to do what the other cruisers are doing.

And keep in mind that for every dinghy stolen, I would guess 10 are lost because it wasn't tied up well. It happened to me once. Be sure to have your name, your boat name and a phone number in the dinghy.

[NormanMartin]

We had a dinghy stolen for its motor. The dinghy was found later, engineless. Two lessons, one is that the RIB was painted with bright colors and a name (not the yacht's) making it unmarketable. The other lesson is that locking the motor and tank may have been the bigger deterrent. It was in Antigua and the water taxi guys were alerted and did find the boat. They said it is in their interest to deter thieves, bad for business.

At night we hoisted the RIB up to gunwhale level. and left a light on in the cockpit.

[Tonali99]

Do you have an anchor for the dink? Does it have a chain rode at all?
Two padlocks and problem solved.

[NormanMartin]

Tonali99:
Personally, we don't lock up everything just enough to deter a thief. My preference for a dinghy now is a rowboat it provides needed exercise and no one steals them first.

As for our small boats, we have two kinds of anchors. One no-rode grapple for when we pull up on the beach and hook into a rock or branch, whatever. It is also useful for dragging the bottom in search of something. The other is a small anchor with chain suitable for anchoring in deeper water.