Towing with a RIB

[Geoff54]

The other great thing about a hip tow is that the dinghy can slow down the boat being towed, but a hip tow doesn't work as well in rough water.

[Lojanica]

Unless the rib is set-up for towing with a midships post you're gonna tear the boat up.

So Yes it can be done but you'd want to use someone elses boat cause the wear and tear of a 200 mile tow in open ocean is gonna be more than I would volunteer.

[damianham]

shipmates

thank you all for your replies and very helpful advice, it is much appreciated.

[aclmck]

it will work, will work even better with a different prop, we have towed barges with outboards many times a longish tow rope and a bridle on the transom,just learn to take it easy to get some speed up and then you will be away have someone on board the towed vessel steering and if possible a prop to produce torque not speed, it will surprise you how little hp it takes to move a boat, i have also towed (only about 6 miles) a 50 ft monohull with a small jet ski this was a lot harder tow though . just remember that the rib was designed for planing now its use is full/semi displacement it will behave a lot different so steady on the revs.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Lojanica

Unless the rib is set-up for towing with a midships post you're gonna tear the boat up.

So Yes it can be done but you'd want to use someone elses boat cause the wear and tear of a 200 mile tow in open ocean is gonna be more than I would volunteer.

I don't understand how anything is likely to get torn up if they do it in good weather and don't do anything stupid. Just get a long tow rope and use a bridle on the RIB. Increase power gradually and have the helmsman on the towed vessel keep it aligned with the tow rope. It would be a very boring 30 hours or so but I don't see how anything is apt to get torn up or even any significant wear and tear occurring. Choose a good weather window and if it gets a little too rough for awhile, pause and go aboard the larger vessel for a break until conditions improve. As you approach your destination, switch to on the hip for better maneuverability. No problem.

[longbordz]

What hull design? Towing a 12 ton power boat hull takes a lot more energy than towing a sailboat hull of the same length/weight. Tip: Remove the propeller(s) and clean the hull before towing to reduce drag.

Tow on the hip to and from the slip. Observe inland and international towing regs wrt lights, dayshapes, sounds, vhf.


No tow post? No problem.

1. Be sure the bridle legs at both ends of the hawser are equal length.
2. Use 600' of 1" 3 strand nylon tow line to minimize shock on your RIBs stern cleats AND to make steering straighter. Be sure to use chafe protection on both bridles. That's a long tow and 1" chafes through quickly.
3. Make sure the rudder on the tow is centered and properly lit so traffic knows what you are at night.
4. Light your towboat properly for night ops and keep your VHF turned on loud.

Steering by hand, your 200 mile trip will be at least 10 to 20% longer due to steering error. A little RIB wanders; just doesn't tow very straight. So, make sure you carry sufficient fuel to go 300 miles.

Figure your towing speed will be about 5 knots per hour in calm weather. 240 miles / 5kts = 48 hours.

If you burn 4 gph that's 192 gallons of gas. Add the Rule of thirds for fuel management and that's 255 gallons you should have on board for a safe margin.