Towing a tender. Your thoughts?

boston whaler

I tow our 13ft boston whaler (great boat) but we don't go as fast.

We cruise at 10 knots and normally the boston sits on the bow but sometimes we just throw it off the stern. At ten knots it is almost planing so it actually keeps the nose well up. Don't forget to lift the engine and remove the self drain plug. At a guess at 20 knots you'll kick out a good size wake so make sure you use a long line to get the boat way out of the wash.

I would suggest getting a stronger eye made up on the bow.

We used to tow an 11 whaler around Nantucket Sound behind a bertram 28 and the problem we had when going fast it would start steering side to side and almost flip, especially when it got near the wake. We solved this by towing a hawser with a loop in behind the whaler. I have towed small tenders at slow speed behinds yachts with no problem, you might also try leaving the engine down and locked in place.

towing a tender at high speed

my experience is that towing tenders is a risky affair. at the speed you are intending to pull, you will be looking for trouble!!!

nilo

Randy is right about leaving the engine down. As a matter of fact, our insurance company requires that we have ours down.
You will want to rig your tow line so that the boat rides on the back side of your stern wave at your preferred cruising speed. This will stop it from surfing. I would also use nylon line (maybe two lengths of 30'-50') to make your "Y" and then use spectra for the remaining length of the tow line. The nylon will give you some strectch for shock absorption and the spectra will be lighter and easier to store. You should also use a reinforced pad-eye on the whaler. Additionally, it would be a good idea to have a short line (about 5') which stays with the Whaler all the time. That way when you are hooking up the tow, you don't have to lean all the way over the bow. You can just clip your tow line to it.
These are just some things that I've learned while towing tens of thousands of miles.
Good Luck,
Ken

My experience is higher speed means longer distance to the tender.
I place the tender in front of the third or fourth wave (almost at the bottom) And NOT in the centerline! like 3-4ft to one side of it.

Front end of a wave from the boat itself helps surf the tender forward and the ofcenter-trick keeps it away from (in my case) the 600hp of water rushing away from my stern. (1-2 knot difference for me)


If it's possible to lock the steeringweel of the tender, parhaps you can lower the powertrim so only the bottomfin of the engine is in the water and helps it from going from side to side, this wouldn't make to much resistance in the water!
( Never had that problem but maby Whalers has quite flat hull!? )

Dave,

A Whaler is only good for one thing... exchanging horizontal velocity for vertical trajectory! If you're towing a Whaler at 22 knots... behind a 50' Bertram... your son is missing a whole lotta fun.

How is he suppose to follow in his father's footsteps if you don't let him prove a Whaler is unsinkable? Isn't this you in the picture below? Like father, like son...

Dave--
Can't help weighing in here since this thread has devolved to Whaler Tales.

You haven't lived 'til your '60s vintage 13 falls off the front of a wave in the entrance to Port Everglades and she stuffs really good.
With presence of mind to quickly pull the drain plug and enough luck for the 20 Merc not to quit, you gingerly cruise around dewatering the boat and to retrieve the extra gas tank and the dead fish caught earlier and hope nobody saw what happened.

Not that I would ever admit this actually happened to me...

I'll admit it...

Have I flipped a Whaler? Yes, but the hard part wasn't bailing out the boat... it was coming up with an excuse to keep from getting grounded by my parents! Would I do it again? Hmmm... the chance of meeting a cute nurse doesn't outweigh the taste of hospital food anymore, so... probably not.

towing a tender

I've had good luck towing my 11' inflatable tender at speeds of up to about 20 knots in 2 to 3' seas, but it really seams to be happier at about 17 knots. I usually leave the engine down just far enough to provide steering stability, and the only time I towed with it all the way down, the engine got flooded internally with sea water that got forced up through the salt water cooling system and entered the engine through an exhaust valve that was open. The engine got hydro locked which I cured by removing the spark plugs and turning it over. The engine also required a couple of oil changes as the sump was full of water as well. Fortunately it's been running fine ever since.

We tow ours regularly. A 32' center console behind a 36m money pit. Outboards **ALWAYS** out of the water.

The search button will also yield prior discussions on the topic:
http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/t...ient-way-tow-boat-yacht.html?highlight=towing

(with picks too!!)

Hi,

What outboard are you running on this 11 footer?

I have never heard of an outboard filling up with water when being towed on a tender = the flexible impeller in the water pump normally acts as an isolating valve when the engine is not running.

I agree with what most everyone said. It shouldn't be an issue. You'll probably want the whaler 75' behind the Bertram. Leave the outboard motor up. It's best to use 30' of chain, probably 3/8" dragging in the water off of the stern of the whaler tied to a break-away piece of nylon rope where it ties to the whaler. It will create enough drag to keep it tracking plenty straight and slightly off of center.

Dave, Take a look at WHERE the tender rides in your wake. You can either take it in or let it out so that it rides in the smoothest part of your wake. I've seen lots of people towing tenders at crazy speeds when done with a little thought/planning...but certainly make up a bridle and make sure the eye on the tender is tough enough. I've seen HUGE stainless eyes pulled out of $200,000 Intrepids.

And have a plan for recovering (or the telephone of your insurer) in case you lose it!

When towing a small boat, a portable set up of approved towing lights for the boat doing the towing should be available. You may not plan to tow at night, but these are boats we are dealing with. Of course the small boats should have lights also and maybe an additional yellow srobe on the small boat. Many boaters would not notice towing lights on a yacht or know what they are.

Towed tender advice

We towed a 27 outrage for a while but found it too tender for our liking. It's sold and thinking about a replacement. Would appreciate feedback on center consoles in the 30' range. Thanks