Towing another boat?

[Solittle]

Re: Towing another boat?

Once upon a time long ago - I'm headed back to the ramp at Black Point in Biscayne Bay south of Miami - 8 miles. At about a mile or so from shore I see this little alumnium boat with two people in it waving to me like crazy (engine tilted up with the cover off). I head over intending to tow them into the marina. Seems they think they run out of gas. The guy is an older type with long flowing salt & pepper hair ties in a pony tail with a like new captains hat. His "honey" is a huge busted babe in a bakini. They are pretty plastered. I offer the tow to the marina but the guy screams no - he wants me to tow him back to his yacht anchored off of Elliot Key (7 miles or so) as he ran out of booze and gas. As the water was not rough I told him I would notify the dock master of his plight and I left. I often wonder what happened.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Towing another boat?

he wants me to tow him back to his yacht anchored off of Elliot Key (7 miles or so) as he ran out of booze and gas. As the water was not rough I told him I would notify the dock master of his plight and I left. I often wonder what happened.

Sounds like a fun guy and a missed opportunity! Bet that would have been quite a party once you got him to his yacht!

 

[samagy16]

Re: Towing another boat?

I will pose a question to those that answered in this thread with some knowledge of towing.

I once got towed by TowBoat US and what the operator of the Tow boat did was simply pull up next to me and tied up similar as you would at the sandbar, on my side bow cleat to bow cleat from his boat to mine and the same stern to stern from his boat to mine with bumpers between boats for protection and very slow speed to my destination, with that setup he easily just pulled me right up to the dock like if I had been under power myself. We talked all the way on the tow as both boats were side by side. Very stress free, like a leisure cruise.

Seemed so simple and I figured if I ever had to render aid this is the method I would use.

Am I wrong?

 

[Quad82]

Re: Towing another boat?

Sounds like a fun guy and a missed opportunity! Bet that would have been quite a party once you got him to his yacht!

Ya, no doubt. If you didn't come-up missing in BFE!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Towing another boat?

...Seemed so simple and I figured if I ever had to render aid this is the method I would use.

Am I wrong?

Nope. It's a good way to tow actually. It works better with similar size boats or if the tow boat is larger than the boat in tow (I think anyway). If the boat in tow is the bigger vessel, I think it works better to pull 'em.

Gettin' on the pier is a heck of a lot easier when you're "rafted" together.

 

[louiefl]

Re: Towing another boat?

My tight steering turned into a broken tooth in the helm that would only let me turn left and needed to get from the slip where I was tied to the ramp. After debating the best way to get there (disconnecting the ram and bear hugging the motor came to mind briefly) my wife reminded me that I paid good money for sea tow so give them a call. It was a mile in a protected pocket all of it marked idle speed. Sea tow came up along side at the slip, tied off side by side, and got me back to the ramp no problem.

The guys said they would have towed me behind if it was anywhere there was traffic above idle speed and they always bring the towed boat in side by side to the ramp or dock. They did have a couple things going for them (other than doing this a zillion times) - a rigid bottom inflatable and twin engines.

A couple hints if you see anyone in tow - SLOW DOWN! It is unsettling enough to be towed in and even more so when you have no control of your boat's attitude and may not have power to run bilge pumps to get rid of the wave you just took over the bow. Tip the operators, they are your average guys working an hourly job that at times can be harrowing.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Towing another boat?

Tying up alongside is great for a a shorter distance, maneuvering in close quarters, and calm waters. It does require more attention on pleasure boats where we generally don't want them beating themselves up (requires good fendering and understanding of how & where to tie the two boats together). If the weather is sloppy or if there is a lot of traffic (wakes) it is easier & safer to tow behind.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing another boat?

Louie, if you have a steering issue on an outboard, you can disconnect the steering at the motor and lash a paddle/boathook to the motor to make a tiller. Obviously requires slow speed and caution, and a tow is better, but sometimes a man's got to do what he's got to do.

 

[delirious]

Re: Towing another boat?

whats really catching my eyes is that great boating hat...mine flew of my head sunday night n sunk glad to know boaters seem always willing to help

 

[gtochris]

Re: Towing another boat?

always tow in the center line. It's easy. take your stern line (you do carry bow and stern lines at least the length of the boat? If not get them.) and tie one end to each of your stern cleats. The cleats are better than the eyes (I hope your boat has cleats). Then take his bow line, or part of his anchor line, give about 30' if you can, and tie it to the center of your stern line with a bowline (knot--learn it if you don't know). In other words your towing line passes straight through the loop of the bowline. Center the bowline on your line, feed line out so it doesn't fall in your prop, give it a gentle start, not a sudden yank (have your crew maintain tension.)


If he raises his motor, it cuts resistance greatly, but he looses steering, so try it with his motor up if you can. If he is constantly pulling to one side or the other, and there no strong cross-wind, make him move his passengers around. It really helps ifyou have communications devices on each vessel. if he will not pay attention or obey your commands, cut him adrift.

Don't tow with ski lines, other than an empty flat bottom jon boat.

I'd like to point out something:
The eyes are STRONGER then the cleats, (they are for lifting the entire boat and part of the hull and tying it down, the cleats are part of the deck hardware). Granted if you have a 35ft fishing boat the cleats are probably more than sturdy.

I have used the ski tow hitch before but never for anything too heavy, at which point I would use the eyes and a Y with dockline.

So many times I have seen the towing boat using its bow cleat and everyone riding up front, WTF? Use the bow eye, sit back and let it ride gently through the water. Also, no steering on the part of an outboard or I/O will do anything- that only works for inboard boats, your best off just trailering up your engine and going for a ride.

I think I'm most perplexed about multiple adults and no cell phone!

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Towing another boat?

whats really catching my eyes is that great boating hat...mine flew of my head sunday night n sunk glad to know boaters seem always willing to help

That hat is my Tilley. If you are looking for a great boating hat, that is just about impossible to blow off, and comes with a lifetime guarantee for damage, then I highly recommend a Tilley.

The towing side-by-side method sounds like a good method for short distances and would work for getting the boat to the dock, so that is good info. Thanks!

 

[delirious]

Re: Towing another boat?

seeing my old boat n merc combo izza POS and has ALMOST left me stranded in the middle of georgian bay on three occations it is good to read about being towed lol. as far as geat boating hats go....image is everything and i look kinda goofy with a tilly lol but may add a "tie down" to me next LOL.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Towing another boat?

Karma comes around.

you did ok for first time towing.

For towing fellow boaters, I use my transom eyes and a y-harness, cleats, or rear ski eye depending on the size of the boat that I am pulling.

the transom eyes and bow eyes on my boat are 1/2" bolts with backing plates, where as the cleats are only #14 screws. that being stated, I like to tow with the transom eyes.

tow at a no-wake speed. if you need to maneuver the towed boat into a dock, I have tied them off along side and crabbed them in.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Towing another boat?

Cleats v transom eyes:

If you know that your transom eyes are mounted solidly (and the transom is still solid) use them. The only downsides are harder to access and harder to tie off/untie.

Here is why cleats may be preferable: They may also be mounted solidly with backing. They are accessible and quick to tie and release. More important, on the eye, you are pulling directly against the threads (if that is all there is) and what's behind it. But with a cleat mounted on a horizontal surface, you are not pulling the cleat out by the threads, you are pulling against the hull. Further, in most cases, your line will also lie on the gunwale or other surface, spreading the force rather than concentrating on the threads alone.

So to compare, when you use a stern eye for lifting, you are not pulling straight against them. Could you hang the boat bow down by them? No. Lifting, you are pulling against the horizontal surface they are attached to. Same with a deck cleat (which for the same reason you wouldn't use to lift the boat)

I would tow from the bow eye, too, but consider this: on one of my boats, a good brand, the bow eye pulled out while trailering. The nuts behind it had rusted away to nothing. But my bow cleat, with chocks, is a good solid set-up, with the line laying on the deck and pulling down on the chocks, it's solid.

Look, it's all situational. The towing that recreational boaters will be doing is with two equivalent sized pleasure boats in good conditions. We're not talking about dragging some pig of a cabin cruiser against 4' chop and 25 knot winds with a 16' tinnie for 10 miles. Once they get moving, the pressure isn't that great, unless the towed boat is swamped,overloaded or front loaded. A long line as wellas safe speed insures safety from a hardware failure.

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: Towing another boat?

wear sunglasses, to help with possible rope whip

mythbusters covered the rope/cable concern in my opinion (busted) a couple years back.

But if an eyelet or cleat is flying at yea that is a different story! One advantage to a low anchor point like the back lower eyelets if possible....the pulled out eyelet from towed boat 'should' fall to the water or below headheight before it smokes you in the melon or back!

 

[louiefl]

Re: Towing another boat?

Louie, if you have a steering issue on an outboard, you can disconnect the steering at the motor and lash a paddle/boathook to the motor to make a tiller. Obviously requires slow speed and caution, and a tow is better, but sometimes a man's got to do what he's got to do.

Never thought about using a paddle for a tiller arm. Brilliant. My other complicated facors were that the slip and the ramp were a mile by water, but a two mile walk. Didn't have a convenient ride as wife was out of town, and the sun was starting to go down. I would have tried to do the makeshift tiller solo. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: Towing another boat?

1) always tow someone in distress, it is unconsionable to leave someone drifting. I have towed my own Bayliner 2655 with my jetski - it almost doesnt matter about size, pulling any boat at hull speed takes little power
2) tow only at hull speed (!!!)
3) definitely rig a V line from transom eyes if you can reach them; though I do all my towing from the cleats since I cant reach the eyes. Biggest was a 40' carver. Slow and easy.

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: Towing another boat?

It sound as though most are worried about a snapped line or pulled bow pin wiping out their right to life and i can not blame them .
When i have doubts to the quality of my line i am using to tow with ,, i do this : I carry an old pair of jeans with me,, to slide onto the tow rope by running the rope up one leg then down the other leg and slide out about 15 feet of rope before attaching to towed boat .
Drop the jeans overboard to get wet while you move forward to bring tow line into position for towing . I have only had one pull that dropped a cleat and when it did ,,it hit the jeans and stopped in mid- air,, then dropped into the river like a lead balloon .
I suspect the same results could be had if one were to tie half dozen bikinni tops to the rope also.