Show me your little Dinghy / Tender / what have you....

[wlshor]

We have our boat Lazy Dazs on the hard. We are refitting our cabin. In the pic you will see our 8' sandlapper dinghy. We have really enjoyed it.

[Shipscarver]

Hey CharlieJ - How's that new dink working out?  Have you gotten it aboard for storage yet?

[CharlieJ]

Nope- haven't tried it stowed a board just yet. We did tow it last week on an overnighter. We did away with the connection to the tow rings up front and rigged a bridle from loops around each stern with the lines running through the tow rings as fairleads. That worked extremely well, with no strain at all on the boat. Next we have the boat put together I'll shoot a pic.

Running with a 2.2 Merc it gives us about 5.1 or 5.2 with both of us aboard. With Laura in it by herself it'll run right at 7 and plane. We shot a short video of Laura running the boat but haven't gotten it up loaded as yet.

We have decided that the boat probably will be stowed in pieces aboard. The stated weight is 57 pounds but on my scale the boat weighs 70. The floorboards and seat weigh 23 pounds of that. so the boat bare weighs about 47. We can stow the floor boards in a cockpit locker and the remaining boat rolls into a smaller bundle, so it will fit on the cabin top just aft of the mast much better. Plus it's easier to handle that way.

But we've yet to try it. We didn't sail this Thursday and Friday because of Dentists appointments and having the boat completely ripped apart doing some re piping. Weather permitting we'll probably go out next Thursday, Friday ( our weekend)

[Shipscarver]

Hey CharlieJ-
How about an update on the dink? How did stowing it away work out? And, do you have a pic of the tow set up? Are you happy with the length?

[CharlieJ]

No pictures and haven't tried stowing it yet. Been just plain too busy.

The tow bridle worked very well though. We put loops around the ends of the tubes, led them forward through the already installed tow rings, where the factory tied the tow line, and forward into a loop. Then tied the painter into that loop. Resulting in towing forces being distributed all along the boat. Worked well.

Delighted with the boat.

When I get time, I'll set the boat up and shoot some pics.. We're on the hard right now, doing the bottom on Tehani.  After sanding and prepping the hull, I'm ever more happy to be sailing a small boat ;D

[Luv2Row]

What does anyone think about these babies?

http://www.directboats.com/rowboats.html

If you have any of the ones listed on the page above, I would like to hear how about how nicely they row in fairly calm water and what kind of oars you use.

Thanks a bunch!
~ Suzie B. ~

[AdriftAtSea]

A friend has the WaterTender 9.4 and loves it...



Also, from what I've seen, people either love or hate the Walker Bays.

[Oldrig]

Hey Suzie:

I've had a Walker Bay 8 for a number of years now. I like it as a dinghy/tender for my sailboat, and being plastic, it's very easy to maintain (although it doesn't take antifouling paint very well). It's kinda short for rowing, but the 10-foot model should, IMHO, row fairly well.

As for oars, I use extra short ones, so I can stow them on the dinghy when it sits at my mooring. If I were using it as a rowing boat, I'd go with longer ones. One thing I don't like are the plastic, full-circle oarlocks that lock into their sockets. A friend borrowed the boat once and snapped one of the oarlocks off--I couldn't replace it.

But standard locks do fit in the sockets, so all is well.

Hope this helps a bit.

--Joe

P.S. Have you tried sailing yet?

[Luv2Row]

Hi Joe!

I've been on rowboats (my favorite), canoes, kayaks (once), yachts, and river cruise ships, but I don't think I've ever been on a sailboat. Yachting on a small yacht out in the Gulf of Mexico many, many years ago was grand fun.

According to the Walker Bay site, they're using steel back oarlocks on the rigid dinghies, so maybe they've upgraded from the plastic ones you had? It's good to know that you can replace them with standard oarlocks. Which kind of oarlocks did you use as replacements?

Thanks so much for responding! One more thing -- what's your recommendation for schlepping a Walker Bay dink on a car to a lake?

~ Suzie "Looking for answers wherever she can find 'em" B. ~

Hey Suzie:

I've had a Walker Bay 8 for a number of years now. I like it as a dinghy/tender for my sailboat, and being plastic, it's very easy to maintain (although it doesn't take antifouling paint very well). It's kinda short for rowing, but the 10-foot model should, IMHO, row fairly well.

As for oars, I use extra short ones, so I can stow them on the dinghy when it sits at my mooring. If I were using it as a rowing boat, I'd go with longer ones. One thing I don't like are the plastic, full-circle oarlocks that lock into their sockets. A friend borrowed the boat once and snapped one of the oarlocks off--I couldn't replace it.

But standard locks do fit in the sockets, so all is well.

Hope this helps a bit.

--Joe

P.S. Have you tried sailing yet?

[thistlecap]

In the 60's we had one similar to the Sportyak.  It was great for what we needed when the kids were young.  It was extremely stable.  The kids could stand right on the gunwhale without mishap, and that stability was nice for me as well when cleaning the topsides. Since it was just for getting from the mooring to shore, rowing ability wasn't an issue, but with the bluff bow I doubt I'd take it on a rowing marathon.  I can't see the bottom configuration.  In the picture it looks almost flat, which wouldn't be good.  The one I had had two full length bulbs (for want of a better way to describe it, so when unloaded it rode basically like a mini-pontoon boat), so it towed fairly well.  It also carried a tremendous load.

For rowing utility, a traditional hull shape would be best, like the Walker 8 or 10, but my personal criteria would be a boat under 75 pounds and short enough to stow on deck.  Our current hard dinghy is 8 ft. long, has a rounded bottom with keel and skeg, nice entry that cuts waves when it's choppy, has a good carry (glide), and rows like a champ.  I've taken the granddaughter out and just rowed for 4 miles.  With a 3-point lifting rig, the jib halyard brings it nicely onto the foredeck where it's stowed inverted.  We've had it 35 years.  That's so long I don't remember the manufacturer.  The serial number starts with "S B Co"  if anyone recognized that.  Get the longest oars you can handle, about 6 ft. for an 8 ft. dinghy.  I have bronze enclosed oarlocks held loosely in place on the sleeves with hose clamps giving 3" of clearance between the oar ends and always perfectly positioning the oars every time, even for the granddaughter.  I don't recommend pinned oarlocks because they don't allow feathering for wind or sea state, and allow water into the interior of the oar promoting rot and shortening the life of the oar.

If you just want rowing pleasure, the Whitehall design is the ultimate for a lifetime of exercise and pleasure, but it would take an 80-100 ft. boat to carry it as a tender.  By the way, throw those plastic oarlocks away without a second thought.  Using plastic oarlocks is like using toast as stepping stones to your front door, or something else just as ridiculous.

[skylark]

If you are looking for a rowboat, and not a tender, then you should look for something a little longer than the average sailboat dinghy.

Here is an easy to build dory, which rows far better than any yacht tender.

http://cruisenews.net/construction.html

[Oldrig]

Hi again, Suzie,

Here are my answers to your questions, easiest first:

Oarlocks: I used full round, bronze oarlocks. I think they take the smaller sized pins, but there seem to be only two. However, if the new oarlocks have metal cores, you probably won't have to worry about this.

Transportation: This can be a problem, unless you have a large vehicle or pickup. I currently own a Prius, and the only way I can transport my dinghy to the water is to jam it into the open tailgate and drive very slowly with the gate open. Since I leave the boat at a local dinghy dock, that's not a problem.

When I had a slightly bigger car (a Toyota Matrix), I put the Walker Bay on a roof rack. However, the boat was beamier than the car, so I had to tie it kitty-cornered and drive VERY slowly.

Once near the water, the Walker Bay is easy to transport. If you've got a paved ramp, there's a little wheel in the skeg that helps a lot. If you leave the boat tied up to a saltwater dock, the wheel becomes a condo for barnacles.

Hope this helps.

--Joe

P.S. Have you looked at rowing attachments for canoes? Old Town and LL Bean both sell them--you can get a sliding seat and outrigger oarlocks, or just the oarlocks. When I lived in Maine, one of my friends had a set. The canoe was light enough to put on top of the car, and the rowing rig made it glide across the water like a rowing shell.

[Tim]

If you are looking for a rowboat, and not a tender, then you should look for something a little longer than the average sailboat dinghy.

Here is an easy to build dory, which rows far better than any yacht tender.

http://cruisenews.net/construction.html

Very nice looking dory Paul 

(pins another project note on the shop wall  :))

[Luv2Row]

Thank you, Joe, Thistlecap, & Paul, for your fine suggestions. Thistlecap, rowing 4 miles on an 8-foot dinghy – that's impressive! And you've had it for 35 years -- equally impressive! Regarding oar rot, I'm guessing that it would depend on what the oars are made out of. Interesting info about the oarlocks. Ah-h-h-h, the Whitehall!!  I would give both arms for a Whitehall Solo 14 – but then I wouldn't be able to row!  ;D Just the boat itself costs $7,000, which puts it about $5,000 outside my price range. And that's not even including the oars or the sculls ($260 - $520). But what a beauty!! Paul, I'm not a boat builder, but that dory sure does look sweet for rowing. And thank you for adding a new word to my boating vernacular as I had never heard the word "dory" before. This one looks lovely, too: http://www.gacooarlocks.com/

Joe, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. After I griped about not finding any decent info on the Internet on car topping a dinghy, Googling the phrase "tie boat to roof rack" yielded some interesting responses. I guess what folks do when the boat is beamier than the car is to lash some padded two-by-fours to the roof rack extending out beyond the widest point of the boat and then placing the boat gunwale down onto this setup. One interesting point mentioned on a forum at www.thebassbarn.com is to run the tie-down straps over the roof and the boat and then through the open doors before tightening them. That way you are tying the boat to the roof rather than to the roof rack only.

"Wheel in the skeg becomes a condo for barnacles"...ha ha ha ha! Good to know. I think the boat will be going to and from lakes with me – little chance of it getting to hang out at saltwater docks for any length of time.

I will take a look at the rowing attachments you mentioned for canoes. Interesting thought. Great ideas! Lots to think about while I'm out rowing on a big rental clunker next Monday.  :D

~ Suzie B. ~

[thistlecap]

Dear Susie,
Take a look at paddling.net.  It's mainly a canoe/kayak site, but loaded with information on moving, transporting, stowing and securing small craft.  Look under "Gear Guide" "Accessories (Boat Transportation)"  There are references for most manufacturers for any and all of this equipment, and if you read Tania Nelson under articles (In The Same Boat) she has several pieces she's written on transportation issues.

On the pinned oarlocks, if it's wood, it will rot.  The problem with the pins is twofold---the holes hold the moisture inside where it is slow to dry, and conceals the rot until the oar snaps in two.  Whether ash, spruce, or whatever, if it's wood, it will rot, and the best way to avoid such a failure is not to allow water access to the wood.  Fiberglass the oar tips and keep a good 6-10 coats of varnish on them.  An oar should age from the outside-in, not inside-out.  I had one pair of pinned locks.  The oars were beautiful with not a mar anywhere.  Then one day rowing into a chop, I took a bite on the water, and when the oar folded in half, right at the pin, I landed in the forward part of the dinghy on my back.  The inside of the oar was mush, held together by several coats of varnish.  Contrary to popular myth, even teak will rot if not protected.  Yes it takes a bit longer, but if you want, I'm presently in possession of some teak rot I can send you.  ;D 
Thistlecap

[Luv2Row]

Greetings once again Thistlecap!

You're absolutely right – Paddling.net is a grand place for info on car topping small boats. However, that said, for most folks car topping a canoe or kayak doesn't have the same issues as car topping a dinghy that is "beamier" that the car itself. And actually, among the nine "car topping a boat of some sort" links I have bookmarked, one of the articles by Tamia Nelson was among them, the gal who went off to buy her first canoe without a roof rack. Ha ha ha ha! And I thought I was a total greenhorn.

With Joe's recommendation in mind, I went off in search of canoes that can be outfitted like rowboats. That was a fun journey (or another reason why I was up half the night). And then I ran into the Rolls Royce version of "canoe meets rowboat" when I found the Adirondack Guide Boat website. Their smallest version is featured here: http://www.adirondack-guide-boat.com/packboats.html. When all other boats (canoes and kayaks) have capsized or blown over in heavy water or high winds, these boats stay upright and keep going. The story of their boats' performance on this web page was fascinating! http://www.adirondack-guide-boat.com/canoes.html

Very, very interesting, Thistlecap, about the issue of pinned oarlocks. Before reading your note, I wouldn't have had a clue about pinned oarlocks vs. any other kind probably because I've never met a pinned oarlock. I ran off to the Shaw and Tenney website to read about pinned oarlocks and can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would actually want such a feature. Interesting to note that the Rolls Royce of rowboats I mentioned earlier uses pinned "rowlocks" as they call 'em. And BTW, thanks for the offer, but you can keep your "teak rot" (chuckle). Even Shaw & Tenney point out the disadvantages of pinned oarlocks but very delicately – not a whisper about "oar rot."  ;)

I know some of you on this site have been sailing since you were knee high to grasshoppers, but what about the newbies to sailing who might not understand all the specialized vocabulary being used? I think it would be great to either A) have a dictionary of sailing/boating/nautical terms (plus idioms and sailing slang) somewhere on the site or B) have links to websites with a comprehensive list of sailing and nautical terms. Or if there is already a link from SailFar.net to such a glossary, please point it out to me. That's the librarian in me coming out.

Now I have to go figure out how to "grog" a bunch of sailors on this website who have been so helpful to this non-sailor gal. And thank goodness for you folks; no one has responded yet over at the Walker Bay forum. Harrumph! ???

~ Suzie B. ~

Dear Susie,
Take a look at paddling.net.  It's mainly a canoe/kayak site, but loaded with information on moving, transporting, stowing and securing small craft.  Look under "Gear Guide" "Accessories (Boat Transportation)"  There are references for most manufacturers for any and all of this equipment, and if you read Tania Nelson under articles (In The Same Boat) she has several pieces she's written on transportation issues.

On the pinned oarlocks, if it's wood, it will rot.  The problem with the pins is twofold---the holes hold the moisture inside where it is slow to dry, and conceals the rot until the oar snaps in two.  Whether ash, spruce, or whatever, if it's wood, it will rot, and the best way to avoid such a failure is not to allow water access to the wood.  Fiberglass the oar tips and keep a good 6-10 coats of varnish on them.  An oar should age from the outside-in, not inside-out.  I had one pair of pinned locks.  The oars were beautiful with not a mar anywhere.  Then one day rowing into a chop, I took a bite on the water, and when the oar folded in half, right at the pin, I landed in the forward part of the dinghy on my back.  The inside of the oar was mush, held together by several coats of varnish.  Contrary to popular myth, even teak will rot if not protected.  Yes it takes a bit longer, but if you want, I'm presently in possession of some teak rot I can send you.  ;D 
Thistlecap

[thistlecap]

Dear Susie B,
For any new or even experienced sailor, I'd recommend Royce's Sailing Illustrated (The Sailor's Bible since 1956).  It's a sturdy flex-binding manual (I hate to say paperback; it's better than that.), that clearly illustrates every topic, and has a nice glossary in the back.  In the illustrations, every part and parcel of the rig, boat, knot, whatever, is clearly tagged with a label.  It's about the easiest way to learn the language.  It even goes into identifying square-riggers and some of their parts.  For more advanced references, I'd steer you to the International Maritime Dictionary by Rene de Kerchove from Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, New York--OR--The Oxford Companion to Ships & The Sea, ed. by Peter Kemp, Oxford University Press, New York/London.  Stay clear of yuppie nautical dictionaries with names that read like The Yachtsman's Dictionary, The Boater's Guide to Terminology, etc. (fictitious titles).  Most of them perpetuate inaccurate information.  The quickest way to judge the quality of a nautical dictionary is to look up "dock".  If it says it is a structure build in the water to allow you to walk out from the shore or to which you can secure your boat (which is wrong, but popular misinformation), throw it away.  Dock is synonymous with berth.  It's the water your boat is floating in when secured to a pier, wharf or quay (pron. key), the things you walk on and secure your boat to.  By extension, a devise encompassing a berth (dock) for a vessel that can be floated so the water runs out thus becomes a drydock.

If in doubt, send me a personal message any time you can't find a term elsewhere, and if I'm not presently out floating around somewhere, I'll be happy to help you with it.
Best wishes, Thistlecap

[Luv2Row]

Thanks, Thistlecap, for the great resources. Good to know as an almost librarian (graduating in May). I just learned recently the correct pronunciation of "gunwale." I read a lot about oars and oar locks last night. I looked at more row boats, guide boats, dinghies, etc. online, and I finally made my way over to Craig's List to see what folks are selling in my neck of the woods. I have learned a LOT in the past week -- much of it thanks to the help I have received here.  :D

Happy Sailing!
~ Suzie B. ~

[Luv2Row]

Greetings All!

A big thank you to Joe "Oldrig" Sailor Man for planting the seed about rowing attachments for canoes. I actually found a canoe, with a 4.4:1 length-to-beam ratio, that can be rowed or paddled.   :D  And because it's not too skinny, it doesn't seem to need an outrigger setup. It may be the best of both worlds. It's fairly light and supposedly pretty stable in that people use it to go fishing. And yes, Joe, it's from Old Town – the Osprey 140. Some nice reviews over at paddling.net: http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=513

Of course, another rowing beauty that would be grand to have is the fiberglass Skua by Middle Path Boats. Interestingly, this particular boat has a 5:1 length-to-beam ratio, a larger ratio than the Osprey 140, and its beam is only 38" (the Osprey has a beam of 38.5").

~ Suzie B. ~

[Oldrig]

Hi again Suzie,

I'm glad you found that Old Town canoe--maybe you can get it as a graduation gift when you become a librarian.

The Adirondack Guide Boat (and there are several similar designs out there) is also a wonderful rowing boat, I'm told. I've seen the boats on the hard--at the Maine Boatbuilders Show, but I've never seen one on the water.

Be sure to give sailing a try, too.

Best,

--Joe