Dinghy Questions- Towing and using in Florida

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Forfun1960

New member
New owner of 22 Cape Cruiser with raised radar tower so I can carry dinghy on top. I am wondering if others leave Dinghy on top while towing the boat down the road?

Also I will be spending January in Florida cruising the east coast. Wondering should I take my dinghy or is there enough docks and marina's that its not needed?
 
Whether you tow with the dingy up or not depends on what other carry options you have. Know that it will have some affect on your fuel mileage due to increased wind resistance. It will, if you carry it on the cabin top, need to be secured for 70+ mile per hour winds. That is considerably more than what it would need if you are on the water.

Some folks deflate the dingy and carry it in the cockpit, or in the tow vehicle. I tow with a pickup, and the dingy fits in the PU bed, inflated, so I don't have to do the inflation at launch, so for long hauls it goes in the PU bed. From home to the marina, if I am launching locally, it rides up on the cabin top and rack. It is 3 miles and nothing over 35MPH.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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There are certainly enough marinas on the east coast of Florida, so if you are always staying at a marina then you don't need a dinghy.

But if you are going to anchor out a lot, there probably aren't enough docks big enough for a 22 that will let you stay there for more than a few minutes, certainly not long enough to go to a grocery store.

David
 
I would not tow for any distance at highway speeds. I live in Florida and do much of my winter boating on the St. John’s River. Highly recommend. Brackish to fresh water and lots of docks if you know where to find them. I’m going for a trip next week and will be leaving the dingy at home. When we go to the C-Dory gathering in March at Hontoon Island I’ll bring it along. When we have more than a couple boats the dock space may not be adequate at some restaurants. I have not boated on the east coast except for the intercostal. Have fun on your adventure and make sure you have some kind of heat source. Florida can be cold in Winter.
 
Donnie,
Welcome to Florida.

Consider cruising the West coast first. It’s less expensive, less pretensive, prettier, more laid back, nicer beaches that are more accessible, and a calmer Gulf. It’s all nice, but we think the West coast is nicer for a C-Dory with more ‘mom and pop’ marinas that welcome smaller yachts like yours.

You can face 30MPH winds while trailering in FL in Jan, so your dingy could see 100MPH winds @70MPH….and then a tractor-trailer passes you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it being done and I wouldn’t want to. Having the option while boating will be nice.

We choose not to have a dingy due to the hassles of storage, inflation, deflation, motor storage and mounting, messing with another gas tank and filling it etc.

That doesn’t mean we don’t anchor out...all we need is a 2-burner Coleman propane stove ($20), a SS percolator coffee pot, a Lil’ Buddy propane heater for cockpit use and we can cook, heat water to clean up and bathe basin-bath syle with cheap 1lb propane bottles (properly stored overboard). Big boats need a dingy for ‘provisioning’ but you won’t...just select a marina near the Publix.

We choose against the hassles of a dingy or a generator. Every Brat crew will make their own decisions based on their own desires and boating experiences. There is no right or wrong answers for most issues. (However, I contend that even trying to stow an inflated dingy rooftop at Interstate speeds is a bad idea, if not a wrong answer).

The big bend area has some scenic rivers that only a small boat can explore, but no beaches until Anclote Key. From there to Key West is a nice 30 day journey. If you enjoy 5-star marina resorts as much as we do, the Moorings at Longboat Key is worth a couple of days with on-call courtesy van service to St Armand key. And a Publix 2 blocks away. Again, consider a stop at Calusi Island Marina south of Marco Island. Remember the new boating ed course and certificate needed for the Everglades and get that done now…

https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/ ... rogram.htm

We hope your careful planning leads to a wonderful cruise!

John
 
No experience on dinghy towing to share, but we do have a dock you could tie-up to halfway down the east coast near the St Lucie Inlet when you get down that way.
Good place to stop before heading through the Lake O locks to the Gulf side or continuing the ICW on the Atlantic.
Our boat's not down there, but give me a heads-up on your dates and I'll make sure the shore power is on for you.
 
Forfun1960":1dcctu3z said:
New owner of 22 Cape Cruiser with raised radar tower so I can carry dinghy on top. I am wondering if others leave Dinghy on top while towing the boat down the road?
Click to expand...

Mine only comes off the roof as nec. for going to shore or cleaning. I tow it 4-8 thousand miles a year. By looking at the news down in America, we don't get any real wind here. The dinghy was mew in 2002 been stowed like this on 2 different C-dorys :wink:

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Your mileage may vary. A good friend of mine left the dinghy on the roof of his 22 and towed it back from Hontoon to Pensacola. NO FLOOR in the dinghy when he got home.

Apart from increasing wind resistance, there are multiple risks at highway speeds. and I just don't leave the dinghy on the roof at highway speeds.

I don't tow the dinghy behind the boat, unless it is relatively short distance and mostly at low speeds. We use a dinghy a lot of the time with our dog. However, a year ago Sept. The group we were with stayed each night at a marina, and we didn't use the dinghy at all. There were many parks and launching ramps where we could have pulled in for a short time.

I cannot answer for the lower part of Florida. But Fort Walton Beach has a public dock where you can tie up during the day. On the St. John's River there are several towns where you can use the public docks without charge to go shopping.

We also like to photograph birds and wildlife, and explore in the dinghy. We have a fairly good size
(9 1/2' long), air floor dinghy, so it is comfortable for longer periods of time. [/b]
 
A dingy on top does cut back some on the truck milage & most would be better off stowing it elsewhere, though I have made two runs of over 200 miles to Yellowstone Lake & another two to Lake Powell of over 400 miles with at separate times both the 12 foot & 13 foot Kaboats on the boat cabin top. We did encounter 30 mph winds both times on the way to Powell, so with 70 mph in the truck, the winds did top 100 mph. No damage, though I did have to stop & make tie down adjustments. I put it on top for the convenience of not having to mess with it when launching the boat, especially when dealing with the heat at Lake Powell. If having to make major elevation changes like here in the Rocky Mountains one has to be extra careful with tie towns due to tube air pressure changes from differing elevations. That’s not a problem in Florida. Whether towing the dingy or stowing on the cabin top for convenience it does pay dividends to be mindful of it being a possible added risk. I’ve towed inflatables & the Mokai kayak in some pretty severe conditions in SE Alaska with at times wishing I had them stowed or with the Mokai ready to just cut lose, but I find the convenience of access to be worth the possible risk of loss. So far, with well over 2000 miles towing the rubber inflatable with motor attached & over 8000 miles towing the Mokai , there have been only minor problems & well worth it to me, but as Bob said & I agree, “your milage may very”

Jay
 
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