Towing Canoes

The trick to towing a canoe is to have the tow rope attached to the underside of the towed canoe. Tie a rope around the towed canoe just astern the bow seat with a small loop of rope centered under the bottom of the canoe . Tie a rope from your boat to the loop under the canoe. This way you prevent the bow from digging in and wandering back and forth. Position any load in the towed canoe so it is toward the stern and keep the center-of-gravity as low as possible.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'd really like to do some of this on Lake Powell this season. I guess if the weather gets nasty and I have to be on the water with it, I can drag it up onto the roof of the CD. But I'd just as soon be able to tow it. I'm usually at displacement speed, so it may even be okay in waves. I like the idea of getting some lift on the front end of the canoe as suggested with a "bottom tow."
 
displacement speed probably OK--(but most canoes don't have bilge pumps!). If it gets rough and often the afternoons can be choppy on the reaches--there is some risk--also watch out for the pesky PWC. I would not put it past one of them to try and sink a canoe being towed. (we have had them throw spray into the bunk with an open forward hatch when we were anchored way up an arm. That is one good reason to go early or late in the year--less if no PWC's...
 
Would it be advised to tow the canoe from up high, like the Cabin top hand rail or the aft cabin wall hand rail, to get more elevation to the tow line? Or is towing from the cleat OK? I remember Jay and Jolene towing the Mokia from someplace up high on there Alaska videos.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey,

Yes, we use to connect the tow rope to the rear top of the cabin & have towed from that position for several thousand miles.  It towed great from this position with a bridle connected to the Mokai, but it prevented us from using our cockpit cover.   Due to wanting to start using the cover on our next Alaska cruise we experimented with other ways of connecting to the CD.   Found a bridle connected to each stern cleat worked as well as tie off up high.   With the attachment of a series of small floats from the bridle connected to the CD along the tow rope & then to the heavy part of the other bridle connected to the Mokai allowed us to go into emergency reverse without endangerment of entangling  bridles or toe rope in the props.   In the past this had been problematic with it twice causing a serious condition.  We sought out big wave conditions on the lake to test it out & all went extremely well.  We also towed it this way at the Lake Powell Gathering lasts fall & am confident of this method now for our upcoming Alaska cruise.

In some conditions towing a canoe will no doubt work well with implentation of the advise given on this thread, but there's no way it would have survived much of the conditions we have been in towing the Mokia. Keeping the bow up on a towed canoe I think would be more important than with the Mokai, so perhaps tying off up high just might work out well with a canoe. For sure I'd be doing some experimenting before heading out on big water.

Jay
 
Jay said:

"Yes, we use to connect the tow rope to the rear top of the cabin & have towed from that position for several thousand miles."
Click to expand...

Jay, What was your attachment point? Hand rails on cabin roof? or did you install some other attachment point onto the roof for an attachment point.

I am thinking i could do that and then run the tow line over my aft arch that the inflatable is resting on. (Do not want to tow from that rack, that high. too much leverage on the brackets, but just running the line over it might work well.)

Thanks.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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This is how I tow single canoes behind my 22'. My system has evolved over a number of years.

1. Based on prior negative experiences, I have made water proof covers from light weight materials which run the entire length from bow to stern with SS snaps on the sides which go over the gunnels. The male snaps are fixed below the gunnels with a pop rivet gun about a foot apart. Easy to do.

The female portion of the SS snaps are fixed to the fabric, one at a time to match the male portion of the snaps which are already installed. It is not difficult to make it quite water resistant to cross chop or waves which hit amidships where the freeboard is lowest since the cover edges roll over the gunnel and water trying to come aboard just rolls back into the lake or ocean. Also, keeps rain out of the canoe. Without a good cover, a canoe can take on too much water and become a sea anchor in a very short time. Making a cover is not difficult to do It is a fun project.

2. Towing: Some advice. Most canoes have bow eyes at the top. This is not where you want to tow from. You can drill a hole midway down the bow stem and put in a ring,( I use a small SS carabiner for ease of removal) This is where your tow rope will lift the bow slightly and enhance your towing angle.

I tow from the aft cletes with a wishbone harness (commercial type - WestMarine has them) with a ball float to keep the line from getting into the propeller. Once underway the harness will not rub on the engine. I use a yellow tow line which floats. One end has a SS snap tied on and that end snaps on the float ring. The rest of the tow line is run back through the canoe ring and back to either aft clete.

Make enough extra tow rope so you can adjust your canoe distance. As you are towing, you can make your adjustments while underway, to and from. With this system your canoe will not yaw as much as if your tow line was tied to the bow. Also, if for what ever reason you need to separate your boat from the canoe, you just untie from the clete and let the floating rope slide through the canoe ring.

The C-Dory reverse chines and motor wake create a nice V which the canoes's bow can fit in while on plane. Johnj's illustration shows this nicely. Getting your canoe bow where it belongs requires someone to tend the tow line, which is why I use the system described above.

I keep my towing gear in a small bag for quick accessability.

I hope this is clear as mud!

Yellowstone
 
Harvey,

Yes it was a rope in between the aft end of the cabin top handrails with a loop in the center that was used as a connection point.  You could possibly go over your aft support like you mentioned, but it would have to made able to stay on top when in a tight turn & be easily reached when wanting to pull the tow to the boat.

Jay
 
Jay, Thanks. That is what I was suspecting, glad for the confirmation. I could rig the line over the aft arch to keep int there in a turn.

Interesting prospects :idea:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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