She needs a boom job!

[Chancesail]

Doug, great idea, I had not considered an inflatable rib due to short length of space I have to work with. Mainly because I’ve only known inflatables to be difficult under oar power with just a little breeze blowing. The right type is good oars, had also not entered my mind. Albeit there is ample space... other reason for a hard dink is that I’ve seen what a great white can do to one mistaken for a piece of whale carcass or just plain meanness, who knows. Could be he noticed the 5 course meal aboard just beyond those sponsons. She will be my life boat as opposed to life raft. Should I need to step off her spreaders into my dink I would not want any waterborne teeth chomping their way to me. Half that rib deflated in about 4 minutes while Whitey held on and smiled for the camera. Fortunately another close by boat, all fiberglass, came and offloaded the crew. Contrary to popular belief, I’d also like to be able to sail to my nearest salvation as opposed to just bobbing around waiting on luck to bring us together. Still great idea to fit a boat under a low slung boom.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Chancesail

Hey TP, what a beautiful Gaffer! No-kidding she can move! Great video. U r correct 7’ max, hence the nesting idea, should give me 8’-9’. I can drop both pieces overboard and bolt them 2gether the water. I have the line drawing for the topsail gaff-rig. She is beautiful. I have not been able to find how to post pics here or I would put it up for you.

Here's a link to instructions for posting pictures: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...st-133457.html

Following with interest.

Ann

[JPA Cate]

@Chancesail,

I'm feeling concerned about you being able to carry a competent enough dinghy to double as a life boat on that boat. It's a big ask for a vessel that size, and it will make looking forward pretty hard, as well. What weather protection could it offer? You'll want to work something out for keeping waves and rain out, and also something for additional buoyancy, perhaps inflatable collars, for the sides? And you still have to be able to get back in it if it dumps you out. You're wearing full weather gear">foul weather gear. Can your body cope with that?

If all you really want is a dinghy for going ashore, that you can row, it will still have to have enough freeboard for you to do that safely for the conditions you plan to encounter. We had some friends with a rowing Avon hypalon inflatable. It came with rowlocks of a sort (black rubber, bonded on), and timber oars. Let the air out and lash it flat to the cabin top handrails (if you have them, otherwise install pad eyes), might work for going ashore and so forth, and not too many great whites in most anchorages.

Ann

[Chancesail]

Yes, Thomm, still in Pigeon Forge. Annie is on stands in the side yard next to my too small work-shop.

[Chancesail]

Ann Thank you for the link, I’ll make an attempt to a pic and her numbers as well as the line drawing for topsail gaff rig. And thank you for all of your concerns, they are well voiced, and I share every one. I had thought about rigging the sponson system that one of the West Marine dinghies has as an option. Positive buoyancy built in will be a must. I will be rigging a cover of sunbrella or whatever the latest-greatest material is to provide shade and protection from waves that can ride up the mast for calmer seas and set a bit above rail height for deflection and drainage over board. I’ll take a look at the Avon you mentioned too. Only been in an inflatable 1 time. It didn’t seem to know it’s own bow from stern. Of course a small part may been the operator... in my defense, there was about a 12 knot breeze & itty bitty oars, but with numerous boats to bounce off of; a cleverly disguised way to meet new friends and drink several free beers. Come to think of it, I’m growing more fond of inflatables as I write!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Chancesail

Yes, Thomm, still in Pigeon Forge. Annie is on stands in the side yard next to my too small work-shop.

As I said before, that is a beautiful area.

Once after fishing below Pickwick Dam for Striper (the same that lives in salt water) my family and I headed East then North and ended up in the mountains NW of you and it was great.

You can also reach the Gulf Coast from the lake side of Pickwick Dam. I used to crew on a few monohulls that raced there.

Sometimes I'm like maybe I should hike the Mountain trails instead of sailing but that could be because I grew up 3 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and 4 miles from the Chesapeake Bay.

Sometimes a change of scenery is nice.

I used to visit the Shiloh Battlefield park also about once a year or more.

https://blueheelerhr39.com/2015/10/3...pickwick-lake/

[Chancesail]

Ann, Thank you for the gene cocern you noted about being able to reboard with all the gear on. A very valid concern. Pretty sure my body can take it, not in bad shape. Besides we only go around once this life and nobody gets out alive anyway, so to quote a well known troubadour, “I rather die while I’m living, than live while I’m dead.” Plus I’ve got plenty of scar tissue holding me together. But still, a logical point, thank you for bringing it up. My kids tell me I look to be in much better shape that other people of my vintage that they know or have seen. Apparently I’m aging like a fine box of wine...

[Benz]

Two of us cruised very well with a six-foot fiberglass pram as a dinghy. It was a "Montgomery" style, and rowed very well, and we made it unsinkable with foam thwarts.
If you have six feet of cabin space to put it on, it's IMO the best option.
If you build one yourself, I find the most overlooked feature is a way to change the rowing position arrangement so that you can trim the dinghy depending on the weight of other people and cargo. The dinghy I built has removable thwarts that can slide fore and aft most of the length (they sit on parallel-sided inwales mounted along each side of the hull), so that I can micro-trim. I can also leave them out, put something big right in the middle, and scull standing up.
Options are important.

[TrentePieds]

Apropos of #38:

Yes. A problem with small (tiny) rigid dinks is that keeping them floating to their lines so they will row properly is tricky. One solution is to eliminate the traditional twarts and sit on a "tank" that reaches from transom to transom (small dinks often having a transom forward as well as aft). The oarsman can then position himself fore-n-aft on the tank to maintain trim regardless of what other cargo/person may be aboard.

This arrangement mandates using thole pins rather than fixed rowlocks because the gunnel can be made with numerous holes for the tholes thus permitting a multiplicity of rowing positions.

A bonus is that the tank is just that: a flotation tank. A disadvantage is that the tank reduces "cargo space" for going shopping ashore.

TP

[roverhi]

Balloon boats don't row well especially since their oarlocks are usually major crap if you try rowing them regularly but can be rowed. The old Avon rubber oarlocks were the best, rowed an Avon Redcrest all over French Polynesia. Great exercise, no cranky outboard to deal with or explosive fuel to carry which may not be available in remote locations. Wish I'd had a rigid dink that I could have rowed and sailed. Hard dinks are so much easier to propel without carbon than the blow ups.

[Chancesail]

Hello Everyone, please excuse my lack of responses these past few days. I’ve been working at different jobs trying to stay afloat; pardon the euphemism, just fit to well on this site. I am very grateful for all your responses and will be back on board here in a few more days. Thanks you all again!

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Chancesail,

Thanks for getting in touch. Hope good things are happening.

Ann