Towing your dinghy.

[dbbd]

I prefer not to tow, but on occasion I did tow. When towing for a long distance, I tie two lines to two different spots on the dinghy

[campbdon]

Hi, my Northern 29 originally had inboard engine but now has O/B propulsion. I am seeking advice on how to or whether to tow my hard (fibreglass) dinghy in normally calm lake waters. I'm thinking about how to run tow line(s) and avoid hitting the O/B or fouling the prop. I had no issues towing with the deeper set inboard prop.
Thanks!

[MicHughV]

First thing...get some polypropene line as it will float.
Second thing, you can thread a small egg shaped float onto it, more floats the better. helping flotation of the tow line.
Third, tie the tow line to your stern pulpit instead of a stern cleat, as this will also raise the tow line clear.

My final tip. This is what I use on my own dink.
I tied another tow. line to the transom of the dink in addition to the one on the bow.
When I'm towing the dink, both stern and bow lines are led to the upper rail on my stern pulpit. I tie the stern line about 1/2" to 1" closer to the rail then the bow line.
This puts the strain of the tow line on the transom, which is much stronger than the bow. The bow line is there just to keep the bow pointed straight ahead.

I have satisfactorily towed my dink in this fashion for 1,000's of miles without any problem.