How do you easily get your provisions aboard when at anchor?

[Lasivian]

It seems this is pretty simple for multihulls, but most large monhulls seem to have 2-3' between the waterline where the dinghy would be and the deck.

I'm guessing there is some secret here i'm not aware of.

Thanks!

[two-rocks]

Walk out transom....

Ok ...maybe not the answer you were looking for, but when buying my boat it was a huge need.

The additional lifting for you might mean smaller bags or bags with less weight. .... else break out a halyard.

If you have enough crew, the chain gang works well. The youngest can take the item from the dinghy person and only place it on deck...for the next person.

[roverhi]

Hoist bags/jugs up to walkway from the dinghy. Doubt that you'd have enough goods to load on board that would fill up all the walkways. When you've off loaded the dinghy climb aboard and stow the supplies.

[Jim Cate]

I've always found that if I could carry the bag(s) back from store to dinghy, I could lift them on to the boat. Seems a non-problem at first glance, OP!

Jim

[JPA Cate]

We have used a line on heavier items (like full jerry jugs) to haul them aboard--both fuel and water, and it's easier to pull them up than push them up. Heavier than that, we use a halyard, and walk the item aft.

I think Jim's point is accurate, though, if you can carry it from wherever to the dinghy, you can get it aboard without too much difficulty.

Ann

[BlackHeron]

We always come to midships on our monohull because of the self-steering gear on the transom plus other stuff blike the LP tank on the rail and the stern anchor making it nearly impossible to board from there.

It's a good 3 feet from the waterline up to to the gunn'l. We have a single step rope ladder and use the shrouds as a place to grab on when climbing up or down.

We anchor-out almost exclusively, and everything we bring aboard comes in on the dinghy. No big deal. We use lines to haul up big or heavy things like full Jerry cans of water or fuel. You get used to it. Old time sailing ships had it much harder

[hpeer]

Like Black Heron, we come amid ships where we have a single step ladder. We just lift stuff up onto the deck. When you are working amid ship you have the least amount of motion, so it’s easier. Over the transom in a good swell there is a lot of relative motion between the boat and dink.

The OTHER thing is we use a PortaBoat. Inflatables have those big tubes and keep you pushed off the side of the mother ship, so you need to reach out, extend yourself. The PB allows you to come right up alongside you are mostly reaching straight up and onto the deck. Far less awkward.

We just don’t see it as a problem. I’ve even brought the 8hp motor up and down that way by hand, but frankly that was stupid. A full 6 gal gas tank is about as much as I should attempt without risking fate.

[SVHarmonie]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I've always found that if I could carry the bag(s) back from store to dinghy, I could lift them on to the boat. Seems a non-problem at first glance, OP!

Jim

Not only at first glance, but every one after that. We have a bigger than average boat, and just put the bag on deck while standing in the dinghy. I guess if we had something REALLY heavy whoever was on deck could lend a hand.

[Lasivian]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

We use lines to haul up big or heavy things like full Jerry cans of water or fuel.

This is exactly the issue I was thinking of. Since I will probably be sailing singlehanded. And my back isn't all that great. :S

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Lasivian

This is exactly the issue I was thinking of. Since I will probably be sailing singlehanded. And my back isn't all that great. :S

OK... for those items, leave a halyard clipped to the lifeline amidships. Come alongside in the dink, attach halyard to item leaving it slack. Climb aboard and use the halyard winch to raise the item to deck level. Swing over life lines and lower to the deck. No problem...

We've loaded very heavy batteries this way with our 80+ year old bodies... not much fun but do-able.

Jim

[Sojourner]

This is one reason we went with installing an outboard davit, to double as a grocery/jerry can davit. But as most point out, it's rarely needed. Traveling in the dinghy, most things have to be manageable size and weight already, so it's not too much work to boost them up while someone grabs them from above.

[BlackHeron]

We keep the spin halyard clipped right where we hip-tie the dinghy for extremely heavy items, and for hauling the dinghy itself on deck. But hoisting items with the halyard is slow work, so we only use it when it is absolutely necessary.

I am able to lift the 6-gallon jerry cans full of water with just a line from on deck myself (lift with legs, not with back) although my wife can't manage that. We consume about 20-25 gallons of water a week, and most of the time all that water comes onboard via those jerry cans in the dinghy.

The next heaviest items would be the folding bikes which, while bulky/awkward, are less than 30bs each. The outboard motor is a tiny 2hp 2-stroke and weighs a mere 22lbs. Again, an awkward shape with a fragile prop at the end. But we manage hauling it by hand over the side often enough as we never tow the dinghy with it mounted and bring it aboard the mothership before travelling, storing it on the stern rail mount.

[Auspicious]

+1 on loading amidships. Just put everything on the side decks. If there are going to be big boxes or my big canvas boat bags I may take down lifelines ahead of time. Climb on board and shift from side decks to cockpit. Lots of up and down then to get things below.

I don't lift full Jerry jugs. My spare water pump has long leads and I pump water from jugs into the tanks. I use an X-Change-R oil change pump to pump fuel from jugs into tanks. I have a plan to use my dinghy engine hoist to bring full jugs on board departing for passage but I've never needed to do that - I've been able to get to a fuel dock to fill fuel and water jugs.

[michaelratinter]

We use the mizzen gollywobbler halyard.

[SV__Grace]

2-3 feet to the deck? Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see the problem. Simply stand up and you won't even need to raise anything above your head.

For this purpose I have a line I keep tied amidships on the dinghy so I can secure it to a stanchion and stand up to transfer items without the dinghy moving away from the mothership.

This is why so many mono-hull sailors like sugar scoop transoms.

My boat is a center cockpit ketch with a stern ladder for boarding. It's 6 feet from the waterline to the aft deck, and if single handing I have to raise items above my head to place on the deck from the dinghy.

A wise PO installed an electric lifting winch on the mizzen boom, and I use that for heavier items like jerry jugs.

2-3 feet to the deck? Count your blessings my friend!