Helping other boaters - Best way to tow a stalled boat?

[LawyerMan]

We were out on the water this weekend. The weather was perfect. While leaving one bar/restaurant and heading to another we saw a stalled boat (about a 30 foot Grady White) getting towed by a much smaller, maybe 17 foot Sea Ray. The Grady White was being towed by the center-mounted tow hook on the smaller Sea Ray.

That got us talking and wondering: When out on the water, what is the best way to tow another boat in distress? What is going to have the most reinforcement? Is the tow hook strong enough?

 

[tdgard]

Every year, without fail, I tow someone in the first trip out with the family. I have used the tow hook. Others will chime in and say a bridal to the strap down points is best and I agree. Every time I have towed it's been late March, early April, no traffic, and a calm inland lake so the tow hook has been fine.

 

[BillK2632]

Yeah, I always use the tow hook. If it were a bigger boat I would rig up a bridle between the two aft cleats. But really I've never towed anything much bigger than my boat or a jet ski. Towing something much over 28-30ft probably is best left to the tow companies in all but the calmest conditions. Neverless, I will always stop and assist, I've fetched gas, jumped a dead battery, etc - can't just pass by and leave someone stranded.

 

[Jack380AC]

IMHO, bridal set-up at both ends is preferred. Sudden movements can create a lot of stress on the cleats/chocks. Even on a calm day you can get "waked." I keep an extra long line from a previous anchor rode stored on-board for this purpose. Extra distance between boats is also a good idea.

 

[trflgrl]

It depends on how each boat is equipped, as well as weather/water/traffic conditions.


We prefer side-car when possible, especially because our marinas have courtesy areas with ample space to dock the disabled boat against its free side and then untie the able craft. Otherwise, we've strung a bridle between our side eye hooks (or side cleats near top of transom), with a third rope looped on it and then attached to the disabled craft (either to its tow hook or to another bridle attached to cleats on each side of its bow). The looped rope slides freely, allowing the towed vessel to move around a bit while diffusing the impact on the towing craft. We use bridles to tow "dinghies," too--none of our crew have platform/davit setups, so it works for the jet boat, small Baja, and large WaveRunner that we use for taxi service.

 

[FootballFan]

Was out on the Dinghy this spring, guy on a Jetski waved me over - he was dead in the water.

Asked if I could tow him a mile or less into the ramp area he had launched from. He threw me a line, I did a turn around a cleat on the back of the dinghy and held the line in my hand and proceeded at a fast idle.

Best part, as we started getting near, I told him I would swing him around till he was floating towards the dock and throw his line to him.

He immediately started steering with his handle bars - as if a dead in the water Jet Ski could be turned by the handle bars.

Got a laugh out of that later!

 

[Gofirstclass]

About 3 weeks ago I towed a 24' bowrider with 6 people on board with my 13' Whaler and did just fine. It can be done but needs to be done slowly and carefully. We only had to go about 1/2 mile to get to the inlet where he had launched, but it was against a fast running current on the Columbia.

I have come up with a lengthy list of suggestions to make towing easier and safer for everyone involved. The items on the list won't work for every boat in every situation, but it gives you some things to think about.


"In the past I’ve towed about 1-2 boats a year that have run out of gas, had the engine quit or for some other reason. Since we bought Beachcomber we tend to go to out of the way places so lately we haven’t towed anyone. Over the years I’ve come up with some good things to be aware of when towing another boat to make it safer for everyone involved. Here’s a few items in no particular order….

-The boat to be towed should transfer all of it’s passengers to the tow boat except for the skipper of the towed boat. Everyone on both boats should don a PFD.

-The line to the towed boat should be fastened to the bow eye, or as low as possible on the boat to keep the bow high.

-The tow line should be long enough that when the tow boat stops or slows, the towed boat has time to come to a stop so it doesn’t run into the tow boat.

-It’s best to use a heavy line that has some ability to stretch and absorb any shocks.

-It’s a good idea to tie a towel or PFD about midway down the tow line. This way if the line breaks it won’t be as likely to snap back into the towed boat.

-Hand signals between the tow boat and towed boat should be the same as for water sports, and should be clarified before starting the tow.

-For better control of the towed boat, before approaching a dock it should be brought alongside the tow boat and fastened to the side as it would be in rafting up.

-Weight distribution in the tow boat is critical. You don’t want everyone seated in the stern unless there’s nowhere else available.

-The tow line should be fastened to the tow boat using a bridle attached to two cleats if possible.

-On an I/O boat that is to be towed the lower units should be raised about half way. You want them in the water enough to still help with steering but high enough to minimize drag."

Anyone else got any ideas?