I am all for sharing mistakes Jimmy and I make as we venture into the cruising world. Some of these may seem obvious but reflecting on these things does help us learn from these experiences, even during a trip on our dinghy. When we took our dinghy on a longer trip during a recent weekend, several things worth noting popped up including a few lessons learned.
First a Summary:
I need more practice at the helm of the dinghy, including starting the engine.
The weight distribution needs to be at the center of the dinghy to get up on the plane.
We are not exactly sure where to tie the anchor to the dinghy and may need to do some research to find an agreed upon method.
It is easier to just flop up into the dinghy than to try to use a rope to step up on.
If the painter is coming into the dinghy from the side, well, the wave action can grab the line and pull it out of the boat.
I need to remember to hit neutral when things get hairy.
It would be wise to wear the emergency stop clip.
Our engine storage block is falling apart, so we may need to be on the lookout for a new one.
A good method to tie up dinghy on the davits is needed, or are we over thinking it?
Now for details for anyone interested.
1) Practicing at the helm is great. Be firm when starting the outboard.
Our goal for the afternoon was to go exploring on the dinghy. Jimmy helmed us out to Tampa Bay and into Big Bayou. This is a neat little cove-like area fronted by houses and mangroves. Deep into the bayou, several sailboats were anchored, with most of them looking as if they had not had a human visitor in a long time, much to the pleasure of the osprey. After exploring a bit, Jimmy asked if I wanted to helm.
Once at the helm I warned him that I needed a moment to figure out the acceleration and deceleration of the tiller. Then, I discovered that I prefer to helm from the port side, which is the opposite side that he helms from. I also had to get the feel of how the dinghy moves around, that without a keel it slides around a bit. It seems that just a little time at the tiller is helpful and it did not take much practice to improve.
Later on, after we took a swimming break, I tried to start the engine, but could not get it to turn over. Jimmy let me know that I simply need to pull much harder to get it to crank. He demonstrated, then shut off the engine for me to give it another go. I was less timid and gentle with the pull cord this time and got it to start up right away. This is something I need to do more often.
2) There is a magic weight distribution to get the dinghy up on plane.
At first we could not remember the weight distribution to get the dinghy up on plane with two people onboard. We were unable to do so out on Tampa Bay on the way to Big Bayou. Then when I was at the helm, Jimmy shifted his weight from the bow to the center, and up we went. I had a blast at testing this maneuver over and over again.
3) Need to research anchoring points for the dinghy.
During the swim break we wondered, should the anchor be tied to the welded eye inside of the bow locker, or to the welded eye on the hull, under the bow? Attaching the rode from the locker seem like it could create pressure and friction on the inflatable dinghy top (even with chaps on). While accessing the eye under the hull is awkward while onboard. At the moment it is not a big issue, but probably something worth looking into.
4) Getting back into an inflatable dinghy is challenging.
Before jumping into the water, I ran a line along one side of the dinghy to use as a step to get back into the boat, which did not work well. It was just easier to flop up onto the side of the boat and then flop over the pontoon to get inside, not the most graceful of looks. Perhaps a swim step may be needed for the future.
5) Proper painter position can avoid panic situations.
It was on the way back to the marina that we discovered how quickly things can go haywire. While I was at the helm, I noticed that the dinghy painter came into the boat from over the side and thought that it would be better for it to come up over the bow. However, I did not say anything. Jimmy was enjoying his ride on the bow while I accelerated the dinghy when suddenly I saw the painter fly past as it paid out into the water. I tried to slow the boat down and grab the painter before it found the prop, but in the process, I turned the tiller to point the dinghy directly at some anchored boats.
6) Neutral is your friend.
At least our speed had reduced, and Jimmy was able to reach over me and to throw the engine into neutral as I corrected the dinghy’s direction away from anchored boats. I need to remember to switch to neutral when things go haywire.
7) Clip the emergency stop to yourself, not to the tiller.
Jimmy was at the helm returning to the marina when, I slipped a cover over my bathing suit. In the process my hat and shirt became tangled, so I asked Jimmy to pull my hat free. As he did so, he spun the dinghy in an unexpected circle. At least there were no other boats nearby… Afterwards he mentioned that he really should have had the emergency clip on. If our boat tipped over, it would keep on going, or worse run the prop over us.
8) Mental note: The engine motor mount may need to be replaced.
The nice, homemade, varnished wood block with a metal cap that is used to store our outboard to the stern rail is starting to fall apart. We may need to be on the lookout for a new one. One made by Edson runs around $300. So, it is now a game of how-long-will-it-last and can-we-find-a-lower-cost-option-out-there in time?
9) A good method to tie up dinghy on the davits is needed, or are we over thinking it?
Once we have the dinghy hauled up using our upgraded davit system, we need to tie it down to keep it from swinging around in the air. I spent way too much time on this and am pretty sure I am overthinking it. Since that day, we have made some more modifications to how we hang our dinghy, and perhaps we may be getting closer to a simple method. Maybe, but probably not.
Just an additional note here:
Jimmy and I had only brought one alcoholic drink a piece with us that afternoon so we were quite sober during these lessons learned. On the flip side we only brought one Yeti cup of water which was quickly splashed with seawater while in Tampa Bay on the way to Big Bayou. Perhaps a little dehydrated during these events made us a little dingy. That was also another lesson: our water does not need to be stored in an open container and bringing more water is always a safe bet.
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