ricknriver Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 Thinking there may be times when we'd like to have a dink to tow behind our newly acquired BH19 (if that would be practical and not affect performance too much)? Wondering if the Mini-Paw may work if it would haul 400# (2 adults and a bit of gear for short rows)? If I could keep the weight to ~35# could cartop it or carry it across the cockpit of the BH19 when trailering. Guess a cheap, light, inflatable could work but don't think it would tow/track/row as easy as the Mini-Paw, or stow easily? All thoughts welcome as time permits. Happy Holidays to All. Tks, Rick Quote
hargrave Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 It is best to remember that even six inches more of wl in a dink is a big, big deal. Measure the situation, then build accordingly. Quote
Scott Dunsworth Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 Rick, I always thought I would like a nesting dink that I could slide in the back of the truck when we took her to ten thousand islands. I would have loved to fish around the mangroves. Jordyn would have loved messing about in a dink on her own also. It wouldn't have bothered me to toll one around for those types of activities. As for needing one, that would be a personal choice. When we wanted to anchor at an island I would drop the anchor a bit early and back the boat in with the rudder up, step off the swim ladder with a small anchor to set on the beach. I could usually get her in close enough to step off in 18 inches of water. Scott Quote
Hirilonde Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 I don't like inflatables unless it has in outboard. They are torture to row. I think the Minipaw is a very viable option for what you want. I built one for a friend who tows it all over southern New England with his Marshall 19. He picks it up with one hand and puts it in the back of his pick up. He thinks nothing of carrying it around. Quote
jwm Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 I built a Mini-Paw for my daughter, and to try my hand at building. As small as it is, I find it very sensitive to trim, but I am an overweight six footer. The most I have had aboard is myself and my five year old, so under 300 lbs. I'm sure she'll handle 400 pounds in reasonable conditions, but will have to be carefully balanced. I have not towed her, but she rows delightfully and I can't imagine creating a problem under tow. I am eventually going to enclose the area under the back seat as an air tank, you could cover the bow with a small deck to help keep out spray. BTW, I don't remember what the finished weight was supposed to be, but I ended up much heavier. Learning curve, no doubt. Moving on to a Spindrift 12 so mom can come along. My 5 year old has rowed the Mini solo and she does fine. Unless you intend to have youngsters using her, I would move the oarlocks farther aft than the plans show. Quote
Hirilonde Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 .....I would move the oarlocks farther aft than the plans show. You might consider 2 sets of rowlock sockets. With the T-seat you can adjust where you sit based on whether you have a passenger or not. Therefore you might want 2 rowing stations. This is what I did for the MiniPaw I built for a friend. Quote
Howard Posted January 11, 2012 Posted January 11, 2012 I tow the Spindrift 10n behind a Montgomery 17.....about the same size as the Belhaven........and can't say I notice a significant difference in performance. Towing a dingy behind any boat adds a bit of complication........it's just one more thing to consider. Biggest issue for me is finding a way to get the two of them to the same location. Even nested, it won't ride in or on the Monty, and not enough room in the tow vehicle for it either. More of a function of my situation than anything else. BTW, if you are going to tow a dingy, anyway to get the water out would be nice. In the video above, after the rain ended, the dingy had several inches of water in it.........that did affect towing performance. More of a sea anchor than a dingy. Quote
ricknriver Posted January 11, 2012 Author Posted January 11, 2012 Really appreciate the comments & suggs. Will be rowing about 375# of oldsters and wee pup, and though I will probably love her ease of rowing/storing, worry a bit about tenderness, and having skills to get her light enough (sub 40#) as I must handle her alone most of the time. Would do the 2 sets of oarlocks though. Everything else, though nicely a bit larger, seems 50-60#+ unless I go low-cost inflatable barges. Looking at some of the woodenwidget.com skin on frame (SOF) dinks that come in pretty light and some creatively foldable, but If I don't build em right could be a wet day :-). Guess that's part of our adventure though. Maybe just a bit more time at the gym so I can handle a bit bigger "paw" and figure a way to piggyback her gracefully on the Belhaven's cockpit for trailering. Might then add a couple of bikes and look like a sailing version of the "Clampitts" - ooops dating myself. Tks all, R Quote
ricknriver Posted January 12, 2012 Author Posted January 12, 2012 Tks for the video & info Howard. Have to conjure up a little bilge pump/battery pack for really rainy days. Just realized that there is a twopaw 8 nesting version that my prelim measurements show will fit nested (and padded) in the Belhaven cockpit for trailering. Also each piece lighter than mini-paw, especially if I build without the cb trunk and sailing stuff, & build with lightest but strong enough stock and neat epoxy work. Rick Quote
Hirilonde Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 The difference in nested size between the TwoPaw and Spindrift is not a lot, but I can see that in your case it might make all the difference in packing up for trailering. The sailing features do not add much weight to the hull, though all the other stuff does add up. If you think you might want to sail your dinghy I would certainly consider building it so. You can always fit the trunk with a plug and leave the sailing stuff at home when you just want the light weight towable dinghy. Regardless of which B&B dinghy you finally decide on I think you will have arrived at a most viable solution for your situation. Quote
Howard Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Tks for the video & info Howard. Have to conjure up a little bilge pump/battery pack for really rainy days. Just realized that there is a twopaw 8 nesting version that my prelim measurements show will fit nested (and padded) in the Belhaven cockpit for trailering. Also each piece lighter than mini-paw, especially if I build without the cb trunk and sailing stuff, & build with lightest but strong enough stock and neat epoxy work. Rick I carry a Beckson hand pump and bail her out that way. Takes a few minutes at most. Simple, cheap, effective. BTW, with any of these nested boats, you have two boats to bail out. The Anderson self bailers seem to work well, but are a bit pricy and again, for nested boats, you need two of them.....one for each half. Quote
hokeyhydro Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Do the mini-paws and Spindrift use 6mm ply? Might be able to shave weight with 4mm, or if you can find it 5 ply 5mm. I use to get 5 ply 5mm for my race boats from Harbor Sales when they had it, which was about a 50/50 shot. Quote
Charlie Jones Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Had a MiniPaw. Towed the thing all over the place, no problem. Only objection I had was it's NOISY at anchor. Sits so lightly on the water every little ripple makes it gurgle It most definitely wants two sets of locks so you can balance the boat. Quote
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