Is there a preferred method to how to be towed by a power boat or another sailboat in the case of some kind of breakdown? Where is the best place to attach the line to the Hobie for strength, convenience, and to allow decent handling / steering? Is a bridle setup a good idea?
All I can add is that most power boaters have no idea how sail boats work. Make sure that the tow line is lonnnnnnnnnnnng. Starting from there I would recommend that the attachment to your side be easily released in the event that the power boat people are not sophisticated in the ways of towing a cat. I normally put a wrap on the mast base.
As Eric said, the main thing is to be able to release the tow rope from the yacht end quickly. I wrap the line around the mast once and hold the end in one hand while steering with the other.
Thanks, I need to think about carrying some line in the boat for just such an occurrence. I wasn't sure if making a bridle between the pylons and then to a long rope was the way to go, sounds like just going to the mast is fine
Now I mostly have been towed on my TheMightyHobie18 ... but I've helped tow H16's .....
I use a bridle system w/ a
long
tow line (50' min) as mentioned above .... on a H16 we tie the bridle to the corner posts/castings ..... I've seen bent dolphin strikers when tied there .... a single line to the mast is Ok for short distances and be sure to proceed at slow speeds .... but w/ a H16, if the rig is to loose I worry about
popping
the base of the mast out ... and from there things will get ugly fast!!!! I wrap the towline around the front crossbar at the mastbase ...
Now the nice thing about a bridle is that when adjusted right a catamaran will tow straight and need very little steering input .... so I use one for longer and (slightly) faster towing .... keep a good watch ... but you will find you can eat a sandwich ... and drink a beverage .... you should be sitting as far aft as possible and balancing the boat side-to-side also ...
AND ... just like towing a water skier ... the
towboat
MUST maintain a
watch
on the boat they are towing
...And once you tie a
rope
to a boat ... it's a
line
...
Harry
H18mag/P19MX
Concur with using a bridle as time/conditions dictate. For shorter tows, wrapping the tow line around the front cross bar and hand holding the bitter end works okay. Wrapping around the dolphin striker is not good. Also recommend
snubbing
the slack in the tow line with your hand in waves or with inexperienced tow operators. It saves a lot of stress on the boat when the tow line draws taut.
Good tips thanks!