[Alberg30] Re: Towing by bow cleats

[William J. Burke]

Having worked in the towing industry and once even towed a yacht over 400
miles offshore (picked up off Baja, broke tow in San Diego), I think people
are missing a very important factor in this discussion.  The towing rig
itself is critical to reducing loads on the towed boat.  Nylon is much more
elastic than dacron and is the towline of choice.  Polypro is good if you
have to float a line to the tow, but use it as a messenger and tow on the
nylon.  A LONG towline will dampen out most shock loading; use as much line
as you can get away with, especially offshore when maneuverability isn't as
big a concern.  Start up slowly and take your time getting up to a moderate
speed.  Remember, drag force increases with the square of the speed (double
the speed will take 4 times the force!)  A weight in the middle of the
towline (chain is good, and we even used a yacht's anchor once) will work
wonders in keeping a caternary in the towline and absorb the shock loading
before it gets to the boat.  Finally, keep the tow in step with the tower -
adjust the tow length so that when you are going down a wave, the other boat
is too.  If you set up your tow well and your cabin top is in good shape,
you should be able to tow from the base of the mast without any problem.
(Even better, learn a trick from mountaineers and rig a bridle that
equalizes the load among several anchors!)

Bill Burke
Wild Elf #297


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