An easy way to deal with a heavy dinghy
Issue 51 : Nov/Dec 2006
Every year my inflatable dinghy seems to be getting heavier and heavier when I pull it up on the storage float. The truth is that I’m getting too old for such work!
Not long ago, I read an article about Hemingway’s fishing boat, Pilar. The famous author installed a roller on his boat’s transom to help bring big fish aboard. Why not do the same thing on the edge of a pier or a storage float?
My roller is made from a 6 1⁄2-foot piece of 4-inch diameter PVC pipe. For the end bearings, I made two disks of 1⁄2-inch-thick Micarta to fit inside the pipe. Each disk has a 1⁄2-inch hole in the center. I designed brackets to mount near the edge of the float, with 1⁄2-inch bars projecting from the bracket sides. The bars act as axles and poke into the disk holes.
The float’s surface is about 4 inches above the water. The roller’s top adds about 6 inches, so I still have to pull the dinghy up a little, but my 9-foot inflatable comes up easily. Its total weight is about 170 pounds: dinghy, 100; outboard, 50; plus 20 for gasoline.
I lock the bow ring to a large chain attached to an eyebolt in the float. The outboard is locked to the dinghy. I cover the outboard with a heavy bag, and I plan to cover the dinghy as well. We all know that sunlight is bad for dinghies and varnish.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
