Towing with a sib

spainman · 16 April 2017, 22:01

Hello together,

I have a question. I would like here in Spain to make a voluntary help in the area i am living for towing boats which have a problem, etc.

It is only for recreational boats / sport boats up to 6-+ meters ( this is what i am thinking).

Will a 6 meter Syb like a Zodiac Mark V or a Narwhal 600 be able to tow this boats. Of course the transom will be reinforced.

A lot of people on in spain ( harbor workers) are telling me that this is not posible, that i need a boat with a lot of displacement, etc.

I am thinking in an SIb because the price and in winter of the storage.

Anybody can give some advice.

I know a rib will be better sure, but this is not the question.

I would like to do it with the SIB.

Sorry for all the mistakes . my written english is not the best but i am trying.

Arthur

Poly · 17 April 2017, 09:00

It depends what you mean by possible. You can of course tow a large boat with a smaller one. The RNLI d-class boats will tow small yachts etc* BUT having done it my choice would probably be a boat with a decent sized keel to help keep the tug rather than the casualty choosing the direction. A long tow line helps with this (via trigonometry). I think the other thing to consider is most sibs/ribs will have their engine/prop optimised for top speed and planing. That's great for getting to the casualty quickly but is probably really inefficient for using the horse power effectively for a slower tow. Especially if you have a four stroke where the torque at low revs is not as good.

*their priority is saving people's lives not their boats.

Brian · 17 April 2017, 09:13

I would think this is possible. As Poly, says the trick is to use a tow rope of at least 10m and to start the tow SLOWLY. Until the towed boat starts to move, you are in danger of over-revving your engine. Just take it slowly and then build up a bit of speed.
This should not be attempted though in any sort rough water!!

Landlockedpirate · 17 April 2017, 09:27

You could do it, but it wont work very well. You will have very little directional control. Moving the boat about out at Sea will be relatively easy (Long line or alongside tow) but maneuvering the tow around in the marina will be difficult.

The other issue is the Sun. Most sibs are PVC and from experience, these boats dont last long on the Med.Our tender showed significant signs of sun damage from just 6 weeks use over summer.

Sibs are great, but not for what you are suggesting.

spainman · 17 April 2017, 12:45

Well I thing to by an diesel outbord so torque will be not the problem also the correct prop.

The tink is that most peoble are telling me that a Sib or small rib is not correct for towing.

As soon as I get into the marine, the towing will be done by their own staff.so no problem in the marina.

some d Class boat pictures to know how they are ?

HDAV · 17 April 2017, 13:09

D class info
https://rnli.org/what-we-do/lifeboat...class-lifeboat Used one do come up for sale from time to time but not sure if it makes an ideal tow boat...

spainman · 17 April 2017, 13:35

Ok thank you.

At the moment I am thinking about an Bombard commando C5 with the wooden keel or an other model in the range with inflatable keel.

which will be better ?

Landlockedpirate · 17 April 2017, 16:34

I'm out ......

Poly · 17 April 2017, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by spainman

As soon as I get into the marine, the towing will be done by their own staff.so no problem in the marina.

Why do you want to provide this service?

How important is it for you to arrive quickly?

Why will the service never be wanted in winter?

Do you have a diesel o/b? They are pretty rare, heavy, noisy, expensive (eliminating any saving on the hull)...

spainman · 17 April 2017, 17:56

Hello Poly,
At the moment I am volunter in the spanish Civil Defence. which is an service similar to voluntary fire brigate,etc.
So I the Marina we have no service of this, I can have some small investors so why not to help other people. Of course it have to be on a small base. it means not a big rib which cost a lot of maintance etc.
Something small. in the winter their is not so much work so it will onley for example march to october.
I have just looked at the diesel outbords they are too expensive. some ideas for an good petrol outbord up to 60 hp with tork ??'

jeffstevens763@g · 17 April 2017, 18:25

High thrust Yamaha engines up to 60 hp for towing but a SIB it won't last long towing anything more than another SIB IMO

spainman · 17 April 2017, 18:30

Hello ok thank you for the advice with yamaha.

Can you explain why not to use a sib ?

jeffstevens763@g · 17 April 2017, 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by spainman

Hello ok thank you for the advice with yamaha.

Can you explain why not to use a sib ?

The forces that are put on the transom from a dead weight ( the boat your towing) due to wave action for one, transoms are designed for being pushed against on Sib'S
You will find it difficult to keep on course due to having very little weight and displacement, windage, tide, sea conditions will all hinder headway.

Not mentioning the legalities of a craft not fit for purpose.

GuyC · 17 April 2017, 20:05

You could try an alongside tow with the SIB providing the motive power and the towed boat providing the direction. This assumes the towed boat is steerable.

If you Google 'rya alongside tow' there are quite a few guides on how to do it.

I'm sure, with practice, you could overcome some of the shortfalls of a SIB but in general I'd agree with the rest of the responses.

spainman · 17 April 2017, 21:32

Thank´s to everybody for answering an ideas.

I have to rething all these. or maybe i have not given all the information.
My personal opinion is ( was). that maybe in a lot of cases i can give a solution on bord. it means jumpstard because battery is low, give some petrol, etc. and in the worst cases tow the boat. I haven´t bean thinking about all these and my favorite of price,etc was a SIB.

Poly · 17 April 2017, 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by spainman

So I the Marina we have no service of this, I can have some small investors so why not to help other people.

So what happens to the people who get in trouble just now?

Quote:

Of course it have to be on a small base. it means not a big rib which cost a lot of maintance etc.

does your civil defence unit not have storage? is there any risk of flooding in the area (because in the UK most of our fire services use their boats for that sort of "swift water" work more than rescues)

Quote:

in the winter their is not so much work so it will onley for example march to october.

It would be interesting to understand the statistics though. If March - October the water is busy does that mean there are other people around who can easily go to the aid of the breakdown? However if someone is out Nov-Feb they are likely to be alone for much longer and so actually at greater risk?

Quote:

Originally Posted by spainman

it means jumpstard because battery is low, give some petrol, etc. and in the worst cases tow the boat.

I appreciate the rescue services are different around the world - but if this is part of an official Civil Defence response I'd expect you to have to jump through some official hoops to doing this. I'd also think they might question if it is their remit to jump start batteries and provide fuel, albeit that may be the quickest fix. I'm not trying to put you off - there have been some excellent one-man independent rescue/towing services in the UK, but they were typically very experienced boating people who knew the answers to all these questions before they started putting themselves in harms (and insurance claims) way.