Dingy

I just thought of a question I wanted to ask.

* How do others with E25, E26, and E27 handle liferaft/digny situations?

I'm planning a trip from San Diego to Dana Point to Avalon and back to San Diego.
My 1967 E26 does not have a digny. I have decided it's not good to make a trip like that without some other means of floating. I have been inspected by the Coast Guard and they say I have everything I need to pass their rigors, but I need something more for my own peace of mind (plus I need a way to get ashore in Avalon). Stowing another boat on board seems like it would take up a lot of valuable space on our little boats.

*What do others do?

We have tow rings on our dinghy and just tow it behind us when we make trips anywhere.

Kayaks

We have been towing our sit on top kayaks without too much trouble. At the Oakland boat show we saw stainless brackets that bolt onto the base of your stanchions and allow you to carry a kayak outside of the lifelines. They were made by Garhauer and were about $85 for a pair (good for one kayak.)

Dan and Julie
s/v Jewel E28+

Dingys

I agree with the Kayaks idea. I have a next-slip neighbor who has convinced me of the idea.

For years, I didn't like the towing idea. Long story, but the weather came up, and the towed dingy didn't handle the crossing very well. Was almost swamped by the time we got to the lee of the island. Had to slow our speed (prolonging the agony of the seas). As it turned out, after that we towed the dingy with the drain plug removed. Solved that problem, but when slowing down at end of trip, was fun bailing (load someone in the dingy with the plug, tow up to speed until dingy was dry, then reinsert plug).

We ended up getting a 'duckbill' plug, as seen on scows and lasers. Worked OK.

Inflatables. Best option. Will store below for trip. Can be inflated in minutes manually, or instantly with CO2 option. Even inflated and lashed to foredeck will do fine.

Hard dinghy on deck?

Has anyone ever tried lashing a hard dinghy to the deck of their E-27? I have a 9' dink that may fit on the foredeck, but I'm not sure. Anyone had any experience with this?