Amateur question: What can I expect with a 15ft runabout behind my 30ft Cat..?

[paularey]

Wanted to run this by a couple forums for feedback. I’ve a older Catamaran, a Catalac to be precise that I’m looking to poke around the Las Perlas islands off Panama on/in and my question is: What can I expect handling wise if I try to motor sail/island hope around with a 15ft C.A. Boston Whaler knockoff (about 600lbs) behind my sailboat. I’m not looking for stellar performance but I would just like to have a little better platform than my dingy for explore the islands while I am anchored out in the islands. I’m an amateur sailor so any comments and feedback are appreciated.

[safewalrus]

Paul

Depends on the length of your tow line, at sea a l-o-n-g line means you have to anticipate course alterations well before you do them and do it gently (and no running downwind without precautions otherwise the tow - 'specially if light overtakes you! Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! close quarters with short stay, better not do it, but if you are already use to towing a 'dink' 'tis the same only louder! Best go play! But do it gently, if you anticipate any violent manouvers go think again!

[ron17571]

Seems like it would be a bit of a drag,i guess ull find out.seems like the cat would get u preety close to wherever u would need to go?mabe a kayak or an inflatable one to explore with?im curious what size,type motor you have on your cat and how it performs.

[rayk]

Can you beach a Catalac? Id consider that first and use a little dinghy for the locations where a beached boat isnt safe.
Towing such a big tender on passage may be hard on cleats/bollards/bits of a 30ft cat. Dont use springs or inner tubes to dampen the shock on your towing arrangement, or the dinghy will go zoomming forward under the bridgedeck turning you into a trimaran.
Actually why not do it that way? Can you lash your tender under the bridge deck?
About your amatuer label. Tow your Boston whaler around for a while and you will appear to others as eccentric more than anything, and an interesting chap to meet.
Personally I would stick with a small dinghy that can stow on deck, towing between anchorages.

[paularey]

I appreciate the feedback. The main reason I’d like the bigger runabout is I’m something of an explorer and I’d be driving around constantly in my Cat getting to areas where my dingy could be used comfortably. With my Boston Whaler I can poke around comfortable out to greater distances from my boat anchorage. I plan on moving around the islands but I’d rather not be changing anchorages all day long when I can pick one and use my other boat as a runabout. I’ve know plans for doing any grand passages in such a configuration only short jaunts around and between the islands in the group and maybe out from Panama City to the islands. Since I have not towed anything that large behind my Cat I was curious how much it would effect my getting around..? I had planned on towing it off a short bridle with another tag line off that. Not so long it gets unmanageable but not so close I’m getting rammed either. Still interested in more feedback, keep it coming.
Thanks

[yipster]

once you exeed the runabouts hullspeed it will be a much bigger drag for the cat to pull
you can see it on the wave forming on the bow of the tow and may feel it in the cats wheel and throtle

[Mychael]

Apart from slowing you down, think how much effect 600lbs behind you will effect your steerage. I've just a read a little article about towing and whilst it's more in the context of larger (not commercial size) vessels I would imagine the principles would be the same.
I tow a 10foot Walker Bay dinghy behine my 26foot keel boat. No trouble with steerage but I reckon it takes nearly a knot of my speed. Certainly in open water allow yoursself a long tow line.

Mychael