Hello,

I have a newly inquired an inflatable; it is a 9ft aluminum ribbed (85lbs) with a 9.9Yamaha 2-stroke engine (80lbs). I tow it behind a 30ft sailboat in the semi-protected waters of the
Canadian Gulf Islands. Maximum sea state maybe 2- 3ft chop. Winds 20 to 25 knots
Many of my boating buddies ask me, "Won’t the boat flip with an outboard this heavy in such chop?"
Does anybody have any stories about over turning/flipping inflatables?
My question is; how do I prevent this from happening?’’

Thanks, John

John, Doesn't look like a lot of people responding to your question, so I thought I would.

I am a power boater, and as such do not tow my dingy. But, having said that, I have seen many being towed by sail boats and have a read a bit about it. A very good technique (apparently) is to pull the transom (with the engine still on) up to your sail boat's transom and lift it up so only the bow of the dingy remains in the water. This reduces the likelihood that it will flip over by 100%.

The only issue I can think of with this arrangement might be interference with your rudder, depending on how it is situated I guess.

I know it isn’t the normal way to move with a dinghy, but it seems the safest way to me.