Towing Blue Water Hanging from Davits Swim Platform Davits Land Dimensions
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Towing (note motor attached)
Dinghy Towing:
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Portland Pudgy dinghy tows beautifully. This is true for a few reasons:
● The dinghy has a long skeg, which makes it track well.
● Instead of a single tow eye, this tender has two, one on either side of the bow. The bridle (which comes with the basic boat) attaches to the two tow eyes, and to the tow line. This triangle configuration adds stability and minimizes yaw when towing.
● The Pudgy seems to have the perfect balance between weight and buoyancy: it doesn't float like an "eggshell" and flip over as many dinghies do, or blow around like an inflatable. It stays in the water, but at the same time it floats high and therefore has minimal transom drag when towing.
● You can tow the dinghy (empty) with the drain plug out, and if any water gets in the dinghy, it drains out immediately.
Many Pudgy owners have told us they forget their dinghy is there, it tows so well! Here's what one Pudgy owner has to say about towing the Portland Pudgy dinghy:
"The Portland Pudgy...tows with minimal drag, ...much less than our inflatable or our plywood dinghy. It doesn't ship water when you tow it, and if it did, it is a self-bailing boat when it is empty. The design of the Pudgy is two hulls that are filled with foam in between the upper and lower hulls on the floor. This means that the floor of the dinghy is above the waterline. When you pull the drain plug, instead of filling up and sinking it drains out completely empty. This single thing makes the Pudgy one tenth the chore of owning compared to any other dinghy we have had." Rolland T., MI.
Carrying the Portland Pudgy for Blue Water Sailing:
The Portland Pudgy safety dinghy can be strapped on top of the deck or cabin. The Pudgy is designed to be of manageable weight and to fit on the foredeck of many sailing and motor boats. If your boat has lifelines, we recommend installing pelican clips at the points where the lifeboat would be launched.
You can preset the Portland Pudgy lifeboat with exposure canopy and other survival gear before fastening it to the deck or cabin top. It must be strapped down with heavy line or strong webbing. Use the four through-holes near the gunwales. The attachment points on the mother boat for the line or webbing should be through-bolted in place. See Lifeboat FAQs for more information.
Hanging the Portland Pudgy on Davits:
You can lift the Portland Pudgy safety dinghy into a davit harness using the optional lifting eyes. The eyes are set low in the interior of the cockpit (they also serve as as fastening points for safety harnesses). Once the boat is in position, ease the load off the lifting eyes and let the davit harness bear the weight of the boat.
Swim Platform-Mounted Davits (Weaver Davits)
If your boat has a swim platform, you can use the Weaver davits designed expressly for the Portland Pudgy safety dinghy by Bob Weaver of Weaver Industries.
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At approximately 128 lb, the Portland Pudgy is easy to carry. It has a wheel in the keel for rolling the dinghy on docks or pavement. It fits in many station wagons and vans or on the roof of your car.
