Dinghy Boat
Dinghy's are used for off-ship excursions
from larger boats, outside of docking at suitably-sized ports or marinas.
When not in the above context, a "dinghy" commonly refers to any similar
boat originally developed for that specific use, but now used in its
own right for dinghy sailing or rowing.
A dinghy is a small utility boat carried
by a larger boat, or the term can refer to a class of small racing yachts
or small recreational sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats
or have a small outboard motor while others may use a small sailing
rig.
A small vehicle towed behind
a motor home is colloquially referred to as a dinghy.
A Dinghy can range in length
from 2 to 6 meters. Larger auxiliary vessels are generally called tenders,
pinnacles or lifeboats. The best size of dinghy for most yachts is about
3.5 to 4 meters, because this can carry a complete family or a family's
provisions for a month; however, yacht size usually is the limiting
factor. Folding and take-down multi-piece dinghies are also used where
space is limited. Some newer dinghies have much greater buoyancy and
have great carrying capacity relative to length of the boat (see self-rescue
dinghies, bottom of this section).
The dinghy is generally
inverted amidships on yachts. This keeps the yacht balanced. It also
keeps the dinghy secure from waves and keeps water out. When the dinghy
is inverted amidships, many yacht owners prefer for it to have handholds
built into the bottom. These make launching easier and provide more
handholds on deck.
Most yachts launch their
dinghies by hand or with a simple lifting tackle rigged from the main
mast. Another arrangement, davits over the transom, is convenient and
elegant, but sailing in a heavy following sea could cause the loss of
a dinghy.
If a dinghy is towed, an
extra line with a loop in the end (known as a lazy painter) can be attached
to a the dinghy so that if the towing line breaks, there is a line to
grab with a boat hook. This makes retrieval easier at sea, especially
if the boat is partially swamped.
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