On 19-Jun-12 6:27 PM, Bill Wickett wrote: Hi Bill, We sailed with five other - larger and faster - boats. (The Goose Island Cruising Club) When we sailed from Block Island to Cuttyhunk, the most westward island of the Elizabeth Chain, Happy Hour time was in progress when we arrived. The half knot difference in sailing speed getting there meant that by the time we arrived the shrimps and the caviar were all gone, and the first round of Martinis had been downed. We then just got the celery sticks and cucumber slices. That's why - Yes we be cruising - but we don't want to be tail-end Charlie at the laden Happy Hour cocktail table. To get to the last of the shrimps, before they all had been ingested by the others, I needed a low drag dinghy. Connie
Connie,
I enjoyed all your iterations on the dinghy. Thanks very much. Our current inflatable is actually quite good for rowing. This was, a surprise compared to others we have used. We do fold it up and stow it across the stern, even though it does squat it deeper. It is possible to put it forward, but not terribly convenient. I don't know, but suspect that the right hard dinghy would tow better than a slat floor dinghy. But what would we gain? 1/2 knot? Heck, we be cruising, so why the rush? :)
Thanks for all the info.
Bill
On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 6:12 PM, Conbert Benneck <chbenneck@sbcglobal.net>wrote:
Hi Bill,
In my Third Iteration I said,
In those days the engines were encased in a cover.
Correct that to read, the engines were not encased in a cover - i.e., the cylinder, spark plug and high tension wire were out in the open.
Salt spray kills the ignition instantly when it lands on the high tension lead and the spark plug.
Trying to clean it with a Kleenex doesn't do the job. You just have to start rowing again...
Modern outboard engines all have complete cowls around the engine so that salt spray can't get to the high tension wire and the porcelain of the spark plugs.
That is a major improvement.
Connie