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Change bow eye for towing eye?
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/16/14 - 10:03 AM
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http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x3...1d9b95.jpg
This is the bow eye that's on my 2010 130 Super Sport. I have been told that it's not suitable for towing the Whaler and that I need to change that fitting out for a towing eye.
Any thoughts on this mod? Is it a difficult job to do? Is it a DIY level job for a person who's relatively handy with doing DIY jobs?
Edited by Phil T on 12/16/14 - 8:46 PM |
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| Weatherly |
Posted on 12/16/14 - 2:07 PM
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You do not have to change your OE bow eyelet.
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/16/14 - 5:44 PM
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Weatherly, Thanks for the reply. I was told by a Whaler owner on Trawler Forum (after I sent him the above photo) that what I have is a bow eye that is used to load the boat on a trailer. He said what I needed to tow the boat was a tow eye which is "much more substantial than the bow eye."
I called BW Customer Service and was told that in 2010 BW didn't offer a tow eye though they did in later years. He said the owner's manual for that year made mention of a tow bridle that could be used. I checked the manual but there is zero mention of any tow bridle nor is there any mention of towing the boat.
It seems I'm getting mixed information on what's proper and what's not. Anyone else have any opinions on towing this beauty?
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| Joe Kriz |
Posted on 12/16/14 - 5:50 PM
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Look in the Owners Manuals we have in our Download section.
There is info there.
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| Weatherly |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 6:37 AM
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Here is a link to a photograph of the optional towing eye offered by Boston Whaler as a factory installed $1260 option.
http://media.channelblade.com/electro...609589.jpg
There are operational considerations for water towing a BW130 other than the design and load strength of the bow eye. I recommend you use a bridle attached to the tow vessel. Make sure there is sufficient length of tow line so that you can position the towed hull far enough behind your tow boat's wake. Use a Plasma hawser that has a snap shackle installed. I also recommend a length of tow line that you can adjust in length depending upon tow boat speed and sea conditions. Avoid instances of constant heavy jerking, usually experienced when high speed towing in heavy seas, otherwise the bow eye could loosen. The bow eye area is reinforced for structural integrity.
Here is an image of a properly rigged tow line with bridle: https://www.ropeinc.com/towline.htmlwline.html
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| gchuba |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 6:51 AM
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Is there a corresponding custom plate/washer inside the bow to help spread the towing force? Or is it the pictured fitting alone to spread the force of lateral movement? That is one impressive looking piece of hardware.
Garris
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| EJO |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 7:55 AM
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When in doubt use a bridle (2 points or 3 (if using the front eye)) on the 130 too and not just the towing vessel.
When I towed my dinghies (9' thru 15') behind my larger vessels I used a single line from the towing vessel to a bridle on the dinghy where the single line could slide (used a small block with rotating shackle) back and forth basically keeping tension the same on both sides and the center line slack as safety connected to the trailer bow eye. Never lost a dinghy at 6 knots or 25 knots in any type of weather.
Skipper E-J
m/v "Clumsy Cleat" a 2008 Montauk 150 |
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| Blake Whitney |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 9:46 AM
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Unfortunately the 130 seems to tow like a sea drogue.
My buddy replaced his (now my) 1969 13 Sport with a 130. Used to tow the sport regularly back and forth to Catalina behind his Cal 40 and could reach home at 7+ kts. With the 130 that dropped to 5 with substantially more strain on towing hardware.
He sold the 130 and now borrows his old 13 from me when he wants larger than an avon at the island.
if you are looking to tow from a faster power boat at 10+ kts the strain would be huge and a bridal makes sense.
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 4:41 PM
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http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x3...749722.jpg
Here's a pic of the hardware that is on the inside of the boat, the other end of the bow eye shown in my first post.
My original plan was to make a bridle that would attach to the Whaler at three points--the two stern lifting eyes and the bow eye, which I thought was a tow eye, with the three lines joining at a ring several feet in front of the boat. This would spread the load and also tend to keep the boat in line behind the towing boat.
It would be attached (via the long tow line) to a bridle from the towing boat. I expect the total length of the tow setup to be somewhere north of 100' in length.
Joe, I looked in the owner's manual in the download section and there is very little mention of towing. It talks about the light weight of the 13 but I suspect that's referring to some of the older models. The 2010 130 Supersport is not a light weight boat. Like Blake mentioned above, this thing is probably going to tow like a drogue. I also have a 1981 13' Whaler and there's a lot of difference between them in weight.
Weatherly, that tow eye you linked to is definitely heavier duty than what I have. Do you know if I can just order that tow eye and replace mine with it? Is it hooked to the same setup I showed in the photo above?
It's hard to tell in the photo above, but it looks like the interior end of that bow eye could be removed and a plate fabricated that would spread the load. At the aft end of the fitting pictured above is what appears to be a stainless cap nut.
Am I correct in assuming that if this nut were removed that the interior piece could be lifted off and the piece on the outside of the hull be removed? If that's the case, a stainless plate could be made up for both the inside and outside of the hull. That would require rebedding the whole thing and a longer threaded rod to connect it all back together.
Your thoughts on this?
BTW, I appreciate all of your responses.
FYI, I did contact Rope Inc for a quote on a Mighty Tow! setup.
Edited by GFC on 12/17/14 - 4:42 PM |
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| tmann45 |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 5:49 PM
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[quote]Weatherly wrote:
Here is a link to a photograph of the optional towing eye offered by Boston Whaler as a factory installed $1260 option.
http://media.channelblade.com/electro...609589.jpg
quote]
NICE! Looks like typical Boston Whaler overkill.
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/17/14 - 7:08 PM
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Yup, but overkill when it comes to making things work better/safer is welcome.
We'll be towing the Whaler about 1800-2000 miles on one trip we're in the early stages of planning. Some of that (about 1/3) will be in open water, so I don't want to have any issues with the boat's hardware.
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| Weatherly |
Posted on 12/18/14 - 4:19 PM
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GFC: Those of us who own the older Rockland, MA.-manfactured Boston Whalers are probably still scratching their heads, wondering, "what is this about?" "A $1260 opional tow eyelet?" How much better can it be from the original equipment 316L stainless steel bow eyelet? What are the load bearing specifications for the standard eyelet compared to the tow eyelet? The best advice I can give you is to make contact again with Boston Whaler Customer Service and ask them the detailed questions about the differences between the stock bow eyelet you currently have and the one offered as a factory installed option. Only the folks at the BW Edgewater FL factory can tell you if the eyelet will endure your proposed towing conditions. Removal of your existing eyelet will not be difficult to do with the correct hand tools. You will remove the nut located on the interior, and the interior lifting eyelet which is secured to a threaded stud; then remove the eyelet from the exterior side. I suggest you ask BW if the optional tow eyelet can be installed outside the factory. I suspect the answer is no.
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/18/14 - 9:00 PM
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"NO" is the answer I got when I posed that question to the dealer in Spokane, WA and also from the customer service guy I talked to.
I'd guess a big part of their answer was that they didn't want any liability.
I was thinking of contacting a local steel fabricator and having them make up a stainless plate about 1/4" thick that would fit the contours of the inside of the hull where the interior lifting eye is. A plate that closely matched the contours and is 3"-4" tall and fits the "wings" on either side of that lifting eye would spread the load by quite a bit.
Rope Inc shows this towing plate mounted on the outside of the hull of a few different boats. If there was a suitable way to mount that on a Whaler, along with the plate on the inside it would definitely spread the load.
I also got a quote from Rope Inc on a Mighty Tow! setup. It would run a bit north of $600. That included the bridle for the tow boat, a long hawser and a short hawser for the Whaler.
At this point I'm still in the 'fact gathering' stage, doing my homework before I decide which way I want to go with this.
I definitely appreciate all of the input from you 'old timer' Whaler owners. Me, I feel like the kid in school who's being taught by the experts. :-)
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| docsoma |
Posted on 12/18/14 - 10:14 PM
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GFC wrote:
We'll be towing the Whaler about 1800-2000 miles on one trip we're in the early stages of planning. Some of that (about 1/3) will be in open water, so I don't want to have any issues with the boat's hardware.
My first thought on the distance you plan on towing is sheer amazement. My second thought on the tow eye option offered by BW is disbelief. I think the beefed up hardware on the outside of the hull, even if matched by corresponding hardware on the inside is only going to be as sound as the hull itself.
The experts have chimed in plenty on the correct tow line setup. No argument there. BUT I cannot help wonder what shape the boat will be in at the end of the trip. 1800-2000 miles over open water. Please pardon me....I am still shaking.
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| GFC |
Posted on 12/19/14 - 11:17 AM
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docsoma, most of that towing will be in the sheltered waters of the Columbia River, the San Juan Islands, Desolation Sound and Puget Sound.
The only towing in open water will be along the coast of WA (2 trips, 175 miles each) and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, (2 trips, 80 miles each). So, somewhere around 500 miles will be in open water, plus a few crossings of some open areas.
We plan to be gone for about 3-4 months and will need a dinghy for many of the places we'll be anchoring out. The towing we'll be doing will be at hull speed to minimize the stresses on the Whaler.
I've cruised in the area between Victoria and Bellingham and the San Juans before, and also took a boat from Seattle to Stockton, CA. I know that doesn't make me an experienced deep water cruise, but at least I'm not a total newbie.
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| GFC |
Posted on 04/01/15 - 9:49 AM
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I called BW a few days ago and posed my questions to their Customer Service people. What I learned was that the bow eye on my Whaler is sufficient for towing under normal circumstances but if I wanted to be "extra certain" I should install two cleats near the bow.
He directed me to their website that showed where the reinforced areas are. I already had printed that and was familiar with those. To specifically locate the perimeters of the phenolic pieces I was going to drill into I used a stud finder and it worked like a charm.
I now have the cleats and am going to drill and mount those in the next day or two.
I also ordered a towing bridle setup from Top Knot. http://www.mooringlines.com/ I have a bridle that attaches to the tow boat and is fitted with a thimble at the center where the tow line will attach. I ordered two tow lines--one 100' long an one 50' long. They have a stainless snap at both ends. I also ordered a 6' long bridle that will attach to the bow tow eye on the Whaler. That will be somewhat permanently there so I don't have to get under the Whaler all the time to attach the tow line to it. That 6' long piece has a thimble at the end where the tow line will attach and a stainless snap at the end where it attaches to the boat.
Once the bow cleats are in place and I know the distance from the cleats to the thimble at the end of the 6' long piece I'll order a bridle that will attach to both cleats and pass through the thimble.
I still haven't figured out how to post pics on here so I'll post them on Photobucket and just put the links in as I work on this more.
Edited by GFC on 04/01/15 - 9:51 AM |
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