Hi all, seems like all things LT are discussed here, so here goes...
I'm thinking of taking the windsurfer away with us for a short break over Christmas and I'd rather not have it on deck while sailing. It will be towed behind a catamaran, possibly from one hull while the dinghy is behind the other.
I was thinking that attaching the tow rope to the mast foot would be the strongest way, but would I need to have some sort of loop around the bow to hold it to a straighter course? I was also eying off the legrope attachment and towing backwards but not sure of the strength.
Any thoughts?
@Gestalt. Yeah, no lifelines/ rails to lash it to, and if I lay it on the deck it gets in the way of the self tacking jib track. They also made the LT about 6" too long to strap it between the hulls on the rear beam (which was my original plan). ![]()
@Lotofwind, Okay, I'll try and keep the speed down ![]()
@JakeNN, yep it's my cat so this could be a regular thing (it's on my avatar). I guess I'll get the chance to play around with the combinations a bit but was looking for a head start...
We used to tow them as you've described Jethrow, just not behind a cat doing 15kts. They track surprisingly well even with a rope just through the dagger board case. I've have witnessed one break in half this way though. Wasn't my idea.
certainly towing from the middle isn't a good idea, even with a big fin in. I guess you could organise a loop around the nose, as long as it's not going to slip off.
If the legrope attachment is strong enough to use in waves, it will certainly tow the board with no weight on it, but take out the fin. Or if you have an old fin, drill a hole in it an tie the rope to that. That will give the board some lift, whereas towing it from the leg rope may have the tail digging in, especially if there's not much tail rocker.
Tie the painter to the mast foot. Accelerate. Done.
We've done it behind the yacht and yesterday did it at around 15 knots behind the rib. No worries and much better than towing a One Design.
It could flip on a wake or wind. The OD could flip and nosedive, which was not good at all. If you switch to a very short painter to a point high up on the boat and angle the board up enough, if it flips it just planes upside down.
@JakeNN, yep it's my cat so this could be a regular thing (it's on my avatar).
Outremer? ![]()