Maintenance: A Low-Cost Dinghy Rack

One of the many ways that C-Dory owners can play "yacht" is to keep an inflatable tender onboard.We started with a two-person kayak that was really fun for touring, but difficult to get into from the swim step and required dunking our feet in Puget Sound ice water when beaching. So, after a couple of years, we upgraded to a small raft with oars and have been very pleased. Its rowing position is comfortable, we can step into it (carefully) from the swim step, and going over the bow on the beach means dry feet.

But, as with all things boating, the trade-off was that the raft is kind of heavy (about 45 pounds) and all the top side protrusions could scratch the pilot house roof when the raft is stowed upside down. I bought an inexpensive mooring cover so that I could stow it right-side-up, but then there was the problem of passing tie-down straps under the raft.

Thus the rack idea was born. I considered two options before a really low-cost third idea came to me:

• Idea #1: Automobile style rack. Pro's - looks good. Con's - costs hundreds of dollars and would probably rust.
• Idea #2: Home-made PVC pipe rack. Pro's - an inexpensive DIY project with exact fit. Con's - looks bad. Requires me to mount antlers on the bow, a gun rack in the pilothouse, and wear flannel and a baseball cap year-round.
• Idea #3: Pool "Noodles." These are the little foam cylinders, usually with a hole in the middle, that people use as a flotation aid for a casual day in the pool. Pro's - cheap & comes in blue to match the Jenny G color scheme. Con's - none.

So, this weekend, I "built" the pool noodle dinghy rack in four easy steps. Step one is to cut the ~5' noodles to the 35" width of the center section of the pilothouse roof. Utility scissors will do it in just a few cuts. Step two is to feed rope through the hole of the noodles. Step 3 is to tie both ends of the rope to the pilot house roof rails. My 6' rope lengths were a little long, so I tied a fishing lure style knot to use up the excess line. Looks good to boot. Step 4 is to load the raft, put on the mooring cover, and pass the tie-downs under the new gap. Voila! Total cost: ten bucks, consisting of $6 for two pool noodles from Fred Meyer in Ballard and $4 for 12' of utility rope from Ace Hardware in Anacortes.