A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor, but some are rigged for sailing. Because the smaller sailing dinghy responds more quickly to maneuvers, it is more suitable for beginner training in sailing than full-sized yachts.

Types [link]

Dinghies usually range in length from about . Larger auxiliary vessels are generally called tenders, pinnaces or lifeboats. Folding and take-down multi-piece (nesting) dinghies are used where space is limited. Some newer dinghies have much greater buoyancy, giving them more carrying capacity than older boats of the same size.

Many modern dinghies are made of synthetic materials. These require minimal care and do not rot but can suffer from fibre glass pox which is caused by the ingress of saltwater through the gel coat. Inflatable dinghies can be made of fabrics coated with Hypalon, neoprene or PVC. Rigid dinghies can be made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) but injection-moulded one-piece hulls are also available. Other materials for modern rigid dinghies include aluminum, marine plywood which tends to be much lighter than most types and, with the advent of sturdy, UV resistant polyurethane varnishes, wood. Some wooden dinghies (especially of classic or historical form) are built using the carvel or clinker methods. Favored woods, in order of rot-resistance, are White oak, Black locust, species of cedar and pine, true as well as African and Asian mahoganies, fir and spruce. Rot resistance depends on paint as well as protection from rain water . Plastic hardware is sometimes used, but bronze and stainless steel are good corrosion-resistant materials for hardware, although stainless steel can be subject to crevice corrosionafter many years especially in a boat using an outboard or other motor and must be inspected. Stainless steel should never be used for fittings permanently in the water. Owners should check that the correct grade of stainless steel is used in a fitting .Working boats may use lower-cost galvanized steel, but the hardware may need to be re-galvanized or replaced eventually.

Whaleboats are among the classic "pulling" (rowing) boats, with a sharp bow, fine stern lines and a canoe stern. Despite being somewhat more tippy, with less cargo capacity than prams, they row, motor and sail well because of their fine lines. Prior to the introduction of fibreglass as a construction material, dories were more popular because their ease of assembly and, thereby, lower cost.

Whitehall Rowboats were the water taxis of the late 1800s until the invention of the small gasoline outboard. Considered one of the most refined rowboats for harbour and lake use, Whitehall Rowboats are a descendant of the Captain's Gig which was used for a similar purpose on a naval vessel.

Dories are sharp-ended boats traditionally made of wood but now also produced in fibreglass or aluminium. They cut the water well, but their initial stability is low, making them feel tippy in flat water; a loaded dory becomes more stable as it is loaded. Dories are not generally used as service boats to yachts; they were used in large numbers in the cod fishing business, launched in numbers from the deck of a schooner hove to on the Grand Banks or other fishing ground. A dory can be landed or launched through surf where a Whitehall may founder.

Prams are similar to dories but are wider with transoms at both bow and stern. They are difficult to tip and carry a lot of cargo but are slow because of their lack of directional stability, although a keel and/or bilge runners can make a big difference, and even without they will row better than an inflatable.thumb|A Norwegian pramDories are seldom referred to as dinghies.

Some inflatable boats have a rigid deck and transom which allows an engine to be used for propulsion. They row poorly and do not tow well because of their blunt bows and large wetted surface, but they are exceptionally buoyant.

Rigid multifunction self-rescue dinghies are designed to row, motor, tow, and sail. In addition to their proactive lifeboat functionality, these boats serve as everyday tenders and as recreational boats. They are extremely buoyant and/or unsinkable and have great carrying capacity relative to length.

Dinghy is also a term given to a small car, truck or suv towed behind a motor home.

Space issues[link]

On yachts shorter than , there is usually not enough room for a reasonably sized dinghy. A dinghy is useful to avoid the need for expensive dock or slip space, so owners of small yachts compromise by carrying a small rigid dinghy or deflated inflatable, or by towing a larger dinghy. Space can be saved by storing items in containers or bags that are tied to the dinghy. Dinghies are sometimes used as lifeboats; recently self-rescue dinghies have come back into use as proactive lifeboats that can be sailed to safety.

Rigid dinghies for small yachts are very small (2 metres), usually with a pram (blunt) bow to get more beam (width) in a shorter length. Larger dinghies are towed and should have reserve buoyancy, an automatic bailer, and a cover to prevent them from being lost at sea. Most masters prefer a tow cable long enough to put the dinghy on the back side of the swell to prevent the dinghy from ramming the transom of the yacht.

Inflatables are inconvenient to tow and take extra time to inflate but are very compact and fit easily into place while at sea. Space can also be saved by using a sectional two-piece rigid dinghy that is towed while in harbour and disassembled into two nesting pieces while off-shore; typically the bow section fits inside the stern and is stored upside down on deck. There are several types of collapsible rigid dinghy that dismantle into a series of flat panels for easy stowage.

Inflatable tubes can be fitted to an existing hard dinghy, increasing buoyancy and stability.

Hardware[link]

A dinghy should have a strong ring on the bow. The ring secures the painter (the line that anchors the boat to a dock), and is used for towing and anchoring. Ideally, the dinghy should also have two other rings (one on each side of the stern transom) which, with the bow ring, are used for lifting and securing the dinghy for stowage.

The only other essential pieces of hardware are oarlocks (more commonly known now as rowlocks). Conventionally, a dinghy will have an oar on each side. A single sculling oarlock or notch on the transom is less common, but requires less space; and is used with a sigle sculling oar moving back and forth, never leaving the water, as used on a sampan.

The dinghy is generally carried inverted amidships on yachts,on top of the coachroof where there is the most space. It is useful for a dinghy carried this way to have handholds built into the bottom, making launching easier and providing handholds on deck.

Most yachts launch their dinghies by hand or with a simple lifting tackle rigged from the main mast. 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 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.

In some countries dinghies have names or must have registration numbers. On hard dinghies these are usually on the bow, on inflatables on the inside of the transom.

Propulsion[link]

Oars[link]

Small dinghies under 12 feet are usually powered by rowing with one set of oars. Beyond 16feet it is feasible to have 2 or even 3 rowers, normally using a pair of oars. In some models, sliding thwarts allow far more powerful rowing while in others, a removable thwart can permit standing rowing. Some self-rescue dinghy/yacht tender dinghies have two sets of oarlocks(rowlocks) and an adjustable middle seat to allow for ergonomically efficient rowing positions. A single sculling oar with an oarlock on the rear transom can be a compact emergency oar. Inflatable dinghies without a rigid bottom are difficult to row more than a short distance, and are usually powered with an outboard motor, or, if necessary, paddled.

Motor[link]

Another option is an outboard motor. Two horsepower per meter can reach hull speed. Ten horsepower per metre will put a flat-bottomed dinghy on plane. A dinghy with a hard V-bottom hull and a fifteen horsepower outboard can reach speeds of . The gas tank is usually placed under the rear thwart. Engines always swing up so the dinghy can be grounded without damage. Since the transom may need to be cut down for the engine to fit properly, an engine well should be used to prevent low waves from splashing over the transom and flooding the boat.

Sail[link]

A typical sailing rig for a dinghy is a gunter with a two-piece folding mast stepped through a thwart and resting on the keel. It is raised by pulling a rope called a halyard. A single-sailed rig is usually preferred over a marconi or bermudan (with a triangular mainsail and jib) because a gaff rig is simpler, with no stays to attach, and has a lower centre of force. The bottom of the main sail can be untended (no boom) in order to avoid hitting the passengers with a spar. Sprit rigs also have no boom, and the advantage that the sail can be brailed up out of the way against the mast when rowing or motoring. Lug rigs are another common single sail type used in small dinghies, both standing and balanced (with some area forward of the mast), and usable with or without a boom. Recently, power kites have become available. They are more compact, help maneuver and are easier to install, but require more attention.

Traditional working dinghies have a lee board that can be hooked over the side. This does not split the cargo space. A sailing rudder is usually tied or clipped to a simple pair of pintles (hinge pins) on the transom with the bottom pintle being longer so that the rudder can be mounted one pintle at a time. The rope keeps the rudder from floating off in a wave. Both rudders and lee boards have swiveling tips so the dinghy can be landed. Rudders are often arranged so the tiller folds against the rudder to make a compact package.

Racing dinghies usually have a daggerboard or centreboard to better sail upwind. The trunk is in the middle of what would otherwise be cargo area. A self-rescue dinghy intended to be used as a proactive lifeboat has leeboards on either side, to allow for maximum open cockpit area.

Other equipment[link]

Additional equipment that is generally considered necessary or legally required on a dinghy includes:

life-jackets for every occupant

a hand-bailer

a large torch/flashlight

a mouth-blown horn (not a loud-hailer, but a breath-blown foghorn)

signal whistle

signal mirror

flares

This equipment should be in a bag made of water-resistant materials and tied to a thwart or stowed inside a locker.

Andersen-style self-bailers are also useful for engine-driven and sailing dinghies. These slot-shaped seacocks project into the stream below the hull and open when submerged and moving rapidly using the venturi effect. The downside of this solution is that if the boat is beached in sand, it can clog the self-bailers until the boat is inverted and the sand removed. These devices do not replace a hand-bailer as they are only useful if the vessel is moving.

A small anchor can be used to allow the crew of the dinghy to fish or rest. Dinghy anchors are usually either a mushroom shape, a small folding grapple hook or the more modern and efficient Danforth type ,with floating rope that will avoid being cut by snags on the bottom. The mushroom is used in locations where the bottom is very muddy, while the grapple works better in rocks. Some persons prefer a small Danforth or plow,because of their superior holding power in all but rocks , but these have sharp edges, and need to be set with a little care. Even a dinghy should have a length of chain attached to the anchor- the same length as the dinghy.The warp then attaches to the short chain with awired shackle.This gives added weight and help in setting an anchor.It also stops the warp fraying on sharp rocks when the dinghy swings to and fro with the tide. Generally an anchor warp should be 4 times the depth of the water. In strong winds this can be extended to 8 times the depth but most dinghies are not seaworthy enough to be anchored securely in such storm conditions.

A dinghy should not be able to scratch the mother-boat's paint; therefore a fender made from a length of heavy rope (or a strip of polyurathane) can be tied loosely to the outside of the bulwarks. This also provides a handhold for launching, or for people overboard to climb into the boat. Many modern dinghies have a molded ridge of plastic to replace the rope. A fitted acrylic canvas cover can shed seas or act as a shade or storage cover. Traditionally it toggles to the fender-rope or is suspended from the gunter (small folding mast) but can also be tied to a few points and secured with snaps or velcro. Depending on the design there may be a large locker under a thwart.

See also[link]

Boat Building

Dinghy sailing

Dinghy racing

References[link]

External links[link]

Directory of dinghy classes

Puddle Duck Racer A dinghy you can build from 3 sheets of plywood.

Dinghy classification by ISAF

World of Boats (EISCA) Collection ~ Dutch Pram Dinghy

Category:Hindi words and phrases

da:Jolle de:Dingi es:Bote fa:دینگی fr:Dinghy is:Julla ja:ディンギー no:Jolle pt:Bote fi:Kevytvene sv:Dinge

King Fisher (1854 – March 11, 1884) was a gunslinger of the American Old West.

Early life [link]

John King Fisher was born in Collin County, Texas, to Jobe Fisher and Lucinda Warren Fisher. He had two brothers, Jasper and James, and his mother died when he was two years old. His father then remarried to a woman named Minerva. After the Civil War ended, the family moved to Williamson County, Texas, where his brother James was then living.

His father was a cattleman, and owned and operated two freight wagons. After his father's second wife died, the family moved to Goliad, Texas, and were joined there by his father's mother who wanted to help Jobe Fisher raise his children. King Fisher was restless, handsome, popular with the girls, and prone to running with a tough crowd. Concerned, his father sent him back to live with his brother James around 1869. Shortly thereafter, in 1871, King was arrested for horse theft and sentenced to two years in prison. However, because of his youth, he was released after only a short time that same year.

Cowboy and outlaw [link]

After his release from prison, Fisher began working as a cowboy, breaking horses. Because of the incessant raids, lootings, and rapes of Texas ranching and farmer families by bandits, he soon found himself taking part in posse activities. As a result of his successes in this arena he soon fancied himself quite the dandy gunman. He began to dress rather flamboyantly, often wearing bright colors, sashes, and wearing two silver plated, ivory handled pistols. He became quite proficient with a gun and began running with a band of outlaws which carried out frequent raids into Mexico.

However, after only a short time, a dispute arose over how the spoils of their loot would be divided. One of the men drew his pistol, and Fisher immediately pulled his guns and managed to kill three of the bandits in the ensuing shootout. He then took over as leader of the gang, and over the course of the next months killed seven more Mexican bandits. In 1872, he bought a ranch on the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, in Maverick County, Texas. He used this ranch as his gang's base of operations and even was so brazen as to place a sign that read ''"This is King Fisher's road. Take the other one."''

During this time, King Fisher rarely committed acts of violence or theft against other Texan settlers, instead opting to raid and rustle cattle across the Mexican border. This was a time of massive raids, pillaging, looting, raping, and murdering of United States and Mexican bandits. In response to feelings of alleged lack of reprisal or defense by authorities, the Texans formed more groups of bandits. This activity only fueled disputes and ill will from the Mexican side and generating substantial problems for Texas Ranger battalions who were trying to quell Mexican bandit raids into Texas. The Texas Rangers were opposing the Mexican rebel leader Juan Cortina, with the Rangers being led by Leander McNelly, who eventually raided the Fisher Ranch. He arrested King Fisher but released him after a "gentleman's agreement"' was reached that his cattle rustling into Mexico would end. Pressure from the Texas Ranger caused Fisher to retire from this trade, and he began legitimate ranching.

Gunfighter [link]

By the late 1870s, Fisher had a reputation as being fast with a gun. In 1878, an argument between Fisher and four Mexican vaqueros erupted. Fisher is alleged to have clubbed the nearest one to him with a branding iron, then as a second drew a pistol Fisher drew his own pistol and shot the man, killing him. He then spun around and shot the other two, who evidently had not produced weapons and both of whom were merely sitting on the fence the entire time.

He was arrested several times for altercations in public by local lawmen, and had been charged at least once with "intent to kill", but the charges were dropped after no witnesses came forward. Although well known as a trouble maker, he was fairly well liked in that part of the state of Texas. He married Sarah Vivien in 1876 and had four daughters.

Over time, with a new family he began a more settled life by working in the cattle business. He served briefly in 1883 as acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas, and during this service he trailed two stage coach robbery suspects. The two men were brothers, Tom and Jim Hannehan, and Fisher tracked them to their ranch near Leakey, Texas. The two brothers resisted, and Fisher shot and killed Tom Hannehan. Jim Hannehan then surrendered and was taken into custody along with the stolen loot from the robbery. For years after King Fisher's death, Tom Hannehan's mother would travel to Fisher's grave on the anniversary of Tom Hannehan's death. She would build a fire on top of the grave and then dance around it.

Ambush and murder [link]

In 1884, while in San Antonio, Texas, on business, Fisher came into contact with his old friend, gunfighter and gambler Ben Thompson. Thompson was not popular in San Antonio, since he had earlier killed a popular theater owner named Jack Harris there. A feud over that killing had been brewing since between Thompson and friends of Harris. Fisher and Thompson attended a play on March 11 at the Turner Hall Opera House, and later, at around 10:30pm, they went to the Vaudeville Variety Theater. A local lawman named Jacob Coy sat with them. Thompson wanted to see Joe Foster, a theater owner and friend of Harris's, and one of those fueling the ongoing feud. Thompson had already spoken to Billy Simms, another theater owner, and Foster's new partner.

Fisher and Thompson were directed upstairs to meet with Foster. Coy and Simms soon joined them in the theater box. Foster refused to speak with Thompson. Fisher allegedly noticed that something was not right. Simms and Coy stepped aside, and as they did Fisher and Thompson leapt to their feet just as a volley of gunfire erupted from another theater box, with a hail of bullets hitting both Thompson and Fisher. Thompson fell onto his side, and either Coy or Foster ran up to him and shot him in the head with a pistol. Thompson was not able to return fire, dying almost immediately. Fisher was shot thirteen times, and did fire one round in retaliation, possibly wounding Coy, but that is not confirmed, as Coy may have been shot by one of the attackers, leaving him crippled for life.

Foster, in attempting to draw his pistol at the first of the fight, shot himself in the leg, which was later amputated. He died shortly thereafter. The description of the events of that night are contradictory. There was a public out cry for a grand jury indictment of those involved. However no action was ever taken. The San Antonio Police and the prosecutor showed little interest in the case. Fisher was buried on his ranch. His body was later moved to the Pioneer Cemetery in Uvalde, Texas.

Media[link]

The film ''Texas Rangers'', released in 2001, featured King Fisher played by Alfred Molina.

References[link]

External links [link]

John King Fisher

Kingfisher County at Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture

Category:1854 births Category:1884 deaths Category:People from Collin County, Texas Category:People from Goliad County, Texas Category:Outlaws of the American Old West Category:Gunmen of the American Old West

ja:キング・フィッシャー

name	Ruth Shirley Wohl
birth date	January 05, 1920
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, USA
death date	December 22, 2007
death place	South Killingly, Connecticut, USA
website	}}

Ruth Wallis (5 January 1920 – 22 December 2007) was a novelty Popular cabaret singer.

Career[link]

Born Ruth Shirley Wohl in Brooklyn, New York, Wallis began her career singing jazz and cabaret standards - with such bands as Isham Jones and Benny Goodman on road tours for a couple of months; but gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s for her risqué, satirical songs, rife with double entendre that she wrote herself. She did have a mainstream hit with "Dear Mr. Godfrey," a song about Godfrey's public firing of Julius La Rosa, that reached #25 in late 1953.

She sang with a studio orchestra and often took on an accent for songs about characters from other countries. Her music was occasionally featured on the Doctor Demento show in the 1970s.

She started singing in lounges and cocktail bars, where she met her husband Hy Pastman. Eventually it became clear that her novelty songs, which relied mostly upon double entendres, were the most popular. These songs discussed a number of topics that were taboo in fifties America, such as homosexuality and infidelity. For this reason, her songs were banned from Boston radio stations. She often had difficulty securing distribution for her works, so she started her own record label, Wallis Original Recordings. When she arrived in Australia for a tour customs agents seized her records. Rather than ruin her career, this only brought out crowds.

Wallis retired in the 1970s to spend more time with her husband and two children, but continued to work on material for Broadway shows. Some of her most famous songs were collected and became the Off-Broadway hit, ''BOOBS! The Musical: The World According to Ruth Wallis''. ''BOOBS!'' opened at the Triad Theater in New York City on May 19, 2003; by closing date it had played nearly 300 performances. Produced and choreographed by Lawrence Leritz, it has had subsequent runs in New Orleans and Wichita.

In March 2007 Wallis was honored by the National Archives of Australia. Memorabilia of hers was included in 'Memory of a Nation', a permanent exhibition opening in Canberra.

Wallis died on December 22, 2007, in South Killingly, Connecticut, from complications of Alzheimer's Disease.

Track listing for ''Ruth Wallis' Greatest Hits - Boobs''[link]

# "Queer Things" # "Boobs" # "Drill 'Em All" # "Ubangi" # "The Pistol Song" # "He'd Rather Be A Girl" # "Follies Bergere" # "Admiral's Daughter" # "Pizza" # "De Gay Young Lad" # "The Pop-Up Song" # "Cape Canaveral Blues" # "The Army Gave My Husband Back" # "The Dinghy Song" (often confused with a similar song "Davy's Dinghy") # "Freddie The Fisherman's Song" # "Hawaiian Lei Song" # "The Same Little Yo-Yo" # "Marriage Jewish Style" # "The Bell Song"

Wallis Original Records[link]

Wallis Original Records was a record label which was started in 1952 by Joel Leibowitz & Hy Pastman to release records by Ruth Wallis, the "queen of the double entendre". Their last release was ''Ruth Wallis' Greatest Hits — Boobs'' on December 1, 1998.

References[link]

Ruth Wallis, Singer-Writer of Risqué Songs, Dies at 87 By MARGALIT FOX at the New York Times on January 3, 2008

Boobs! The Musical.com

Ruth Wallis: Return of the Saucy Chanteuse, an article originally published in Goldmine magazine, written by Chuck Miller

External links[link]

Ruth Wallis tracks available for streaming

Category:American female singers Category:King Records artists Category:American comedy musicians Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Women comedians Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Category:1920 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American record labels Category:Record labels established in 1952 Category:Record labels disestablished in 1998