Dinghy davits General Forum Forums

I wanted to have my davits to be removable when not in use. Partly because they add extra length if you are staying at a marina and partly because I have a somewhat crazy obsession with making everything I do on the boat reversible or removable.

So with all that in mind I chose St. Croix davits, model 400. They are actually designed to be davits that you fold inboard (the vertical part of the davit swivels so they can swing inboard when not in use). I had the base for the davits modified so they could be easily removed. I attached the bottom part of the davits to a pair of 3/8" stainless steel angle stock that I attached to the small vertical portion of the transom (see pictures). The second attachment is to the pushpit rail. I had to engineer a standoff to the rail or else the vertical portion of the davit would be at an odd angle. I used pipe standoffs to make the attachment (they are the blue things in the second picture, this year I painted them black to protect from the sun). They are available from places that offer commercial pipe fitting industrial stuff. I don't remember where exactly I got them.

The davits remove pretty easily when I'm not using them. The attachment with the pushpit stand-off is four 1/4-20 bolts through a clamp that comes with the davits. I had the bolts welded to the clamp so they could not fall off and in to the drink. The nuts can fall off, they have to come off, but it's one less thing to be careful about. The lower attachement just sits on the "cup" that is bolted to the angle stock. The davits fit quite nicely in the lazaratte.

One modification I had to make was that I had to install cross-bars between the davits. They were a little too eager to swing to port or starboard when heeling, even with the dingly pretty well secured. So I got some 1" ss tube and some end fittings to attach the tube to the davits. This stabilized the davits, but it does add a couple of extra steps for when you stow them.

I made a sling to attach the dink to the lifting tackle. My dinghy is wooden and doesn't have any hard points for lifting. So I made a sling from nylon webbing. I used a pair of ash broom handles from Home Depot to keep the webbing open and a sewed on a pair of lead dive weights on the bottom side of the nylon so it stays submerged under the dinghy when launching and retrieving. I board and un-board the dinghy from the ladder that goes amidships. Then using the dinghy painter and stern line, along with the boat hook, maneuver it to the stern where I tie it off to the rail. Then lower the lifting tackle, with slings attached. Move the dinghy forward and backward until the slings are under and in the right spots and lift. With one person it's a little tricky, but I got my technique down. With two people it's easy since you can both lift at the same time, but you need to be in synch, so it's good to know a couple of sailor shanties for hauling. My wife and I prefer "South Australia" for this type of work [Image Can Not Be Found]. It's not too bad in a moderately rolly anchorage, it just takes a bit longer. In a really rolly area, it would be tough, but so would boarding from a dink via a stern ladder. The part that takes the longest is actually securing the dinghy so it doesn't move once under-weigh. That usually takes me about a half hour.

Note that this setup is not designed for a 12' inflatable with a 20 hp four stroke hanging from it's transom. I would not suppose it's strong enough for that sort of load. I also do not use davits for going offshore. They are for inshore, protected waters. (This is true of all davits, actually, I've been on boats where they broke and had to do some heroics to save the dink.) Offshore the dinghy gets disassembled (it's a nesting dinghy) and lashed to the foredeck.

-Argyle

Jonathan Oasis said:

Consider if you will have a wind vane and how the davits might work with or around that.

Yes, definitely, good point. This is another reason why I wanted them removable. Wind vane is for offshore, when I wouldn't use my davits anyway. Davits are for inshore, where you typically wouldn't use a wind vane.

diverchick71 said:

   My big concern is the weight.  Hoisting it into the water is more than I can probably handle.  

Dinghy's weigh less than 100 lbs.  It is no problem.  Remember that a 16 yo girl completed a circumnavigation.  Sure I guess she didn't have a dinghy but she must have known how to use purchase instead of muscles.  When the dinghy is hoisted with a halyard then there is no weight to support.  Just need a little push to get it out over the side while lowering.  It might be a 2-person job but only because the dinghy is awkward and the sailboat's paint is precious, not really because of weight.  Or if you have a whisker pole (i.e. attached to the mast) then maybe use that to swing it out while lowering.

My DE32 had fiberglass filled PVC davits – sort of a DIY poor man's system – which I thought was really nifty at first. But in one heavy rain storm they broke and although I've often thought of replacing them, they fall off the priority list for one reason… As you mention – on shore vs. off shore… Whenever sailing, I really want to start with the dinghy up on the foredeck because, if/when conditions increase to where I'd want to not have the dinghy on davits, transitioning from davits to foredeck is probably not going to happen. By not having davits, that situation never happens. When in port or at anchor, my dinghy is in the water, ready to go.

That said, Railmakers, here in Everett, WA, will fabricate anything you design for a pretty good price. So, radar tower, wind generator, davits which pivot inboard when underway, all very doable and custom.

When considering your design, as Scott mentioned, using solar panels helps rigidity as well as offering somewhat of a rain cover for the dinghy. 

Argyle38 said:

I wanted to have my davits to be removable when not in use. Partly because they add extra length if you are staying at a marina 

By the way, the davits on Oasis are on a rotating bracket, where the arm is attached. Each arm rotates forward and I usually clip the block-tackle to the stanchions forward (halfway distance to the lifeline gate).  Luckily it doesn't add any length to the boat for measurement.   What might add a bit of length is the outboard bracket on the stern stanchion so I remove the outboard before getting measured.

The rotating bracket seems sturdy enough (has another small beam to support this point too).  But I don't know the specs on the davits. You can kinda make them out in the stern pic of the Oasis boat profile,   downeasteryachts.com /forums/boat-profiles/de32-oasis