What have other members here done for Davits? I currently have some that swing in and out and are attached to the stern rail, but they are failing. Or rather the Stern rail is bending.
I know these are rated for 450ish pounds, and the Dinghy I have is about 125.
But they swing around like mad with the dinghy on it while underway, and all that swinging has bent the rail so bad that I don't even put the dingy on it anymore despite bending the rail back into better shape. I tried lashing it to the cleats but that only reduced it some and made launching it an hour long process.
What have you guys done to put davits on your boat? Anyone done an Arch/Davit combo? Any advice to keep the dinghy from swinging so much?
Attached a few pics to show what I currently have.
Thanks,
Paul
Your davits look like they are designed for a light weight inflatable. There should be some cross bar(s) to strengthen against lateral motion....but that would eliminate the ability to rotate them out of the way when not in use. You might also consider attaching cable with a turnbuckle (or better yet, stainless tubes) mounted on the side decks extending upward to the arm to remove some load from the stern rail. You could likely purchase pivoting deck mounts, some rod stock and other attachment parts from Garhauer.
Lastly, hoist your dinghy as high as possible and cross tie it to the rail to minimize lateral swing.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
The dinghy bridle is way too long - that will allow the dinghy to swing no matter how much reinforcement you add to the davit. The dinghy needs to be touching the davits (or clost to it). With any motion you add shock loading, so whatever solution you find - the dinghy needs lateral bracing of some sort (can be multiple lines).
Thanks for the suggestions guys.
I've shortened the bridle from when this pic was taken and still had swinging problems. I'll shorten it more.
I've also added a stainless steel connecting bar between the two, it helped some, but its started to bend from the force as well.
I agree with both comments, the bridle is very long, the tender should be tucked tightly into the armpit of the davit. My bridles are connected to the floor. Also surprise to to see no cross member its absense would cause stress when the boat sways, momentum is your enemy. I recently purchased noew davits from Ocean Marine Sales and have my motor on and got to say it is a game changer, especially when hauling the engine on and off the boat.
Ed Dewsnap
Marion, MA
1984 Catalina