Dingy on platform without davis?

I didn't want to have any "toe stubbers" left on my swim deck when not having the dinghy stored there, so I modified another CSR member's design (Dom - who made his own "Dom's Davits"). Dom has since passed away, but his davit ideas live on! Thanks Dom!!

The idea is to have an easily loadable platform where you don't have to remove that heavy outboard motor to store the dinghy. Check out my photos...

I used a similar idea as a trailer hitch receiver mounted under the swim deck. When the pins (this is an old photo during the construction phase before drilling the lock pin holes) are removed both arms can be removed and stored onboard. Nothing is visible unless viewed from very low on the water behind the boat.

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Here's some individual pieces cut, placed, but not yet welded...

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Here, you will see the two support arms locked in place with the locking pins.

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A view of the dinghy on the supports as usual. It's stored like this all winter (just coming out of storage in the spring)

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With this system, it's easy to deploy (two ratchet straps) by tipping it and having it slide into the water. It's also easy to pull back onboard, although the key to this is a pulley (block and tackle) system which I tie to the beverage railing and hook to the dingy. It can be pulled back on without assistance relatively easily. I cut all the tubular aluminum and had a friend weld the pieces together. Found a playground manufacturer in our area that had the plastic laminated planks that I used for the supports. After 5yrs or so, I really like the davits and usually just leave it on the boat - sure saves the dingy from filling with rain water, not to mention keeps the bottom (aluminum hull) nice and clean.

It's a possible option for you to design/build something similar if you like the idea.
 
be_prepared said:
I use the Nautley system on the swim platform for my 340DA. It's removable, so when I'm not bringing the inflatable, the only thing left on the platform are the slide in mounts and a couple fold down D Rings. The angled tilt davits slide out and go into the trasom locker. It's easy to use, and since the dink is only on the platform for transit to/from where we are going, it hasn't been a problem. I had weaver davits before, but I hated dealing with taking the motor on and off. When I pull the boat up I align the engine on the side of our transom door, so there's room to walk on and off the boat from a finger pier on the dock even with the inflatable on the davits. I should take more detailed photos, maybe next time I'm out there I will. For now, here are a couple that weren't really intended to show the davits, but you can see how the 9'6" Highfields aluminum RIB inflatable sits back there, with a 6hp Merc 4 stroke, looking back from the cockpit and from the side at the dock.

Hope it helps! - Ron

View attachment 49465View attachment 49466
Click to expand...
 
be_prepared said:
I use the Nautley system on the swim platform for my 340DA. It's removable, so when I'm not bringing the inflatable, the only thing left on the platform are the slide in mounts and a couple fold down D Rings. The angled tilt davits slide out and go into the trasom locker. It's easy to use, and since the dink is only on the platform for transit to/from where we are going, it hasn't been a problem. I had weaver davits before, but I hated dealing with taking the motor on and off. When I pull the boat up I align the engine on the side of our transom door, so there's room to walk on and off the boat from a finger pier on the dock even with the inflatable on the davits. I should take more detailed photos, maybe next time I'm out there I will. For now, here are a couple that weren't really intended to show the davits, but you can see how the 9'6" Highfields aluminum RIB inflatable sits back there, with a 6hp Merc 4 stroke, looking back from the cockpit and from the side at the dock.

Hope it helps! - Ron

View attachment 49465View attachment 49466
Click to expand...
How do you like the Nautley Davits, and what size did you buy? I'm on the verge of buying the XL as the platform on my '05 340 is fairly high off the water. The 9'6" Highfield is also in the final 2. The other possibility is a 10'2" Walker Bay. Weight of both is similar but I'm a little concerned with that extra 8" of length
 
I have the Nautley Dinghy Ramps. I was lucky. They came with my boat. I just used them with my 10'6" Newport (132 lb's) and 9.9 4 stroke Mercury (88lb's), and full 3 gallon gas tank (24lb's).
I was able to pull it up (motor end first) by myself with some effort (I'm 63 years old, 5"11, 180 lbs), but it was much easier the next time I did it with a friend.
So, in that regard they are great.
It was fine on plane for an 8 or 10 mile trip each way to a spot for a day in the hook, but I was nervous about the way it all bounced around in a little chop with some wakes we encountered. I don't think I'd want to leave the motor on for a trip longer than that, or if I were going through an inlet to the ocean. I'd be afraid that while the dinghy would stay on the swim platform because it was securely tied, the 9.9 would probably destroy the inflatable's transom and possible break off from all the bouncing.
It bounces so violently back there that I tied a line to the little motor for the ride back so I'd be able to retrieve it if the worst happened.
So as far as cruising around with the dinghy upright and the motor attached, I give the dinghy ramps less than rave reviews.
Again, they came with my boat, didn't cost me anything beyond the overall price of the boat, so they were a real score for me. But I don't think they are practical enough to justify spending a lot of money on them.
While the 9.9 is a nice motor, I find it too heavy to take on and off of the dinghy all the time. As a result, I'm going to keep my eyes open for a smaller and much lighter dinghy for longer trips that is coupled with a smaller much lighter motor that I can remove and stow away easily when underway.
I'm only looking to get from a mooring to a dinghy dock once in a while and don't need to break any speed records doing it.
If I get the lighter dinghy, I'll use it with the Dinghy Ramps because I have them and they do make launching and retrieval pretty easy, but will still remove the motor for longer trips.
The heavier Newport and 9.9 will be reserved for local stuff and puttering up and down canals near me.
 
sarbog said:
How do you like the Nautley Davits, and what size did you buy? I'm on the verge of buying the XL as the platform on my '05 340 is fairly high off the water. The 9'6" Highfield is also in the final 2. The other possibility is a 10'2" Walker Bay. Weight of both is similar but I'm a little concerned with that extra 8" of length
Click to expand...

I like the Nautley davits that I have on my 340DA, but it's a 2002, and the '05 has a much higher swim platform. I don't think it would be very easy to use the Nautley version I have with the newer 340's that have the integral swim platform, because I don't think the arms would reach the water, or if they did they'd be almost vertical. We were in a raft of CSR boats at Block Island this week, and one of them was Flipper, which I think is an '05 340. Beautiful boat, and the integral swim platform is very clean looking, but it's significantly higher than the "old" boats like my '02.

I have the Nautley Dinghy Ramp HD, slide on extended with quick kit, which is the basic model. They have others with rollers, and they may be longer for higher platforms. It seems very capable of handling the weight, even under bumpy conditions, today for example I ran for about 2 hours in 3-4ft following sea conditions coming back from Block Island and the dinghy was stable back there. The Highfield 9'6" model with a 6HP Merc 4 stroke is what I am running. If you go much longer, and you may have trouble with keeping everything inside the beam. I backed into a stern-to bulkhead at Cuttyhunk with the dinghy in place, but it takes getting used to with the extra appendage.

If you get one of their units, I can recommend the stainless steel tied down kit. It has nice stainless fold down pad eyes for your swim platform, and stainless cam style tie downs.
 
Jimmy Buoy said:
I didn't want to have any "toe stubbers" left on my swim deck when not having the dinghy stored there, so I modified another CSR member's design (Dom - who made his own "Dom's Davits"). Dom has since passed away, but his davit ideas live on! Thanks Dom!!

The idea is to have an easily loadable platform where you don't have to remove that heavy outboard motor to store the dinghy. Check out my photos...

I used a similar idea as a trailer hitch receiver mounted under the swim deck. When the pins (this is an old photo during the construction phase before drilling the lock pin holes) are removed both arms can be removed and stored onboard. Nothing is visible unless viewed from very low on the water behind the boat.

enhance


Here's some individual pieces cut, placed, but not yet welded...

enhance


Here, you will see the two support arms locked in place with the locking pins.

enhance


A view of the dinghy on the supports as usual. It's stored like this all winter (just coming out of storage in the spring)

enhance


enhance


With this system, it's easy to deploy (two ratchet straps) by tipping it and having it slide into the water. It's also easy to pull back onboard, although the key to this is a pulley (block and tackle) system which I tie to the beverage railing and hook to the dingy. It can be pulled back on without assistance relatively easily. I cut all the tubular aluminum and had a friend weld the pieces together. Found a playground manufacturer in our area that had the plastic laminated planks that I used for the supports. After 5yrs or so, I really like the davits and usually just leave it on the boat - sure saves the dingy from filling with rain water, not to mention keeps the bottom (aluminum hull) nice and clean.

It's a possible option for you to design/build something similar if you like the idea.
Click to expand...
This is damn near exactly what I drew up last year but I had to build a temporary top Mount out of time constraints. I had one bolt going through the end of the swim platform into the brackets underneath though to lock everything together. Smart minds think a like...and so do we.
 
Thinking about the dingy addition also but only for the reason of getting my gog to shore so she can do her business, anyone else have that issue? What does everyone do about a dog on board and them doing their business? I was thinking of a inflatable in the water and lowering the dog down with a crab pot puller to the boat and then rowing her to shore. My boat is a 77 240SDA so I would inflate the boat anytime I need it or lash it to the front for each trip. Might add that the dog weighs around 75 lbs.(really need to walk her more)
 
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Stee6043 said:
FWIW I just finished our first long weekend with a dinghy. I ran my 10' Zodiac in the swim platform of our 340 without any problems. Three lines is all you need to flip the dinghy up. Two lines is all you need if you want to keep it horizontal on the platform and aren't running on-plane.

Immediately after returning from the long weekend I ordered a "dinghy sling". Running the dinghy on the platform is a bit of a pain if you 1.) hook/unhook shore power and water from the rear and 2.) if you want to use the swim platform when anchored without a bunch of hassle.

The other alternative I looked at was the "snap davit" offered by a couple companies, Weaver being the most popular as far as I could tell. I ultimately decided against this due to the fact that they really aren't designed to support the dinghy in anything other than the vertical position. I wanted something where, when not on plane, I can hang the dinghy and motor straight off the back of the swim platform. Pulling the motor is a bit of a pain. If you want full use of your platform (sans a couple lines you have to negotiate) and you don't want to pull/support the motor every time you load up - the sling seems to be a best bet.

Of course if I had real money I'd have a hydraulic, extended platform and live the high life.
Click to expand...
Being we just purchased our dinghy and motor I have looked at allot of support systems and really like the sling, which is only $275.00 on EBay. It is a simple yet effective way I think to carry the dinghy on the swim platform.
 
QT1 said:
Being we just purchased our dinghy and motor I have looked at allot of support systems and really like the sling, which is only $275.00 on EBay. It is a simple yet effective way I think to carry the dinghy on the swim platform.
Click to expand...
Hi,
Just saw this post and I also bought the sling. I can’t figure out, for the life of me, how to work it. I tried for an hour and gave up.
I also have davits on the back of our 330 Sundancer, but I need help...How do you strap a 10 ft zodiac to the back of the boat?
 
Luis said:
..How do you strap a 10 ft zodiac to the back of the boat?
Click to expand...
I struggled with adding Davits to my boat for over a year...in the end I didn’t like anything and decided to drag it up on the swim platform...the dinghy is a Zodiac 310 aero...it’s a soft bottom so it won’t mark anything.... the motor in the pic is a 4hp....I bought a 9.9hp after this pic was taken. I just tie the bow to a cleat and tie the outboard to another cleat.... that’s it. I don’t go out in rough seas.... I have a pretty high swim platform.... it doesn’t move at all....quick to pull it up and quick to just push it off....I can’t walk back there so just hop off the starboard stern...not great but rarely need to be walking around back there... this is best pic I have

D74FCB1E-4B23-4559-B2F7-10AAE6A6E854.jpeg
 
Luis said:
Hi,
Just saw this post and I also bought the sling. I can’t figure out, for the life of me, how to work it. I tried for an hour and gave up.
I also have davits on the back of our 330 Sundancer, but I need help...How do you strap a 10 ft zodiac to the back of the boat?
Click to expand...

If you have davits safe yourself whatever hair you have left and stop trying to make the sling work. Man alive...those things are designed exclusively to frustrate otherwise sane boaters. I owned one...I wrote a review around here somewhere.

Share some pics of your davits. That would help.

Here's a quick photo. The boat in the foreground has the standard Weaver snap-davits. With these you have to attach pads to your dinghy. Cheap, easy option. You can see on the Tiara in the background of this photo what looks like Hurley H20 davits. Pricey but you don't need to remove the motor.

48495497367_da0b2d3e9a_c.jpg
 
Here's a better shot of the snap davits. You can see the pads on the dinghy and the HORRIBLE gluing job.

43879638585_6949d33e84_c.jpg
 
Attached are 2 pictures of my Boston Whaler ding with a 25 hp outboard that swivels. It works well with a hydraulic lift attached to the swim platform but blocks the swim ladder. I just bought the boat a few months ago and it is used in San Francisco bay which is rough and cold.

I can imagine accessing the bow in rough weather and falling into the ocean. There is no easy access to the bow if one needs to drop the bumpers over the sides and not much area to hold on to any railings when climbing out from the enclosed cockpit.

How would one get back onto the boat with the swim platform ladder blocked? Boarding may be tricky in cold water and rough seas.
7420999_20200328153439585_1_XLARGE.jpg
IMG_0061.jpg
 
I just pull mine up and lean it against the transom. I loop one of the roops from the dinghy through the ski tow eye and use a light rope from cleat to cleat looping it through the d ring on the dingy. I have a small 3.5 hp outboard that weighs a whopping 28 lbs, so it's easy to remove and store. My dinghy can take a 5 hp, but the weight on those things are heavy! I just want to pickup crab traps, troll and head to shore and back. The heavier motors are probably more fun, but the little Tohatsu is a great little motor. I've been running this since 2008 and love it. Same dingy too. It's a little 7.5 3 person Maxxon.
 
Blueone said:
I struggled with adding Davits to my boat for over a year...in the end I didn’t like anything and decided to drag it up on the swim platform...the dinghy is a Zodiac 310 aero...it’s a soft bottom so it won’t mark anything.... the motor in the pic is a 4hp....I bought a 9.9hp after this pic was taken. I just tie the bow to a cleat and tie the outboard to another cleat.... that’s it. I don’t go out in rough seas.... I have a pretty high swim platform.... it doesn’t move at all....quick to pull it up and quick to just push it off....I can’t walk back there so just hop off the starboard stern...not great but rarely need to be walking around back there... this is best pic I have

View attachment 95010
Click to expand...

Digging this post up....because like an idiot last year I sold the set of Nautley Dinghy Ramp HDs that came with our boat....and then bought a dinghy yesterday.

@Blueone still doing OK without davits? Guess I'll be giving it a go as Nautley is on backorder for a few weeks...
 
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