A different ( I think) dinghy/davit solution

sailme88

sailme88

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Jan 19, 2010
1,310
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
Greetings all,
I wanted to share with you my latest brain storm that works ( for me) . After having seen the glue on davit attachment points on inflatable pontoons fail, I decided to look for a better way. At first I was using lengths of line with loops tied in the end. Would need to drop the lines in the water and saw them back and forth to get them into the right spot. All this while trying to maintain station. Then while at Harbor Freight I saw a pair of 8' appliance lifting straps. These are basically seat belt webbing.

I deflated my inflatable, removed the center floor board worked the straps fore and aft from that point. Replace that center floor board and re-inflated.. PRESTO ! works great, and the flat straps on the deck are not in the way.

Sorry, no pics at this time. Hoping that the explanation is enough..
 
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Likes: SoSound
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dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
13,113
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
If I understand this correctly, the straps are lifting the floorboards, which are not secured to the tubes, but rather are captured by the tubes. What happens if the dinghy is not fully inflated, can the boards squeeze past the tubes?
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,767
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
What dlockner said. The boards WILL pull out some day. If not, think of the horrible chafing load on the insudes of the tubes, where you won't see it until they go flat and are ruined?

Instead, lift in the normal manner, then place tricing lines under the dinghy to hold the load. Straps would be good for this.
 
Rich Stidger

Rich Stidger

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Feb 10, 2004
4,154
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
Sounds like an iffy lifting scheme. I question if this would be secure in rough seas, or if you keep your outboard attached.

I secure to my wood transom and to two very large glued D-rings on the inside of the bow tubes. Never had any problem with the D-rings coming loose. I suspect that on inflatables that have had the glued ring come loose, they were either improperly attached or a one-part glue was used instead of the superior two-part glue. Get large rings glued on properly and I doubt you would ever have a problem.
2013_0717_182652.JPG
 
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justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
If your dinghy is anything like my LEX88, the floorboards won't come out, even if it's deflated. They're friggin' wedged in there.
So I first thought "brilliant, @sailme88 !"

But yeah, chafe could be an issue while hanging.
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,958
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
We have an inflatable Zodiac (not RIB) with aluminum floor boards. In the instruction book it specifically states not to use the floor in any way to lift the dinghy.
We glue lifting points inside forward which last 4 to 5 years (then we clean the old glue off and reglue for a further 4 to 5 years) and eye bolts in the transom. No wear, no tear and it's strong enough to hold the dink and a 15hp 4 stroke motor on the davits while crossing the channels of the eastern Caribbean in Christmas Winds.
 
sailme88

sailme88

.
Jan 19, 2010
1,310
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
dlochner said:
If I understand this correctly, the straps are lifting the floorboards, which are not secured to the tubes, but rather are captured by the tubes. What happens if the dinghy is not fully inflated, can the boards squeeze past the tubes?
Click to expand
Dave, the floor boards have an aluminum rail that keep the floor boards from flexing. Straps run outside of the rails. Upon totally deflating it was still a fight to get the rails free. A " soft " pontoon is just that. Both would need a great white bite and a gremlin straining at the rails to cause an epic fail... However, this does not rule out Murphy ;>)
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,958
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
sailme88 said:
Dave, the floor boards have an aluminum rail that keep the floor boards from flexing. Straps run outside of the rails. Upon totally deflating it was still a fight to get the rails free. A " soft " pontoon is just that. Both would need a great white bite and a gremlin straining at the rails to cause an epic fail... However, this does not rule out Murphy ;>)
Click to expand
All it is going to take is a couple of hundred pounds of rain/sea water and a bit of cooling down for your floorboards to pop out and have the dink fall. Not to remention all the chafe mentioned above.
Take the dink to an inflatable repair shop and have proper lifting tangs put on, or learn to do them yourself. It isn't hard.
 
Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
8,002
O'Day Mariner 19 Littleton, NH
Not knowing sailme88's rib, the ones I have experience with are well wedged in and wouldn't come out unless completely deflated. I can't see chafe being an issue either unless there was some reason the straps moved against the rubber while underway. If it makes sailme88 feel more secure to not use the lifting points built into the rib, that's great.
Just to add to the noise here, however. Why straps at all? Why not fabricate stronger lifting points right into the bottom? Are the bottom board not strong enough on their own to support a set of bolted in D-rings directly attached? Another thought might be a webbing bow cowl that is held by straps to the transom. Of course, then loosely inflated pontoons could allow it to slip out.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,767
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
sailme88 said:
Dave, the floor boards have an aluminum rail that keep the floor boards from flexing. Straps run outside of the rails. Upon totally deflating it was still a fight to get the rails free. A " soft " pontoon is just that. Both would need a great white bite and a gremlin straining at the rails to cause an epic fail... However, this does not rule out Murphy ;>)
Click to expand
Will Gilmore said:
Not knowing sailme88's rib, the ones I have experience with are well wedged in and wouldn't come out unless completely deflated. I can't see chafe being an issue either unless there was some reason the straps moved against the rubber while underway. If it makes sailme88 feel more secure to not use the lifting points built into the rib, that's great.
Just to add to the noise here, however. Why straps at all? Why not fabricate stronger lifting points right into the bottom? Are the bottom board not strong enough on their own to support a set of bolted in D-rings directly attached? Another thought might be a webbing bow cowl that is held by straps to the transom. Of course, then loosely inflated pontoons could allow it to slip out.

-Will (Dragonfly)
Click to expand
Mine too. That does NOT mean that they cannot come out if the dinghy is filled with rainwater (let's say a leaf plugs the drain).

What you are getting here is not paranoia, it is the voice of experience from many sources. We've seen floors come out. We've seen tubes chafe (the dinghy WILL sway unless you never sail in waves). Maybe you won't keep the dinghy long enough for any of this to matter. You are free to gain your own experiences. But we are only telling you of things that HAVE happened.

For me, the best answer was tricing lines. This also adds redundancy to the lifting mechanism and reduces sway.
 
capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,958
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Will Gilmore said:
Not knowing sailme88's rib.

-Will (Dragonfly)
Click to expand
Will,
I was under the distinct impression this is not a RIB. If it was a RIB, a couple of eye bolts would be the ultimate fix for lifting.
 
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