Docking stern to with dinghy on davits

[PrincessoftheLake]

Our 1995 Hunter 40.5 is equipped with Ocean Marine davits that we use to carry our dinghy whenever we are out sailing. While I love them and I like carrying the dinghy rather than towing it I do have one issue. There are many times that we would like to be stern to at our dock rather than bow in. The problem is backing with the dinghy on the davits-specifically, how to get the dinghy down once we are in since the slip is only 40 feet long we don't have room to drop it at the dock. We have tried to figure out how to drop it easily and safely off the davits before we enter the breakwatere but nothing seems like a really good idea. Has anyone else dealt with this issue?

Looking forward to your great ideas!

POTL

 

[Joe]

Why don't you pull into the slip normally, drop the dinghy, tie it off somewhere, then turn the boat around?

 

[SeaRanch]

Does your boat have to fit all the way in the 40' of the slip?
Do not back all the way in.
Leave space behind the boat to leave the Dink on the davits.
That is what is done at my marina.
The bow of my boat extends out of the slip about 4' dependiing on the tide.
Others that are bow in let the Dinks hang out beyond the end of the slip.

Bill

 

[RAD]

I have davits and 99.9% of the time I put the boat bow in at my home marina and when traveling,once I pulled into the slip and dropped the dink and tied it to my neighbor then pulled the boat out and turned around......I have seen my friends who are dragging their dink pull them to the bow before backing into the slip

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Welcome to the club Princess. We never found it practical or safe to drop the dinghy outside the breakwater, walk it up to the bow and proceed from there. When I wanted to back in, which wasn't often, we brought the dinghy up on deck or simply dropped it if we had spare crew to take it in.

 

[seadaddler]

Princess

I am ssuming you don't have side docks at your slip and instead maybe like me these short docks that only come out maybe 3 to 4 ft and when bow in make it a real pain getting off and on our boat so that is why I back in all the time and love my walk through stern.
I have not added davits to my 36 hunter for this reason and have tried some of the above mentioned things when using the dink and just leave the dink along side in my slip which is over size for my boat,I hate hauling it on deck and usually carry it on my stern and than backin 3/4 of the way and than untie it and push to side and than back in all the way,I have a 40 ft slip and very wide which I like but hate the short side docks at my Marina but they do give me plenty of room when backing in.
Nick

 

[gettinthere]

princess
why the need to back in?
we dock bow in & can drop the dink off our davit any time to putter around the marina or to work on it

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

princess
why the need to back in?
we dock bow in & can drop the dink off our davit any time to putter around the marina or to work on it

walk through transom - that's what it's for.
I guess you guys have the winter to figure it out but please let us know if you do come up with a practical solution.

 

[Winkfish]

Do you want it in the water for use at the slip? If not, could you back in, then drop it on the dock? If you do want to use it, perhaps run a long line from the dinghy to the bow while it's still on the davits, then when you get close to your slip, drop it from the davits, then it's already tied to your bow. You can use floating poly line so your prop doesn't get fouled. Once in your slip, you can shorten your line.

 

[seadaddler]

Exactly

We sure do love our walk through transom for sure it really is great getting off and on the boat but having davits at the dock is a problem love to here some suggestions.
Too much to do trying to get it off and moving it to bow or any where else while trying to dock maybe with wind and need plenty of help.
What I do is tie the dinghy up on the stern out of water and back in 3/4 way and swing dinghy to side and back in all the way pretty easy I think and best solution for me.
Nick

 

[RichH]

I have davits on a 'canoe-stern' (and with a humongous bowsprit) and my boat is 'longer' than the slip.
I usually always drop the dink before entering the slip to tie up the boat 'stern-to'. I tie the dink's painter to the bow so that the dink is somewhere near amidships so that when backing in the dink relocates 'far off the bow' so that it doest foul anything during the backing maneuver. Even with a canoe stern, unloading the dink 'outside' is not a big deal. If its too rough 'outside' I simply leave the dink on its davits & back into the slip part-way so that there is enough room to drop the dink with the boat temporarily restrained until I can 'clear' the dink from the slip, etc.
I also have 'fold up' davits.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

Great ideas everyone! Having read through all the posts I guess we really ought to try backing into the slip and tying up temporarily while we drop the dink, move it to the side and finish backing in. Like many of you have said, the walk through transom is a really nice feature and it's easier to visit with the neighbors when we are stern to. I'll let you know how it goes next year.