Help and courage - West Marine Air Floor Dinghy and Davit lift points

[spadaforaj]

Just purchased a new one with a good deal - anyone mount davit lift points on one of these ? Looking for advice, as drilling holes in the transom of a brand new dingy scares me Looking for advice on

hardware - that won't puncture the boar when it gets rolled up
where to drill the holes - I'm assuming as low as possible but above the waterline (if you can figure it out
sealant when the hardware is mounted

I'm ok with gluing on a PVC patch with a D ring on the bow tube - any advice on that also appreciated

Thanks

 

[dLj]

Pictures of the dinghy and closer photos of where you are thinking to put hoist points along with what materials the dinghy is made of would help those of us with no idea what dinghy you just bought is.

dj

 

[capta]

I do not believe you will be able to mount that dinghy on davits. A dinghy on davits needs a backbone that will not bend.
Perhaps you could come up with a beam that would go fore and aft inside the dinghy, but the chafe would be extreme and probably cut the dinghy's usable lifespan to just a couple of years. You will probably need to deflate it or tow it, if it is too large to stow on deck.
Sorry. A deal isn't a deal until you make sure you can use it as you want, especially in boating.

 

[thinwater]

Capta isn't wrong.

You might be able to carry it for limited periods without trouble. I carried a removable floor dinghy. The key is that you MUST trice it up with lines under it EVERY TIME you intend to sail. You can lift it overnight without this, but the stres of moving through waves will be too much. Triced up, no problem, just keep the pressure up.

You will also want a spreader at the front instead of a bridle. Less force on the eyes, and in sheer instead of pulling out.

The dinghy is on davits, with the tricing lines criss-crossed to reinforce. They also eliminate sway, which is good for any dinghy. The inflatable kayak is actually lieing on top of the davits. The dinghy is intentionally tilted to one side so that rainwater drains, and the plug is left out.

 

[spadaforaj]

Hi - took a while - but advice appreciated Thee are views of the transom and eye bolts I'm planning on. I'm alitte worried when I fold the boat up the bolts will be a problem. Anyway the transom is 1 inch think marine plywood covered with plastic - for sure any holes will need to be well bedded (suggestions on bedding that won;t be super-permanent ? Dimensions of the transom are 29 1/2 wide at the top, 15 inches high, 23 1/2 inch at the most narrow point (where the tubes are) It will be holding at worst a 60 lb engine (6 hp yamaha) Any thoughts and suggestions appreciated Am I mad drilling holes in this brand new boat ?

 

[kappykaplan]

suggestions on bedding that won't be super-permanent

Bed-it butyl will work well for this application.

 

[Stephan]

It is do-able, but you MUST keep the tubes fully inflated at all times or you will have a big rain collector hanging from the davits.
Make sure the lifting lines from your davit arms hang straight down so as not to pull up at an angle. There are products available to help you with that, if you don't want the added weight of a spreader bar.
Some folks run webbing under the bow and up through the towing eyes (presuming that the West Marine product has towing eyes). I don't like that method, but it is done by some.
Good luck and happy boating!
Stephan

 

[dLj]

Anyway the transom is 1 inch think marine plywood covered with plastic - for sure any holes will need to be well bedded (suggestions on bedding that won;t be super-permanent ? Any thoughts and suggestions appreciated Am I mad drilling holes in this brand new boat ?

I would over-size the holes by a good half inch, fill with epoxy and when set, then drill through the epoxy - you even could drill and then tap those holes for those bolts. Then use butyl as suggested above.

I've also cast the epoxy around the bolts, but if you want removable then coat the bolts with microcrystalline wax. The advantage doing it this way is you can be certain to have the bolts with the correct orientation and fully threaded in

dj

 

[Rich Stidger]

I have an Achilles air floor dinghy that I hang from my davits exactly like you are planning. I put two D-rings on the inside tube at the bow and two eye bolts through the transom. I use a bridle on both ends with a center line tied between them. I don't use a spreader at all and I don't use lines under the dinghy. The bridle is adjusted so that the dinghy is tipped toward the drain hole.
But most importantly, the davits are tipped toward each other, so that the hoist ends are a shorter distance apart than the D-ring to eye bolt distance. If you were to draw a line connecting the davit ends, then to the D-rings, then to the eye bolts, and back to the davit end, the shape would be a trapezoid. You don't want a rectangle because that will allow the dinghy to swing port-stbd in a seaway. With the hoist in a trapezoid configuration, the dinghy will not swing. I have pictures and sketches that show the setup, but I don't have them on my phone to send now. PM me for more info.

 

[spadaforaj]

Thanks - this sounds good if you have some photos it woudl be great

 

[Rich Stidger]

Thanks - this sounds good if you have some photos it woudl be great

Here are pictures of my dinghy attachment points-


Note how I tipped the hoist ends of the davits in toward each other. This was done so that the hoist lines bend outward to the dinghy attachment points. This forms the trapezoidal shape of the hoist system. And additionally at the stern, it moves the hoist line away from the outboard to avoid chafe.


The bridal attaches to the eye bolts and to the D-rings with a connecting line. The hoist lines clip to the large round rings.


I thought I had a sketch of the hoist lines and the dinghy points that showed the trapezoidal shape but I can't find it. A study of the pictures should show the shape. The trapezoidal line configuration resists the swinging action of the dinghy athwart-ships.

Finally, I use four 1" webbing straps with ratchets to secure the dinghy to the davits.
They run:
Stern port eye to bow stbd on the davit
Stern stbd eye to bow port on the davit
Bow port D-ring to stern stbd on the davit
Bow stbd D-ring to stern port on the davit

I hope this helps.

 

[spadaforaj]

don;t know if I responded or not - washer in the proposed position - too high ? Washers taped onto positions I'm thinking about Too low To fa

r apart - any advice appreciated

 

[dLj]

Looks like a good spot to me.

dj

 

[spadaforaj]

thanks guys - decided to try the patches first so I can roll it up - understanding it won;t hold the engine like is - will need the eye bolts Currently being tested in a very messy garage Glue set so fast I could not get the patches perfect - but seems like they will hold - and yes - the drain plug MUST come out !