How to lift ab Hookless dinghy ?

Jan 11, 2020
18
Hunter 380 Fairhope
Hello all,

I have recently purchased a set of davits and a 2002 gently used inflatable west marine avon. I come to find out there are no hook points to pick the dinghy up !!!

I have added a set of stainless steel u-bolts in the wood board by the stern. the question here how to pick the bow up ? I am not comfortable using the towing hooks because the "squeeze" the inflatable and creates a lot of slack...

Ideas ?
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Gus
If the dinghy is "Squeezed" then perhaps it is not pumped up enough.
Just an idea, what if you made a sling from 2" webbing. Run a length from the stern to keep it in place, to a loop around the bow. Then pull it up with the attachment at each end.
 
Jan 11, 2020
18
Hunter 380 Fairhope
Good evening Jssailem,

Thank you for the idea. I actually found a similar idea somewhere on the we...Today I went to a fabric store, got the 2" webbing, a couple of D-hooks, some polyester threads and sewed a strap !

I actually elected to use the towing hooks as position holder for the strap and eliminated the need to connect to the stern.

Mission accomplished for now.
 
Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
I apologize in advance for this.
It strikes me that a sea shanty would help a sailor raise this hookless dinghy. One to the tune of What shall we do with the drunken sailor. As follows:

What shall we do with the hookless dinghy
What shall we do with the hookless dinghy
What shall we do with the hookless dinghy
Ear-ly in the morning?

Strap it with a strop running round its thingy
Strap it with a strop running round its thingy
Strap it with a strop running round its thingy
Ear-ly in the morning

Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Ear-ly in the morning


Other verses might be:
Hand it the phone, tell it Avon's calling

Grab it where it hurts with a rusty davit

Pound it with a paddle 'til it thinks it over

Tell it to get up or you'll make it tender



Bob
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
I’d use the towing points and the transom attachments. But if that’s not suitable you could sew more straps to form a net - it would spread the load and reduce the chances of having your sling slide out of position. This might spark some ideas Home of the Dinghy Sling Davit System
 
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
When I first started to use the davits to lift our inflatable, I took an old set of main sheet travelers lines and with the inflatable on the hard wrapped them around and made loops. Took some adjusting to get the loops at just the right length. In the water, I'd just see-saw the lines into position. Later I converted this system. Acquired 2 flat nylon straps (seatbelt material) that had loops sewn into their ends. Deflated the inflatable, removed the aluminum stiffeners and laid the straps under the floorboards, reinstalled the stiffeners with the straps to the outside and re-inflated. The pontoons pin the straps to the stiffeners and they are totally captured. Same outcome as the lines, but no see-sawing or risk of losing a line.
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
For your stern you said you added two U-bolts, mine are bow eyes so they are affixed tightly. Then at the bow itself does your boat have a bow eye to tow it with? Do the threaded ends protrude through into the dinghy and have nuts showing? There I have a strap eye under those nuts creating a lift point. The PO also added two points into the bow floorboard so a three point harness lifts the bow and a two point harness lifts the stern. He made a spreader bar which hauls the dinghy up level if two men lift it together. Someday, if the saints are smiling, I may have an electric winch to do the lifting.

I’ll get a picture when my coffee’s done.




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I added the boat rafted with us.
 
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