Yacht Davit Systems

Dingy Davits

One of the joys of cruising is dropping anchor out at your favorite gunk hole and launching the tender and taking in the sights of the area or visiting other yachts; it's a great way to meet new friends.  But if your dingy is not very accessible or difficult to launch, you will not likely use it much.

All tenders need satisfactory storage.  Towing is not always practical and can be dangerous in bad conditions.  The same goes for on deck storage; a big wind and you may lose it.  But if properly setup your yacht with the appropriate davit system, your dingy will provide trouble-free service.

However before you pick out your davit system, you'll need to choose the right tender for your boating needs.  Do you prefer a rigid tender or inflatable?  Remember punctures are very common with inflatables?  Where will it be used? On the oceans or inland waters?  How big do you need her?

Many of the answers to storage locations and systems lie in how large it is and much your tender weighs.

There are 4 basic davit arrangements ready to store a tender

· clip-on, where the tender rests on its side on the swim platform;
· stanchion mounts on the transom, the dingy hangs over the stern;
· rotating davit mounts on the decks; and
· hydraulic - powered lifts mounted to a swim platform to raise large dingies or personal water craft.

Clip-on davits are a great product.  Weaver Davits, one of the lead sellers, are a cost-saving selection for powerboats with swim platforms and small tenders and outboard motors up to 10 horsepower.  But the motor must be removed from the dingy before hoisting out of the water.  Most boaters have an outboard storage rack mounted on the transom for easy access.  Another worry is raising the tender from a horizontal place in the water to a standing position for storage.  Weaver Davits are limited by the weight of the dingy.  I have the davit system on our trawler and I could not be more pleased.  We can launch and retrieve the dingy in less than 5 minutes.

Stanchion mounts fasten to the rails, deck or transom.  Fashioned for heavy dinghy-engine setups, these davit systems come with universal riser arms for a custom fit to your yacht.  Heavy dingies may require optional support kits mounted on the transom or swim platform.  When properly installed, the tender rests horizontal from the stern of the boat.  On these installations, the tender outboard can remain in place.  On a negative side, the tender setup involves a fair amount of manual labor to lift the tender using 2 block and tackles.  These are common setups on sailboats.

Rotating davits raise, rotate and place the dingy onto the foredeck or sundeck.  If the deck can hold the load, these systems can be directly mounted, or the supporting post may be placed on a lower deck.  Most setups are provided with an electric winch to mechanically lower and raise the dingy.  Dingies with big motors (15 horsepower or more) often blend a rotating davit on the transom with a cradle for the tender mounted on deck.  The setups allow retrieving for the heaviest of dingy/motor arrangements.  On a negative side, these arrangements may place the operator at heights that could be risky in rough waters.  In addition, care must be made to keep the outboard motor from striking the mother ship as the tender is raised or lowered, breaking windows or damaging the gel coat.

Hydraulic - powered lifts have become common on large boats to lift big dingies or personal water craft. Most are complicated and not easily owner installed. Costs for these davit systems increase as the lifting load increases– the heavier the dinghy, the more high-priced the davit system.  To use, the lifts are lowered into the water and the tender is driven onto the cradle.  A negative feature is that these units may not work well in a following sea.

In most examples when buying a used yacht, the dingy and davit system is already in place.  You will just need to acquaint yourself with it to see if you like it.  If you do not, there are other options for you.

About the Author

Mike Dickens, the author, is a boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts. Paradise Yachts is a Yacht Brokerage offering used yachts to customers worldwide. Visit our website to view our selection of Used Trawlers, Used Motor Yachts, and Used Sailboats .

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