Best Davit System for 420 Sundancer

Dec 9, 2017
38
Grand Haven MI
Boat Info
2004 SeaRay Sundancer
Engines
Cummings
Hello
I just purchased a 2004 420 and want to put on a dingy that is easy to use and my wife or young boys can easily launch or store the dingy...prefer one that isnt too big and ugly when not in use :)

Dont want to pay the big $$$ for a hydraulic platform. Thanks for your help!
 
great boat - but unfortunately the height of the swim platform will make it tough to store and launch/retrieve a dinghy.......perhaps instead of a lift, you could just get an add on "fixed" platform - it would mount lower than the current platform and leave the current one free from obstruction.....then you could use hurley, naugtly or similar davits on the new platform - check out swimplatforms dot com - still going to cost 3-5k, but that is way better than the 20-25k a lift would cost.....
 
great boat - but unfortunately the height of the swim platform will make it tough to store and launch/retrieve a dinghy.......perhaps instead of a lift, you could just get an add on "fixed" platform - it would mount lower than the current platform and leave the current one free from obstruction.....then you could use hurley, naugtly or similar davits on the new platform - check out swimplatforms dot com - still going to cost 3-5k, but that is way better than the 20-25k a lift would cost.....


Ok, sounds like a interesting choice. Never thought of doing an extension
 
I have the Hurley H2O with a 8' 6" aluminum rib and 6hp motor. I can lift it on and off (5' 10", 170lbs), but my swim platform is down just above the waterline.
 
My platform is up 14”. I can lift mine but I prefer to have my wife help. I have a 9ft Mercury with a 6hp Yamaha. Don’t think I could handle much more. Dale (Masterfab) on this form designed and built my davits. Reach out to him.
 
Hurley H30 is the absolute minimum for the 420 (or 44). I made the mistake of getting the H20, and replaced it the following year with the H30. With the H20 it was always hard, and I almost fell overboard twice and nearly flipped the dinghy once. In two years with the H30 I have never had a single issue. I don't mind the manual winch but my wife has insisted on the electric but only so she can winch the dinghy up. When loading/unloading the dinghy before backing into a slip I am the one who handled the dinghy, but last summer we were in a very tight spot with a cross wind and current and she was a nervous wreck handling the boat. After that she decided she wanted to have the option to deal with the dinghy and let me hold position if she was uncomfortable.

For reference the 420/44 is 24" above the water line.

Two images below, one is sketch of platform, one is picture of my H30.
 

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Hurley H30 is the absolute minimum for the 420 (or 44). I made the mistake of getting the H20, and replaced it the following year with the H30. With the H20 it was always hard, and I almost fell overboard twice and nearly flipped the dinghy once. In two years with the H30 I have never had a single issue. I don't mind the manual winch but my wife has insisted on the electric but only so she can winch the dinghy up. When loading/unloading the dinghy before backing into a slip I am the one who handled the dinghy, but last summer we were in a very tight spot with a cross wind and current and she was a nervous wreck handling the boat. After that she decided she wanted to have the option to deal with the dinghy and let me hold position if she was uncomfortable.

For reference the 420/44 is 24" above the water line.

Two images below, one is sketch of platform, one is picture of my H30.

I always wondered, how this setup holds up in rough seas? It's hard to see in that pic what kind of locking is place preventing from 850LB dinghy moving forward or aft.
 
I have a St. Croix hoist. The previous owner wanted something that an old man could do on his own. The 10' AB with 25hp Merc ain't light and he was able to do it himself. Had it there for the first trip and then took it off shop I could refurbish the tender, so I don't have much to say other than I love how I don't lose any swim platform.
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I always wondered, how this setup holds up in rough seas? It's hard to see in that pic what kind of locking is place preventing from 850LB dinghy moving forward or aft.

I have three straps, two aft one forward in the layout recommended by Hurley (see website).

In rough sea's other than spray no waves hit the dinghy. Remember the platform is 2' off water and the bottom on the keel of dinghy is another 6" above that. We have been is some pretty nasty weather with this setup, including the trip from Shelter Island to our Home in MA two years ago when the group was bound for Martha's Vineyard but stopped in Block.

That said my dinghy all up weight is well south of 300lbs.

All in all we like this setup. If over the next year or so we don't move boats, we will likely get a Freedom or SeaLift because we will want a bigger dinghy.
 
I have three straps, two aft one forward in the layout recommended by Hurley (see website).

In rough sea's other than spray no waves hit the dinghy. Remember the platform is 2' off water and the bottom on the keel of dinghy is another 6" above that. We have been is some pretty nasty weather with this setup, including the trip from Shelter Island to our Home in MA two years ago when the group was bound for Martha's Vineyard but stopped in Block.

That said my dinghy all up weight is well south of 300lbs.

All in all we like this setup. If over the next year or so we don't move boats, we will likely get a Freedom or SeaLift because we will want a bigger dinghy.

I didn't know your dinghy was so light. That's a driving factor. Mine is 850+ loaded, so I can't imagine how "easy" is to pull it up manually and most importantly how it would sit "solid" on that davit during some serious seas.

My dinghy is up much higher, the cradle elevates it even more than any regular setup. But, if you only knew or saw what takes place when a wall of water is racing after that dinghy.....and when the mother-ship and going up and down big waves (short interval).......My only point is that it's critical to have a perfect match between a davit and tender weight/dimensions. Anytime I look at Harley I can't imagine it surviving 50% of what I've been through. There's no magic and there's a reason why the hydraulic lifts cost x10 the price of other setups.
 
FYI, I have a manual Seawise system that came off my last boat that I would make someone a helluva deal on. If you're interested, give Seawise a call to see if they make a davit system for your boat. If they do, and you're interested, PM me.
 
Have you checked this system?
http://seaweedmarine.com/photo-galleries/tendr-rollers-roll-on-davit-system/
I had it on my previous boat and it was excellent. Retrieval was much simpler than the hydraulic platform that I have now. Only issue is it only operates from one side or the other, depending on how you set it up. The davits can mount to release plates as well for trips when you don't take the dinghy and don't want the hardware back there.
Just a thought.
 
Jaws,

Glad to hear you liked the seaweed system as I’ve got a price I can live with and plan to add her in the springtime. If you have any picks of your previous boat with it installed, would love to see them.
 
John,
I looked through some pics of the previous boat (2007 and previous) but couldn't see any that clearly showed what I think you want to see. Sorry. The system is flexible on the set-up so you can position the dinghy's keel aft of the swim platform or right at its edge (like I did). Really depends on how much access you want in order to get by the dinghy when it's loaded up on the cradle. I had the manual winch light duty arrangement and it was sufficient for my purposes. They now have other options.
As I mentioned, the Seaweed system was really easy to install and operate and the quality of finish on the stainless steel was excellent. I knew the owner personally and his previous business was working with medical grade stainless. He is a real perfectionist. The other nice thing is that the prices are in Canadian dollars so you are paying less than 80 cents U.S. on the CAD with current exchange rates.
Hope that helps.
James
 
I didn't know your dinghy was so light. That's a driving factor. Mine is 850+ loaded, so I can't imagine how "easy" is to pull it up manually and most importantly how it would sit "solid" on that davit during some serious seas.

My dinghy is up much higher, the cradle elevates it even more than any regular setup. But, if you only knew or saw what takes place when a wall of water is racing after that dinghy.....and when the mother-ship and going up and down big waves (short interval).......My only point is that it's critical to have a perfect match between a davit and tender weight/dimensions. Anytime I look at Harley I can't imagine it surviving 50% of what I've been through. There's no magic and there's a reason why the hydraulic lifts cost x10 the price of other setups.

Totally agree! If I were to have a dinghy much heavier than I do I would not have it cantilevered off the transom as much as I did. That would add a lot more stability, and make better angles for the straps. We hung it off the end so we had room to walk between the cockpit locker and dinghy.

As mentioned if we stay with this boat, were planning on a SeaLift/Freedom Lift to handle a bigger dinghy. For now we're fine, but as our daughter gets older we will want to explore more than we do today and want some tubing time. That will require a bigger faster dinghy. Also my parents are getting close to the time where I think they will sell their boat, so that means we will have more regular guests.

So from my experience and opinion I would say if your dinghy is less than 500lbs the Hurley H30 is a great option. I like the looks of the St Croix davits, but I ruled them out because I was worried the dinghy would be too close to teh ware too far aft (see Alex's comments about short steep chop). If your dinghy is heavier than 500lbs, a platform or cradle lift is really the best way to go.
 

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