All Davit Owners Please Post

They Hurly Davit or any other tip up, tip off system is not going to work well when the swim platform is above the water at or more than 50% of dingy beam. I'm polishing my swim platform with that T-Shirt.

Tod Hurley, a member here, has suggested that owners with high platforms still use the bracket as a bunk for the dink, but to lock down at the inboard end and then drag the dingy unto the platform between the davit and outboard end of the platform. He suggests a strip of starboard at the edge of the swim platform to take the wear and to give a slicker surface to skid the dink's keel on. I've not tried it, but I still think a 5:1 purchase come-a-long is going to be required to make this a one person job on my 460 which is 26" off the water.

I've got a Avon 310 Rib with a Nissan 15HP electric start, battery and gear, for a combined weight of near 300# Takes three men to board this thing as it is. I'll try the come-a-long and see whats what., but I think its a eelctric hoist for me if i can get a deal on one.
 
Anyone have any comments about a 2007 ACHILLES 280 DX dinghy. I am maybe looking at one next Saturday. Comes with 2007 Yamaha 15hp 4 stroke outboard engine. (runs perfect and only 10 hours warranty until May 2010, and a trailer for $4,000.00
 
I have been researching davits for my 2006 320 sundancer all season. The answer that I have arrived at is the Weaver Snap Davit system. The swim platform is perfect for this system as it is not too high of the water. snap the yokes in place and step onto the swim platform w/o the dink shoving off as its held in place. Remove your outboard,pull up your dinghy with a line, fasten a sandoff and you are done. Three boats that we travel with have this system and it works without a hich.

Ive ordered mine and look foward to installing it in the spring.
 
edkap2002,

So, does it mean that you'll be storing the dinghy at an angle? Where are you planning to store the motor?
 
St Croix roll on system for our 450.Appx 12 inches off the water.Mounted a 12v power winch in the transom w/remote and pulls our 10ft 4 in ab w/20 hp electric start,battery and 6 gallon can pretty well.
Bill has been great @ SC .The only thing needed to change to make the pull a little easier is the angle of the rollers to the water.An easy adjustment....Looks pretty cool when I pull it up....
 
endless seas said:
St Croix roll on system for our 450.Appx 12 inches off the water.Mounted a 12v power winch in the transom w/remote and pulls our 10ft 4 in ab w/20 hp electric start,battery and 6 gallon can pretty well.
Bill has been great @ SC .The only thing needed to change to make the pull a little easier is the angle of the rollers to the water.An easy adjustment....Looks pretty cool when I pull it up....
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You Know..you know...endless seas, your posting is one of those where, "One picture is worth ten thousand words." I know myself I have been looking for just some pictures.

How much would you say your dinghy weights, total weight when on your swim platform. Have you had any issues? How big is your swim platform? It is hard to tel in my picture, but my platform is right at 3 feet by 11 feet.

Yes, "One picture is worth ten thousand words." But in this day an age, call me greedy!

You have any pictures?

Thanks

:thumbsup:
 
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I bought and installed a hurley davit on the 320. It allows me to launch and retrieve a mercury 8ft soft bottm with the 5 hp engine attached. It stores horizontally, half the dinghy hangs overboard on the hurley cradle and stays clear of the seas except when slowing down. I have to slow down very gradually and watch the sternwake. I simply secure it by installing an eye at the back of the platform in the center and I have created two straps that go to both cleats on the transom. Works very well.
 

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Figured I chime in too... St Croix's on mine. The davit can hold up to 350 lbs. My dink is avon 11.5 RIB and the motor is Merc 25, 2 stroke. Weight is at/near 305 lbs. I can lift it myself with 7:1 ratio, but its still a heavy job especially on the motor side of the dink. The platform is 21" deep and moulded into transom. Maybe 12"+ off the water. Coming off plane isnt a big issue since dink is raised up on hoists but i would be careful for those with lower platforms and snap davits... I like mine, but if I had to do it again, I would opt for a swimplatforms.com extended platform and get some hurleys. (I just happen now to like extended platforms! more bang for the buck, but also more expensive :) i've had mine for 7 years now btw. never a problem and i can access boat from either side and walk right thru. Stern in docking will be an issue. I have side-to and its cake.
 
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I have a Nick Jackson electric 1000# capacity davit lifting a Noverania 320 (I think about 11 1/2') with a 30hp 2 stroke Yamaha - pushes 550lbs total.
Very simple one man operation to launch or retrieve.
The weight keeps my stern low - I'm going to install some 90 degree flaps on the trailing edges of my trim tabs to raise the stern at lower rpms - hopefully!
My last boat I had the dink up on the upper deck and it was always "hold your breath" when launching and retrieving.
 
thanks for all the replies....I t hink there is a picture on my post...as to wherre am I going to store the 3.5 Tohatsu outboard...im not sure yet...was thinking of installing a chock on the transom or just lying it down in the cockpit when traveling...the dink ways it at 76 pounds and the engine is around 46...the boats a bit stern heavey to begin with.
 
The Hurley system looks the best except when sterned in at the slip. I am also afraid of leveraging the weight so far back...further thoughts?
 
I have the weaver davits on my 330. The RIB is a 10'6 Mercury Hypalon FG bottom with 8hp Yam 2 stroke. I use the weaver arm on the transom of the dinghy and the pad mount on the front tube. Two weaver stand off bars used to hold it slightly angled back to the boat leaves room to walk the swim platform (step over the bars). I leave the motor on the dinghy. I like the weavers since they are basically at the right level with the transom so when at anchor I can motor up and snap them in and leave the dinghy attached but secure with the dink in the water. Boarding the dinghy while snapped i is stable and easy too and then a quick lift off the weavers and away you go in the dinghy.
 
I just installed the Hurley system on my 2004 320, I don't have any pics but will get some this week and post to this thread.

I just wanted to say how great the customer service for Hurley was during my purchase. Not only did they ship the product quickly for a weekend install, when one of the parts was accidentally no shipped, Hurley shipped the item overnight and paid for the shipping !

How many of us have had this happen only for the company we ordered something from to say, well, we will ship it next week UPS ground.

Tonya and Hurley Marine are awesome people to deal with and they have a good product. I would recommend their product.
 
I bought a Caribe 8'6" RIB and a 6hp Mercury (total weight about 200 lbs) and was looking for a good davit system. I contacted Sea Ray to see if they had any recommendations. Basically, their reply was no and that they had concerns with "engine water line height" on the smaller cruisers (I have a 330).

I see that others with boats my size have RIBS and have used the Hurley davits, has anyone had any issues with "engine water line height", or can explain what that is?
 
That sounds like SR doesn't like the extra weight dropping the stern too deep. Maybe this is part of the water ingestion issues with some models?
 
hansen64 said:
I hope this post helps. I narrowed my choice for a rear load system for my 48 Sedan Bridge down to the Hurley, Nautley and the new St Croix EZ Store. I spoke with all 3 companies and have to say all 3 were exceptional in customer assistance. In the end, I decided to trade my 10'6" hard bottom Alliance (powered by a 15HP Yamaha 4 stroke) for the new light weight hard bottom 9'2" Achilles. I will have a 40-50 lb weight savings and the interior space is virtually the same. In the end, all 3 companies were honest enough to explain the pros/cons of their systems including the relative difficulty of loading as the dinghy weight increases. My final choice was between the St Croix EZ Store and the Nautley XL, After speaking with Nautley, however, and at their recommendation, I bought the Nautley XD entended. The most interesting point, I belive, is that there is no single solution. The solution depends in large part on the make/model and hull design of the dinghy. Since the new Achilles is a deep v, I believe the Nautley XD should work best. I'll take pics and let you know how the install goes once I receive it in 10 days or so. At that time, I'll evaluate the need for the power winch in the trunk to assist loading per another post I read. Anyway, all along I leaned heavily toward the St Croix since I've talked to Bill (at St Croix) several times and sincerely trust his engineering, quality, product, reputation and history. Hopefully I made the right decision. We'll see.
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What did you end up going with for a davit system?
 
I went with the Nautley Dinghy Ramp. Although it seems like a good system and Craig's customer service is fantastic, I'm not convinced it's the final solution for my boat. I have a stock platform on a 1999 48 Sedan Bridge and the dinghy sits too low. I get tired of looking back to see how it's riding getting on plane, running at higher speeds and/or in seas. Over the next several weeks, I plan to tinker with it and see how I can raise it a bit without raising the whole platform so I get a balance between the right height and ease of use. I think the Hurley would have the same issues. The St Croix seems to sit higher -- I went, in part, for the cosmetics which may have been a mistake. I'm sure I will get it work better than it does now. We'll see.
 
I think it probably depends on how you have it strapped to the platform. I have the Hurley and coming off plane the rear (actually the side) of the dinghy will lift a little as the 'wave' catches up to the rear of the boat. What I have found is that if can slow down slower and extend the trim tabs to minimize this lifting. I have also strapped the dinghy on the rear most point to the platform and this has solved the issue of the lifting. It was only a slight lift anyway and you can see the water hitting the tube of the dinghy and cause a slight shifting but with the straps in place the dinghy doesn't move that much really at all.
 
I purchased a new Zodiac YL310 R & a Yamaha 15 hp 2-stroke last spring (replaced the 15 hp with an 8 hp Yamaha/2-stroke........ found the 15 to be too heavy to remove and the faster speed really wasn't a priority for me). Spent the summer checking out mounting systems at marinas and speaking with other boat owners., as well as a lot of time on the internet

Really liked the Nautley & Hurley systems (even spent quite a bit of time looking at the St. Croix roller system, but my platform isn't wide enough). My main concern was about backwash when coming off plane and also how the inflatable would ride when in a big following sea.

I have finally decided on a mounting system and am having my dealer install removable Weaver brkts to my swim platform, pad on bow of inflatable and brkt/arm mount for the stern. Will also have stand-offs installed. My thinking is that with the stern bracket/arm mount I can purchase the Weaver motor bracket at a later date and leave the motor on the dinghy if removing the motor becomes a hassle. The stern bracket mount is more substantial than the pad mount. To pull the inflatable up I might go with a block & tackle also (like a Schaeffer or Lewmar boom vang.....I'm an old sailor).

I also like the fact that the inflatable can be attached to the plaform when boarding and exiting the dinghy........stable & safe.
 
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