Where do you put it....?

B

bigduby

New Member
Aug 27, 2007
106
MD
Boat Info
1999 400DA
Engines
Cat 3116TA x 2
A dinghy that is... I have a 1990 280DA with a small integrated swim platform. I was wondering how practical it would be for me to get a dingy and where other people store them. I like the idea of having one to get around in but don't know if im over my head here with the boat that I have. I've only had it for a couple months before I had to put up the boat for the winter but I'm looking ahead for next year and I can see where a dingy would come in handy. If anyone has any pics or comments on how they store theirs I would appreciate it.

Thanks.
 
Most common place in this size boat is pivoting on the swim platform. You'll probably want a dinghy somewhat shorter than your beam, so you're looking at one of the smaller ones. The other question is where to store the engine, and this will depend on what type of engine you get (2 vs. 4 stroke).

There are some dinghys that are roll up kind (slate board), others with air floors and others with sectional boards. Some advertise portability to store deflated, but almost always this is not practical and becomes cumbersome.

Look at davits for the swim platform. This will be the easiest. Still keep in mind that the dinghy may be on the way for dock lines and for getting on/off the boat.

I'm sure someone with a 280 will be able to offer a more specific solution. But this will get you started.

Esteban
 
We bought a 6.5' dinghy for our 240DA. Even though most people have setups on the swimming platform I didn't feel like installing anything since we're started thinking about upgrade. So, for the past season I kept it on the sundeck (bottom up). We don't have a motor for it though.

Alex.
 
We have an 8'-6" Zodiac with the roll up floor, without engine it weighs in at 65 pounds. We also have the battery driven air pump. For short hops (from our mooring to the beach - abt 7 NM) we just drag it up on the swim platform and tie it down. For longer day trips I lift it up on the bow and turn it over. When we go for a weekend, it gets deflated and rolled up and inflated when we get to destination.

I am considering some kind of davit system for the coming season, and have seen a couple of DIY modifications on this board that are interesting.

Henry
 
We used a little Zodiac bag boat that stowed in the back cockpit of our 30 WEr. I used to inflate it and tie it up behind our boat when we got to where we were going. The motor (3HP) was stored on a clamp on the swim platform. Still have both except we keep the boat in the bilge and the motor in a floor locker now. Now that the kids are gone we tend to leave them at home when we travel unless we are going to the North Channel.
 
For future reference and searches, it would be nice to "put this thread" (pun intended)in the Dinghies Forum....

Wes...can you accomodate the move....????
 
I have a 6'5" with a 4 stroke outboard. I pull it right up on my swimplatform and I have 4 ratchet straps that I hook to the D rings. I leave the motor on the dinghy. I have a cover that goes over the whole thing, motor and all. works and no need to install anything. When i go to a marina, I just push the dinghy off the platform and tie it to the side of the boat so we can use the swim platform for waking on. I would like to eventually get some kind of davit system but I couldn't decide which one so I choose nothing.
 
We need to carry four, and the smallest dinghy I could find that was rated for 4 was 8' 6". Our beam is 8' 6", but with the hull taper the dinghy hangs over the edges of the swim platform a little, but now enough to cause problems. We were still able to carry the dinghy on the swim platform, on edge, secured by lines running from the transom tow hooks around the dinghy to the stern cleats. It is very secure and not too awkward to load, but having extra lines on the stern cleats is difficult.

We have the Weaver Davits and plan to use them with a standoff to hold the dinghy away from the transom, restoring easy access to the transom locker and transom door.

The 6-hp 4-stroke outboard rides in the cockpit just in front of the aft seat. Not ideal, but it doesn't fit anywhere else. I thought about getting Weaver Leaver so I didn't have to remove it, but that didn't seem like a good idea since the dinghy already hangs over the edges of the swim platform.

Jeff
 
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Henry Boyd said:
On a related thought - Has anyone tried storing a dinghy OB in the engine compartment?
Click to expand...

You got so much extra room in there? Very nice. However, IMO it's not a good idea for two reasons. 1-there's a chance for extra components to get loose and do some damage. 2-you'll realize very soon that it's going to be very inconvenient to move it in and out of there. I can see having some setup of OB, but for both, not really sure it'll work.

Alex.
 
On a related thought - Has anyone tried storing a dinghy OB in the engine compartment?
Click to expand...

I carry my 3.5 Johnson 2 stroke in the engine compartment. Works well and is strapped down securely...

Edited... its fuel tank is empty...
 
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Our small OB has its gas tank in the motor. That and the chance that gas could leak out of the carburator makes me uncomfortable putting it in the ER. I suppose running the carb out of gas would suffice, but still does not quite feel right.
 
I agree. Putting the outboard motor in the E.R. is a problem.

I've had three dinghy systems on the past couple of boats. First one was a Weaver snap on system which worked well. Soft bottom dinghy with a 8hp outboard. I removed the outboard each time and secured it to a motor mount on an aft rail (aft cabin). Eventually used a small manual crane for help, but could have used the Weaver Lever to assist the motor so I did not have to detach it. But, I wanted a R.I.B. for better performance.

Then I graduated to a 10'8" R.I.B. (centre console, electric start 18hp), still on the same 28' boat. Couldn't swing it up so I went with vertical lift davits (Atkins and Hoyle). Beautifully made product, used sailboat winches. Very secure but it took 15 min. to deploy and 30 min. to secure.

Kept that dinghy (400lbs.+) for the next boat, express cruiser 41' LOA. Needed to try something much simpler so I stumbled across a "roll on, roll off" system that made life much easier. Now I could deploy the tender in 15 sec. and retrieve in a minute and not detach the outboard motor. Go to www. seaweedmarine.com They are a quality unit but there are others out there. You don't need a large platform for this type of system to work and it is easy to install and function. I sold that boat with the entire system incl. dinghy, the buyer was obviously impressed.

Just bought a 460DA with the hydraulic platform so we'll see if it's as good as the Seaweed system.
 
Jaws,
I just checked the seaweedmarine website and I think this is great. Simple and extremelly functional. If it can pul SeeDoo, then it's pretty strong. Very nice system.

Alex.
 
Alex,

I had the Seaweed system for three years; it's simple and the quality of workmanship is very good (highly polished stainless). Quite a few boats in our area of Georgian Bay are installing this system (it's a D.I.Y.) because we all carry dinghies for anchoring out. Mine was a manual crank and I wouldn't spend the extra $$$ on the motorized version unless you need to impress the neighbours. Our 460DA, just purchased, has the hydraulic platform but the 480DB we almost bought did not and I would have put the Tend'r Rollers on it.

The only problem that I see with this system (and others) is that it is so strong, people tend to overload their platform with too much weight. In other words, can you really support a PWC suspended off the platform without affecting the boat's handling? My 400 lb. dinghy was maxing it out in my opinion on an 18,000 lb. boat. The other main factor is the platform itself and is it integral with the hull? If the platform is bolted on, it would probably need the installation of the two adjustable S.S. supports that they sell. Again a Do-it-yourself.

PM me if you need more info.

James
 
Jaws,
I'm with you 100% on the boat load. IMO, the variouse equipment is out there, but it has to be used wiselly and all factors envolved have to match. For my 320DA with bolted on swim platform I don't think it's designed to carry PWC, but couple hundred pounds dinghy should be just fine. The dingy I've used on my 240DA was just about 60-70lbs, so I was lifting it by hand either on sundeck or the swim platform. If I find a need for bigger dingy I'll be looking into the Seaweed setup.

Thx,
Alex.
 
Alex,

You are correct. Any "roll on, roll off" system would designed for hard bottomed (either R.I.B. or hard shells) dinghies. Most of the fibreglass R.I.B. hulls that I looked at got quite heavy once you put on the 4 stroke outboard, steering station, electric start with battery, plus gas. So, we might want to consider weight saving in the form of aluminum not fibreglass bottom, 2 stroke motor, manual start, etc. Safest still is to stay with the soft bottom (either haul it as you are doing or put on Weaver Snap davits) unless you require the added performance of the R.I.B.

If after all that you still want all the toys then the "roll on, roll off" system at least saves quite a bit of weight over other systems that handle R.I.B.'s. I certainly haven't seen all the systems but the Seaweed one is strong and relatively light.
 
I use the St. Croix davits, bases mounted to the swim platform, standoffs mounted to the transom to carry a QS 270 Airdeck and 8 hp 4-stroke.
The 4-stroke OB weighs nearly 90 lbs and I did not want to be putting on/taking off while on the water- that's a $2000 anchor if dropped. With the davits I don't have to remove the motor from the dinghy. Plus the davits can be removed in minutes when we head offshore fishing.
 
Just got the extended swim platform ordered for my 300DA, and I will be getting either the Nautley or Hurley Davit system... (I THINK!)

I have a 9'8" fold in floor with a 9.9 4 stroke on the back...My thought is I can put the davit system on the extended platform, and still access the transom with the integrated platform.
 
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