Where to put dink?

J

jaj63207

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Here's the problem. I have a 1986 36' AC. I am getting a heavy 9' inflatable and I don't really want to put it on the swim platform. I would prefer keeping it on the front deck. Looking for opinions on how it would look and how funtional it would be to mount a hoist on the front deck. I am in the early stages of this and am somewhat interested in a hoist on eBay. Search for "engine hoist" and it is a white hoist for about $120. Let me hear your thoughts. Also, is that a dink on Bruce's aft deck hardtop and how do you get it up and down?

All opinions appreciated.
Thanks,
Jimmy
 
I've been trying to find places to put my dink ever since puberty [:-mischievous]...

Sorry, couldn't resist. I've seen some people put hoists up on the hard top over the aft deck. But never having owned one of those boats I'm not sure how to do it. I've also seen them on the bow. One thing's for certain - if you put it up there make sure you find a way to mount it the right way because if it causes your deck to flex or is improperly sealed your cabin will be full of leaks in that area. Which would really be a bad thing...

There's a company called St. Croix (based in Minnesota) that makes davits and winches. I've done some business with them in the past as I work for a NY boat dealer. They might have some units to help you. You can look them up online...
 
if your hardtop is strong enough, it's the best location as it's out of the way. a dingy at the bow uses up a lot of room.

unless you're using a very small lift and dinghy, most bow install i've seen require bracing down thru the cabin.. not sure what the limits are but that complicates installation.

when you put a hoist on a hardtop, you also need to have a brace going down to the deck but it's easier to do than thru the cabin.

obviously keep in mind the loads on the hardtop are not just downward but in shear as well when the boat rolls... and increasing weight higher up will also affect stability and roll, although a small dinghy shouldn't have a huge impact.

raising the dink on a hard top is no harder than at the bow, it takes me about a minute to launch or retrieve mine.
 
Yes that is a hard bottom inflatable with an OB. look closely and you should see the nautical structures crane. My aft top seems very well constructed but I would be worried about a foredeck mount without major internal support. IMO coach roofs are a poor design for weight. I guess the big SFs have added deck bracing but their decks are usually flat or convex making them stronger and easier to brace.
 
I can just fit a 9'2" inflatable on my bow. I have the St Croix hoist. It attaches to the railing. Works fine, but still requires muscle. The strain on the rail is some concern. I am planning to add a brace support.

You can see the hoist here. I am on the inflatable :):)

Carver21.JPG
 
your deck is flat so bracing is easy and that crane doesent look like it would lift anything heavy.
 
Bruce,

Its the 175lb version. 7-1 pulley I think. Inflatable is 100lbs.

I can still do it myself but two men its easy.
 
mine with hard bottom, ob etc weighs considerably more. Too much IMO for the fordeck.
 
Bill, Thanks. That looks like what I want to do. What did you use for a backing plate for the base?
Jimmy
 
bruce... are you saying that 2 adults should not sit there either ? we're not talking 500lbs tenders here !
 
Bill: How do reach the snap shackle to unhook it from the harness after you put the dink in the water or hook it to the harness before pulling out? Any ideas yet on how you are going to brace the rail or the mast for the crane?
Jimmy
 
jaj,

I used large washers. I think most of the stress is on the rail. The pole is not actually bolted/fixed to the base but pivots. (maybe you can see this on the St Croix website) The rail pulls out when lifting outside. I am going to use a two foot or so stainless rail piece from the rail to the deck.

I need to tee this to the rail and down at an angle to bolt thru the deck.

You will need to put some type of hook or cable centered and balanced to connect the shackle. I've seen harnesses also. But the point is the shackle cannot be too high off the depth of the tubes or you will not get the boat over the rail. (depending on the height of the rail). The best would be a hook on the floor of the inflatable. But strong enough to bear the weight.

Maybe you can get a taller pole from St Croix. I would have done that if I realized the issue.

I can climb on and off the bow from the inflatable to connect and disconnect the shackle.

Like I said this still requires muscle. But it doesn't cost much.

http://www.davit.com/remcrane.htm
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=005&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=150104270636&rd=1,1 This lift is made of steel,weighs 88 lbs. Any thoughts on how it would serve my purpose.My only real concern is corrosion. I wonder if painting it with 2 part epoxy paint and replacing fasteners with stainless would make it work better in a marine environment. It could fit on the fore deck and have plenty of room for a backing plate in the V berth area. Any thoughts?
Jimmy
 
We store our RIB dinghy with a 25 HP outboard on the foredeck. The change was made before we aquired the boat, but it has worked fairly well for us. They took the original davit that hoisted the dink atop the aft deck hardtop, shortened it and mounted it down thru the foredeck and a closet to tie it to the stringers below the cabinet.

SS rails were added to support the dink. The main downside is that the rails are not high enough to allow opening the hatch when the dinghy is in place. I worry about my son getting trapped in the forward cabin in case of an engine room fire while we are underway. It has bothered me enough that I've purchased another davit and I will install it where the original was. It will give the boat a cleaner profile and make it safer.

I'll try to take some pics next time I'm at the boat if they would help. BTW, when I lower the dink ino the water, I generally slide over the side and down into the dink to unhook the cable. Then I fire up the engine and drive it around to the stern where it is secured prior to tying up in a raft-out. I reverse the process when lifting it and luckily I can still pull myself up over the side. As I age, that may not be the case.
 
IT WORKS! ordered a hoist from ebay(HALJEN HOIST). Installed a 32" brace from the handrail to the foredeck and the hand rail does not move at all. Plenty of clearance over the lifeline too. Man, that jump from the dinghy back up to the deck is something, glad I lost the 25lbs of beer belly... I remove the motor at he swim platform and hoist only the dink. The nine footer fits nicely across the front cabin top with room to open the forward hatch.
Jimmy
 
Pascal; late response, wish i knew how much mine weighs with OB cradles etc. but most coachroofs are unsupported in any meaningful way. A couple of adults wouldent be sitting up there when you are paunding into head seas either.
 
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