RIBs on davits

[orthomartin]

How much of a problem are inflatable RIBs hanging on davits when on passage? Currently we have a Zodiac with inflatable bottom we store on deck, tow, or deflate and stow as we sail the Great Lakes. I would like to add davits to our Moody 46 and get a hard bottom inflatable as I have a new yamaha 15hp 2-stroke sitting around doing nothing (we use a 2.5hp 4stroke on the Zodiac). Yes, we do plan to live aboard, first stop is the Med for a season then to the carib. So, is it worth having a larger more stable tender that would require davits? Second, is it safe to leave it hanging there when on passage?
Thanks all, I appreciate your input

[soul searcher]

Ribs are heavy unless you get one with an aluminum bottom and your stern rails probably weren't designed to hold the davits and the wait of a rib with out and especialy not with the out board.
when on a passage they should be on deck not on the davits unless the the passage is on a lake with less than twenty miles of fetch.

We had ocean marine davits on our boat that our 10ft caribe was lifted on.
They were over doing everything they were conected to. the Rails the latteral supports and my nerves, and that was just sailing in the bay. So I took them off.
Not to mention that if your running in a sea getting pooped with dingy there would suck and not the good kind.
hope this helps

[camaraderie]

Your Moody will be fine with a RIB on a good set of davits in settled coastal conditions but I would never carry ANY dinghy on davits at sea on passage. Get one that will fit on deck and put it on the davits when you hit port.

[Cruisingdad]

Ortho,

Although MANY people dissagree, for me personally, I feel davits are a must for cruisers. If nothing else, it might just mean your dink does not, er, hmm, decide to take its own little cruise in the middle of the night in the hands of some locals.

THat being said, going to sea in anything but a mild sea is a nightmare with the dink on davits. Other than the fact that it you get pooped it will rip it off (and hopefully nothing else like the davits), but in a sea it will be banging from side to side. You can minimize this by lashing it 1000 ways to Sunday with a bunch of latteral lines, but it is still there and a real pain. This is ESPECIALLY true in the ICW where the inconsiderate Sea Rays live.

You are best off putting it up on deck. You will sail better that way too. However, in the evening or in nice weather, it sure is nice to haul that thing up and know it will be there in the morning. Also, assuming calm seas, you will make another knot with it up on the davits. Just watch your weather... and don't forget to pull the plug when it is up on the davits.

- CD

[svsirius]

We installed Kato Voyager davits on our Moody 47.. you can see picture on their site. We have a Caribe 9X and a Yamaha 15 that lives on it. Most of the time the boat travels on the davits with the engine on it. Total weight about 200-225 lbs. Each install is different and the key is how well the transom is reinforced. With big beefy davits keeping the dink on them off shore is no big deal.

Our protocol is
coastal short hops - dink and motor on davits
coastal long hops - dink on davits motor on stern rail
ocean - dink on foredeck, motor on stern rail.

[Cruisingdad]

SVSirius,

I have Kato davits too. Good stuff... not cheap though!!

- CD

[Valiente]

I had a 120 lb. Zodiac Yachtline 310 RIB on davits mounted to steel flanges on the transom when I was in five-foot seas. Oars were in it and a couple of bailers, but nothing else (like an outboard). One davit failed at its base and chucked the stern, about 30 feet of line, a sheared davit arm and various blocks right by my (moving) prop. You've never seen a crew throw a boat into neutral in your life, nor seen sails come down.

After about 45 minutes of cleanup, retrieval and retrenchment, we had the RIB hauled onto the foredeck with little damage to show for the experience aside from the shock and the sheared davit (and no, it wasn't overloaded, merely a faulty casting) to show for the experience.

But it put me right off davits and retrieving RIBs on deck in any kind of wind. From now on it's bridles, halyards and smaller, nesting and/or foldable dinghies/tenders for me and the missus. Frankly, I won't miss trying to get a 9.9 manhandled into a RIB in a seaway either...I expect my back and my unmashed fingers will thank me.

When I see davits bearing 11 foot RIBs with 30 HP engines off their mothership's stern in six foot following seas (yes, even in Lake Ontario), I now follow discreetly behind in hopes of salvage rights. I understand the convenience, but they are NOT for open seaways. I have the broken gear to prove it.