Dogs, Dinks and Davits

[Archis]

Actually I'm considerting Davits for the dink as well. It's only a 33' boat with a 10' beam so Davits may be overkill, but on the other hand a 100 lb RIB and a 65 pound motor isn't something I want to be wrestling with onboard. The bottom line is that I'm hoping to find a single solution that solves both the dink and dog issues.

[kenalewis]

One comment from KindOfBlue about the life preservers was spot on. We always had one on our black lab, yellow for visibility, whenever she was on deck, traveling in the dinghy, etc. It also had a handle for assisting her up and down to dink, she used the jumping method with human assist as already described. Highly recommend the life preserver in a vivid color.....

[Archis]

He's a black lab, but I know he can only swim for so long so he'll have the jacket on for sure.

[xtatico1404]

I will give you my our idea, I'm sure that someone has already tried it and can tell if it works. We have two Dalmatians (about 50-55 lbs) and have been thinking of taking them on a short trip, with life preservers of course. We thought to hoist them up and down using the topping lift through the loop on the back of the life preserver & winch them. Has anyone tried it?

[Giulietta]

I have this....






as a dog.. he once went sailing...stupid dog jumped in the water...total weight was almost 180 pounds...I couldn't hoist him even with a makeshift canvas thing...he stared crying and swiming away from the boat...

I had to inflate the tender, get it in the water, and towed the dog to a beach..then got him on the dinghy and he jumped on the boat...we tied him down as he wanted to jump gagain...I lost a lot of time..never again...make sure you study all possibilities...they don't like being hoisted, its not natural for them...and will sactach the boat and behave funny once they feel they are in the air...leave the dog at home...if God wanted them to be on sailboats, they would have masts and sails..

But if you must insist...build a ramp witha board and use the thender as a platform for it, the other end in the bow.

[sailingdog]

Gui-

I bet that fuzzy monster soaks up a lot of saltwater... .how many times did you have to rinse the poor dog off to get all the salt out of the fur.

[Giulietta]

It wasn't the salt water...it was the sand the brough in that he left in the dinghy and boat...that was the problem...

[TAK]

I have heard good things about this .. Paws Aboard! The Best Dog Boat Ladder / Doggy Boat Ramp, Dog Life Jackets, Designer Pet Lifejackets and Ski Rope Leash

I think they can be had for much less than 200 if you look around ..

[tonybinTX]

How about this? We purchased one, but haven't had the time to set it up. Our girl is happy staying in the cockpit. We plan on getting it set up within the next two weeks. I'll post a review if there's any interest.

www.pontoonspecialists.com - Paws Aboard - Dog Boat Ladder

[Archis]

I'd be interesting in hearing from anyone who has used the paws aboard ladder. I've seen these before but still like the davit option since it solves two problems at once.