Dogs, Dinks and Davits

[petegingras]

Archis,

Only experience with a live being in a dinghy and on davits is my own 180 lbs body in my dinghy (205 lbs) in various stages of raising my RIB up by the davits. Despite four attachment points on that RIB, eyelits/eyebolts, it’s very unstable process that would lend a dog or any other non-rational being (child included) to leap in the opposite direction when the dinghy reacts to weight and pressure being applied. My davits are sturdy and attached to my Hunter arch. Therefore I wouldn’t even consider this viable.

I’ve seen dog vests with carrying handles, but I concur with the Portuguese real experience, once again he’s out front in the race to ponder these great questions.

Might you consider a dedicated outboard hauler, that pivots or swings?

[Archis]

Pete thanks for the info on the davits, the stability was my biggest concern with the approach. It seems that know has tried this approach with a dog, so it could very well be an unworkable idea.

The outboard hoist or even the boom is another option. I was trying to find a common solution for both the dink and the dog. I'm still not conviced that I want to be inflating a dink onboard and then using a hoist to set the motor and dog. I don't have a inflatable dink as of yet, so I don't really know how difficult managing the dink without davits will be.

[christyleigh]

Originally Posted by petegingras

Despite four attachment points on that RIB, eyelits/eyebolts, it’s very unstable process that would lend a dog or any other non-rational being (child included) to leap in the opposite direction when the dinghy reacts to weight and pressure being applied.

I'll second this one as I can't imagine a couple dogs just sitting there smiling while being unevenly raised or lowered in a very unstable feeling vehicle...... and if you are thinking of babysitting the ride you're up to around 500lbs which is asking a heck of a lot from any davit system. Edit - sorry I confused the OP with another that mentioned 2 dogs... although the use of the dingy as an elevator is still not an option to me.

[northptsailor]

A word about older dogs on sailboats. Our Doberman sailed with us for ten years. When he was aboard, we overnighted at marinas. He stayed home when we overnighted on the hook.
But as he got to be a senior citizen a a bit less steady on his feet, he became very stressed when we had weather. So for his comfort and ours, he retired from the navy!

[TrueBlue]

If you insist on bringing a 100 lb dog along, the best solution is to simply stay in shape. Good muscle tone, applied leverage and lifting with legs, not the back, are essentials for a large dog-owning sailor.

I assume you need to deal with the companionway ladder as well.

[Archis]

Thanks to everyone for the input, it looks like the davit idea won't work. I'll look into the doggie ladder.

I'm not sure how my current old guys going to do with the boat but I'm going to make sure my next dog is a little smaller

[sailingdog]

Well said TB... but not always feasible.

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

If you insist on bringing a 100 lb dog along, the best solution is to simply stay in shape. Good muscle tone, applied leverage and lifting with legs, not the back, are essentials for a large dog-owning sailor.

I assume you need to deal with the companionway ladder as well.

[KindOfBlue]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue

When boarding, we tied the dink alongside a removable boarding ladder and simply lifted him through the boarding gate. You will find that (most) dogs will assist you by kicking off the dink's gunwale with his hind quarters, while using the front legs to lift himself aboard. We are friends with several cruising sailors with larger dogs who use the same technique.

Both of our dogs employ the same assist with the front legs technique to get onboard. Our 11 year old dog was 90-something pounds and the handle on the doggie life jacket made it very easy to asist with onboarding and offboarding. He trusted me enough to jump and I guided him to the pontoons. It was his idea to use the pontoons, but once we established the routine he started to trust me and would just jump once we were in position. It was then my job to prevent him from crashing. The handle on the doggie life jacket is key.

[artbyjody]

I use a long piece of plywood that I cut out and secure to the cleats on the boat and the dock... allowing them to walk on and off with minimal assist... the board is skinny enough to be hidden under the cockpit cushions when underway...My dogs do not like to swim, so never worried about them wanting to jump over. When heeling they go to the low side for their comfort at angst of the other sailors whom may be onboard......

[Plumper]

Unbelievable!