Or you can go for the whole enchilada and install a hydraulic lifting platform, an extension of the swim platform. If tipping the tender doesn’t float your boat, there are slide-up “davits.” You pull the dinghy out of the water on a miniature version of a shipyard railway if the tender is small and light enough, that is. I’d hang my tender over the platform on a set of those. Not my choice, but the company also makes innovative hydraulic davits for stern mounting rather than hoist with rope or a cable, the entire davit pivots down to attach to the tender, then pivots back up to raise it. ( ) builds manually operated davits that stow the tender on the swim platform more or less on an even keel, tipped just enough to keep it clear of the water. It also includes a gimbal for the motor so it hangs vertically.
Weaver’s not the only game in town: SeaWise ( ) builds a similar, but fancier, system that uses either a manual or hydraulic lift to tilt the dinghy. Most people will want something more sophisticated, and there are many systems on the market. It’s not very elegant, but it works with inflatables and small RIBs, at least when the weather’s good.
The simplest way to do this is to remove the outboard, then manhandle the tender into place, tipped up against the transom, and lash it with a cat’s cradle of lines. Some manufacturers build conventional davits that mount directly on the swim platform, but if you choose this route make sure the tender is carried far enough above the waterline that it won’t be washed by following seas at low speed, or the boat’s own wake when dropping off plane.Ī better way to marry tender and platform is, in my opinion, to roll the tender onto its side and carry it vertically on the platform. Just dismount and stow them out of the way when the dink’s in the water so nobody whacks their head. Using the platform means launching the dinghy in which case, removable davits make sense. Got a swim platform? If so, traditional stern davits may not work, as many boats with molded-in platforms don’t have a place to mount them, and if they do, the hoisted tender will be hanging like the Sword of Damocles over the platform. This fold-up solution from Weaver Snap Davit Systems can be fitted with stand-off arms to reduce abrasion associated with tie-downs.
If you’re buying a new tender, pick it and the davits together to build the setup that works best for your boat, your needs, and, of course, your checkbook. I’d buy one size more than I need-heck, one day I might buy a heavier dinghy, or a bigger outboard. Select davits that will easily carry the weight of your tender, since it’s probably heavier than you think it is, and you’ll doubtlessly hoist it with a gas tank, PFDs, cooler, and other gear on board. Some are permanently mounted, others are removable, some swivel while others are supported partly by the stern rails, some are manual, some electric or hydraulic, and so forth.
“A tender full of seawater will potentially put the safety of the boat and crew in jeopardy.” Moreover, the added weight and stress of water sloshing about in the tender can also rip the davits out, or at least compromise them.įor most folks, davits are the answer for taming the tender, but choosing the best system takes research there are a lot of different models on the market, sized to fit almost any boat and any tender. “Always remove the plug if rain is in the forecast, or if you’re making a rough passage and there’s the chance of taking water over the stern,” Griffin says. Griffin’s Cilla V has oversized padeyes on either side of her wide transom once the tender is hoisted on the davits, it’s tied bow and stern to the padeyes so it can’t move.