Dinghies and Davits...

Sierra · **Posted:** Wed May 27, 2009 9:43 pm

Clearly a lot of discussion to be had on the subject for all Vistas and V Series so I'm taking the liberty of migrating an active discussion to this thread. The chat began here and continued on the next page.

Picking it up...

cougarcruiser wrote:

Nautley's? Waver's? Just keep it in a bag?

I initially thought I would get a high-speed pump and bag the boat and motor. I can honestly say after one weekend of owning my dink, those who warned me were correct... I would not want to inflate and deflate the dink with any regularity and deal with the constant removal and installation of an 85lb motor.

And this is the reason nothing else lies on my swim platform...

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Thu May 28, 2009 7:39 am

Inflating the dink takes about 15 minutes total, from unbagging, inserting the floor panels, inflating it and putting on the motor and fuel tank. Granted, that's 15 minutes of sweaty work, with the single biggest hassle being the floor panels. They're great for stability but a challenge to set up.

The Weaver setup, including the engine tilting mechanism, is definitely a quality product. Not cheap but clearly worth the money spent. You just have to consider whether it's the right style for you. For us it isn't because of how it blocks the view. Oh and you still have to stow the gas tank somewhere.

I like the Moeller Dinghy Mate transom mounted kind:

It comes in a 3 or a 6 gallon size. I have the 3 gallon one. It fits just inside the transom. Those metal brackets on the top slide back to grip the transom. I got lucky and found one cheap, second-hand, at a local boat place (Bacons, in Annapolis). It really frees up the floor area. That and the size of it fits reasonably well in my transom locker (now that I removed the shelf).

I use a 6hp 2-stroke Johnson outboard on mine. The 2-stroke motors are a lot lighter than their 4-stroke equivalents. But they're also noiser and come with the typical 2-stroke smoke. That and the 2-stroke engines can be stored at any angle. Not much of an issue when you've got that nice engine pivot bracket though. That and 2-stroke motors are pretty hard to get in the US these days, rightly so due to their emissions. I think sales of them are getting phased out entirely relatively soon. If I had a better place to stow a 4-stroke I'd certainly consider getting one.

cougarcruiser · **Posted:** Sun May 31, 2009 10:36 pm

I couldn't stomach the bill for a wham-bam-thank-you-mam dinghy/motor/davit setup, so I'm peicing it together as I go...

Step 1, find a dinghy. This is my third in 3 months believe it or not - first was a Bombard PVC that I sold because it wasn't quite what I wanted. Second was an old Avon Redcrest from the early 90's that was a hand me down. The wife said she wasn't a fan. Finally - I was going between a Walker Bay and the Achilles. Seeing Sierra's drove me to the Achilles.

So, I found a 2008 LSI96 - which is basically the same as Sierra's except I have nipples on the tubes. And, mine is white. Killer deal out of Cali brand new... full warranty... free shipping, and no tax (I hate sales tax and avoid it like the plague).

The 9'6'' is pretty dang close to the width of my transom - so it'll be "big boat, big dinghy" if I decide to hang it off the back.

Step 2: Motor. I either get a little 2 horse that I can stuff in the transom locker, or i'm looking hard and spending too much on a new Yamaha 8hp 2 stroke (8MSH at only 60 pounds) and doing a Weaver Leaver like Sierra. First step is to find out if a little 2 horse can fit safely into my transom locker.

Step 3: Davits. Probably Weaver's. if I go with a little motor in the transom locker, probably won't do davits. If I go with an 8hp, I will go davits.

Sierra · **Posted:** Mon Jun 01, 2009 7:36 pm

Looks great Cougar! Were you tempted to flood your living room to float it?

After another weekend with my new setup I continue to be pleased. I lowered the dinghy and motor myself without difficulty by running a line secured to the port (top) side of the dinghy around my transom grab bar and slowly letting it down. I have not attempted to raise it solo yet.
The lever system is great. A bit cumbersome right now as I am still figuring it out as I go each time but, like everything else, it will become second nature the more I use it. As shown below, I now have the proper port standoff so it is very stable. I'm still wrestling with where to stow the fuel tank. When I cruised last week I rested it in one of the swim platform storage bins and lashed it down so it was completely secure. I could remove half of the shelf in the transom locker but would rather not as that space is important to me on extended cruises. I know some people stow their tanks in the engine room but would want to know more about the risks of doing that (it would obviously have to be unfailingly secure).

The port snap does not rest on the rub rail as it appears to in the second picture. The third shot is the starboard snap that the arc attaches to to. And that's the flurry of cottonwoods mucking up the water that you see.

SW Florida Dave · **Posted:** Mon Jun 01, 2009 9:40 pm

Hey guys, I really like the davit's and would love to add them. I am just not sure I have the right boat yet. I purchased a 2 year old Zodiac 220R RIB, it is 6.5 ft long and we got a Merc 6 HP 4-stroke from West Marine. The boat runs great with me but does not ride with a good angle with two or more. I will say with its small size I can lean it on the plateform with the stern rail for support and laid the motor under the table in the cockpit until we reached our spot. A lot of work davits are the ticket from what I see.

mkivbren · **Joined:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:53 pm **Posts:** 739

I always wondered about those external fuel cells... What's that about? No tank on the motor? I get many trips out of the tank integrated to the outboard itself.. Looks like a few hundred miles worth of fuel with those things.

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:53 pm

mkivbren wrote:

I always wondered about those external fuel cells... What's that about? No tank on the motor? I get many trips out of the tank integrated to the outboard itself.. Looks like a few hundred miles worth of fuel with those things.

I think only the smaller motors have the onboard tank. At around 4hp they stop having a tank. Might have to do with the added weight of the gas. Larger motors are heavier, moving to an external tank keeps the weight down, that and the size too.

slimdem · **Joined:** Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:38 pm **Posts:** 2

Why don't you have a stainless rail across the aft of the transom, and with weaver davits the dinghy is secured upright to the stainless rail, and you still have room on the transom. Also the outboard bracket can be secured to the rail as well. Almost every cruiser in Australia would be configured this way. Cheers, Slimdem. 05 298

wkearney99 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:06 am

slimdem wrote:

Why don't you have a stainless rail across the aft of the transom.

That rail would have to be very heavy duty, along with the backing plates for it under the swim platform. That and when dealing with shifting weight loads it helps to have bracing from a shallower angle. Just attaching to an upright doesn't give the side bracing. Never underestimate the destructive power of a weight on the top of what's essentially a pendulum. It would be pretty difficult to make a useful enough upright that wasn't overly large or very expensive.

cougarcruiser · **Posted:** Fri Jun 19, 2009 10:26 pm

Project "Affordable, but quality dinghy on V318 All Night Long" has taken to step 2...

First Step... Acquire nice dinghy at an affordable price. Check. 2008 Achilles LSI96 like Sierra's - but white.

Step 2... find a way to not make Weaver Products anymore proud of their fricking davit systems than they already think they are. I scored a set of dropped and extended davit heads from Craigslist out of Northern Michigan. Under $90 bucks shipped to my door and I just managed to save myself over $200 bucks on a new pair (they list for $323 on the weaver site http://store.weaverindustries.com/merch ... p=4&pid=36 )

4 inches out, 2 inches down. I think the 'ideal' has been mentioned before that 4 and out and 4 down is the key - but having the dink be a little higher up is preferable to me and I couldn't beat the price.

Step 3... Any of a couple items... more weaver parts & peices, and I'm really on the hunt for a 60 pound, Yamaha 8hp 2 stroke that they still make. I can get brand new for 1600-1700... but I know there are deals out there!

The hunt continues! If anyone sees some great outboards up for grabs, a weaver leaver setup, or a transom arc/weaver pads, or the quick clips anywhere -- point me that way!

www.iFourWinns.com

Dinghies and Davits...

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