www.iFourWinns.com

Hey guys. I tried to do some searching and couldn't find any specific answers. I'm going to be adding a RIB with hurley davits to my Vista 298. I want the longest dinghy possible without extending past the swim platform. The answer should be obvious... go measure my swim platform, but I'm also wondering what the LOA will be with the outboard kicked up. My beam is 10' 6", so I assume my swim platform is about 10'. Again... I need to measure, but I won't be down to the boat until this weekend. The West Maraine 310 is 10' 2", but the transom looks to be about 18 inches forward of the end of the inflatable hull. Normally, does the outboard reach past this point with the outboard up? Ultimately, this is the setup I'm looking for:



Any input is appreciated!

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2002 Vista 298
Video of boating from The Florida Keys, to Miami, to Bimini/Bahamas

I bought the Mercury 310 Sport Inflatable to mount with davits on the back of our 328 Four Winns that has a beam of 11'9". I don't have the numbers in front of me right now, but I think you'll find the width at the transom of your 298 will be reduced by more than 6" from your listed beam.

I took due care to measure and centre our inflatable on our swim platform and I bet my inflatable ends are only inside the stern overall width of our boat by an inch or two at best.

I am very mindfull when backing into a boat well that my inflatable ends are close to the width of the boat at the stern.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

Thanks for the response! So, it seems that more realistically I should be looking for something around 8' 6" to 9' 2". From the dinghies I've seen it looks like the lower unit of the outboard extends past the LOA of the dinghy by at least a few inches. The challenge will be getting the most boat possible without exceeding the width of the swim platform.

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2002 Vista 298
Video of boating from The Florida Keys, to Miami, to Bimini/Bahamas

Well Narcosis you said any input is appreciated so here we go. I understand the appeal of a davit system that mounts the dinghy in that manner. It doesn't block rear vision, doesn't catch wind when traveling, motor stays mounted saving the hassle of removal and storage, fuel tank stays out of the cockpit, and much quicker to launch. All good reasons but I urge you to re-think your purchase. I'm not talking about the dinghy, I'm referring to the Hurley system.

New price is $880 on their website. It's worth about $200...maybe. I fought with mine for 3 seasons before throwing it overboard! Sold our Caribe RIB because it took 2 - 3 guys to lift it onto the rack. Bought an inflatable floor dinghy and it was still a struggle. Four Winns platforms are to high off the water for this system. You nearly have to lift the dinghy vertical due to this height. If you are dead set in owning a Hurley, check the internet for deals. There has to be piles of them laying around. Just my 2 cents...

Again, any feedback is good feedback and is much appreciated. I have zero experience with inflatables and/or davit systems. I figured the dinghy would weigh 200lbs max total with outboard, fuel, oars, crap etc... How much did your Cairbe RIB weigh? This small framed woman sure makes using the hurley davit system easy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSoEBj9Px0A Maybe its filled with helium? hehehe.. Seriously though, the Sea Ray in the example has a very low swim platform and I bet that makes all the difference.

The weaver system looks like absolute crap and I won't have anything to do with such an obstruction of view. I've seen systems similar to the hurley davit that have rollers. Do you think rollers would help the problem at all? What are you currently using for a dinghy/davit solution on your boat? A RIB is essential for cruising the Bahamas and very handy for around the Florida Keys so I can't just scratch it off the list, but I'd rather learn from other peoples mistakes instead of making them myself.

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2002 Vista 298
Video of boating from The Florida Keys, to Miami, to Bimini/Bahamas

I'm not sure you understand the 'Weaver' very well. It's probably the most widely used and popular davit system on the planet for a cruiser. It's extremely high quality and does the job as intended very well.

I have a Weaver davit setup with a 9 1/2 foot Achillies setup and it's fantastic. I keep my 2.5hp Yamaha outboard mounted on it full time without issue. I can pull the boat out of the water without any assistance. The boat is about 80 pounds, the motor is 40+.

The 318 beam is 10'9''. Our 9 1/2 foot dinghy is pretty darn close to the full width of the platform.

If I were to do it again, I wouldn't go over 9.

In my experience - that hurley sucks. I really wanted to go that direction, but I have seen more folks fumble around with it trying to pull their dinghy up, only to figure out that have very little to no room to get to the other side of the transom, access the transom locker, or do anything else with their platform.

For us, we have the platform rail system and bbq mounted full time, we travel through locks, and dock/tie up with friends which requires regular access to storage and all sides of the transom.

Make sure you take the right measurements with the Hurley. I've seen more failures than successes with those.

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Narcosis,

I think you would go good to go with 8' 9" (like a Mercury 270 Sport Inflatable) but be carefull going much longer without carefully measuring your transom width. I say transom width because it is your transom rub rail that will protect your inflatable from the dock etc. I used the Mercury 270 on our 30' Doral Prestancia that had a 10 foot beam with weaver davits and was quite happy with the set up. I think Weaver Davits work well, just make sure the pads being glued to the inflatable are done right so you don't have them start to peel away from the inflatable, but overall they do have a nice product.

I went a little different route with our 328 due to how high the swim platform is. I purchased the "Burke Davit" system and installed it on our 328 for our 310 Mercury inflatable. I used this Burke davit system all last season and was pleased with its performance. If this is appealing to you or anyone else I can provide more information later.

In the meantime, Google "Burke Brackets" to see how this davit system for your boat's inflatable would work. There are pros to using the Burke Brackets depending on your circumstances.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

good, (compliments for your video I put it into my preferred ones in my youtube channel)
going to the dinghy I simply changed it into a smaller one, I bought an electric engine that is lighter than a standard engine, you can take it off and put it under the seats together with the batery, without any other built up structure on swim platform. I put simply the dinghy in this way:




1 elastic + 2 hooks total 5 euros (6.5 US$) spent
the dinghy is 2 meters long and 1,3 wide (out all) with a weight of 25 kgs ( http://www.nautiline.com/product/18/Tender-Nautiline-SLAT-200-Codice-76035200.html ), from the esthetic point of view maybe it's not the best solution but it works, it's cheap and sustainable (no fuel).

you could check also this system, it looks not so bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOQb5A6eIw4

this is my half cent.

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2006-288 Vista
"Drogue One" - a starboard story -
2 x Volvo Penta D3 - 160 HP

previous boats:
2001 -FW 268 Vista
1998 FW 258 Vista
2003 Saver 690 Cabin Sport

Narcosis,
The Caribe RIB weighted 180lbs plus another 70lb for the 8hp motor. Had the Hurley mounted on a Vista 328 and if I remember the platform height was in the neighborhood of 17 inches above the water. If you look again at the youtube link you provided, the frame of the davit touches the water surface when it's at approx. 45 degrees. On our 328 it touched the water at about 80 degrees. Absolutely no leverage. The system we have now, Seacure-it davit, is on our 378 and I couldn't pull the Caribe onto that one either. Seacure-it does offer a winch attachment but I was to pissed by then and sold the RIB. I will admit though, this Seacure-it davit is really well made and would achieve what you want to do...with the winch option. No, I'm not part of the company and have no vested interest.

St. Croix Davits also make various style mounts and are highly regarded for their quality but they are pricey. Might be worth a look though. The Burke system Mike posted (Decision) is similar to one of the styles made by St. Croix and the new Weaver system. Oscar posted a youtube link to the original style Weaver which I believe is still available. I've had the Weaver davit in the past. As Cougarcruiser mentions, it's a geat system if you want a vertical mount. The issue is the motor and gas tank storage. However, Weaver does make the leever rotating motor mount so you can keep the motor attached with a vertical system.

That's two systems discussed out of four, the horizontal system like Hurley, Seacure-IT, St. Croix and others. Vertical such as Weaver and St. Croix and Burke. Their are also folding hydraulic mini cranes that lift and pivot. Then there is the system I dream about...hydraulic swim platform!

Good Luck, Jeff

Narcosis...curious to what you decided?

Narcosis,
I have a 318 which is basically the same boat and used the "Dinghy Caddy" for a 10'2" RIB with a 15hp Yamaha. The outboard stays on the RIB (in the down position) along with fuel and is very easy to retrieve and deploy by myself. Total weight is nearly 240lbs with 6 gallons of fuel. I love the setup and can pull the kids on a tube all day with it. It may seem large but I am only a 3rd year boater and can back into a slip with no problems with it. Just remember to pull the plug when done for the day so any rain does not fill up the dinghy.
I wish you luck with your decision and purchase.

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2007 Four Winns 318 Vista "Sas Sea Lady"
Previous
2002 Four Winns 268 Vista "Girls Knot Buoys"
1999 Sea Pro 235 WA "Bait Me"

Again, thanks for the feedback guys! All the info you've given is awesome and its good to hear it from multiple angles of experience. I've been pinned down with work lately so unfortunately the dinghy project is on the back burner for the next few weeks. I'll be back when all the dust settles to refine my decision and post some pics of the new setup when all is said and done.

BTW tmiller: The Dinghy Caddy looks very cool. I like the all stainless and the fact that the outboard and fuel tank all stay in place and nothing disrupts the lines of the boat. Does the setup get in the way when you back into your slip and cross your stern lines?

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2002 Vista 298
Video of boating from The Florida Keys, to Miami, to Bimini/Bahamas

Actually I was very concerned about that but I never had any problems and the lines cross under the dinghy. Yes it is harder than no dinghy but by no means is it difficult. I dock the boat by myself all the time with no problems. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Have a safe and enjoyable boating season!

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2007 Four Winns 318 Vista "Sas Sea Lady"
Previous
2002 Four Winns 268 Vista "Girls Knot Buoys"
1999 Sea Pro 235 WA "Bait Me"