Hi There,
I’m fairly certain i’ll be owning a Nonsuch 30U in the next couple of weeks and will be putting a swim platform from Stainless outfitters on it. I intend to use snap davits and most likely an inflatable dinghy on it and my question is: what length dinghy are people using on these?
Thanks for the help,
Bill Mortensen
N30U #335 if all goes well with the survey
Stonington, CT
M.R.M.S.A.
I have a 9 and 1/2 foot inflatable dingy (west marine) with an air floor and a 4 HP 2cycle engine. I have been going back and forth about davits because of cost mostly.. Last year I just used ratchet straps. When we were going to be using the dingy I towed it with the front lifted up onto the swim platform and held with two racket straps, left the motor on it. Then tied the tow line to the push pulpit, just incase it got loose. Made it easy to get the dingy ready. I would just undo it and put it along side the swim platform. When we were going on a longer cruise like going up the east river, I have a small set of blocks with a line that ties on the wishbone, gives me a 4 to one purchase. I remove the engine with the blocks, then I pick up one side of the dingy and get it flat against the transom resting on the other side on the swim platform. I use a few racket straps to make it fast flat against the transom by crossing them and attaching it to the push pulpit rails and two loops I had added to the swim platform.
Peter Farley
Knot in a hurry 1986 30u #328
Keyport, NJ
Hi Bill
I bought my boat last July, and it came with a swim grid and snap davits as you described, but a Walker Bay non-inflatable, it is 8 feet in length. To be honest, I have not used it so not sure if it would be better if longer, but fits the boat well. Sorry I don’t have a photo of it flipped up, just in the water. If you zoom in you can see the swim grid and davits.
Don
'87 NS30U #369
Vancouver, BC
Can’t speak to the appropriate length in numbers, but would suggest that you measure the transom and try not to greatly exceed that if you expect to be carrying the dinghy on the swimstep in any kind of rough conditions, due to forces of wind and water if they hit the full surface area of a vertical dinghy.
– Bob
Solar Wind
Nonsuch 26C #143
I have a 26C that I put on davits on the transom. Then I bought the 8’ Walkerbay. It looks great, but it’s mounted high.
Howard Wright
Would you mind sharing what davits you bought, at what cost and any other feedback about them?
Peter Farley
Knot in a hurry #328 30U
Keyport NJ
The boat purchase is pending a survey Saturday but I am pretty confident that all will be fine and if not the search will go on. The reason I asked about the dinghies is because A dinghy on a swim platform should not protrude past the edges of the transom because of the possibility of catching waves and doing damage. The windage doesn’t help either.
The daits I intend to use are Weaver snap davits. Defender.com carries these and I have seen them in action, they work well. My personal opinion is that a traditional davit system is the ideal setup for carrying a dinghy but the extra weight at the back of the boat as well as gybing issues make me think they are not a good choice for me.
The air floor dinghy will not work well on davits because when the air floor loses a little pressure, like when there’s a temperature drop the boat will sag and distort. I like the snap davits because when they are not in use all but two almos flat mounting plates can be removed from the platform. They do require gluing parts to an inflatable dinghy or screwing to a rigid dinghy but they are pretty simple things.
Bill
I purchased the davits from Stainless Outfitters for about $2300 US which included all of the blocks, line, bolts, shipping and customs. Relatively easy to install, and seems to work ok, although I’ll have this spring and summer to really see how it works. I only installed it a couple of weeks ago.
Howard Wright
NS 26C Merrythought