• Welcome to this website/forum for people interested in the Morgan 38 Sailboat. Many of our members are 'owners' of Morgan 38s, but you don't need to be an owner to Register/Join.

Davits

L

larryhume

Larry Hume
I'm in the market for dinghy davits. And am considering Garhauer or Martek. Does anyone have any experience buying davits from either one? Any suggestions? Any thoughts? Your in-put is always appreciated.
Thanks,
Larry
 
Might want to check out davits from Kato Marine. I've seen them on a lot of cruising boats and the owners seem to be pleased with them. They appear to be very well made and company has a lot of technical support per owners (I do not have any connection with Kato).

Melinda
 
You will want to be careful. Unlike other boat like the Island Packet there is not a lot of reserve bouancy in the stern of our boats. Vic Copeland installed a set on Oconee and I'm not sure that he was happy with the arrangement. The stern is very weight sensative.
 
Davits on the Morgan 38? I have said before, it makes little sense unless you never see serious wind and sea conditions. But who knows?
Jim
 
Slightly off topic but, -- the original literature for the 382s claimed that an eight foot dingy could be carried on the coach roof between the companionway and the mast. The changes in the 383 and 384 (mid boom sheeting) eliminate this option. Do any 382 owners carry their dingy on the coach roof aft of the mast?

Jay
 
I have seen nesting dingies placed there. In my opinion, the best place in a seaway is forward of the mast and well secured. Davits on a Morgan can ruin your day at sea.
Jim
 
Jay,
The problem with keeping a dink on the cabin top, or the foredeck is vision. You have to stand all the time and look around the sides. But I can also point out that there is a vision problem keeping the dink on davits....You can't see behind you. There is no free lunch. It's always a compromise with boats.
We have always towed our 8' hard dink and kept the 3hp engine on the stern rail. That system worked well for us for 50 years. We just purchased a 9+ foot RIB, and will be useing a 10hp engine. That's why we are going to install davits. If we cross blue water ie, Burmuda, or Bahamas we will take the engine off and secure the RIB to the fore deck. That's the best compromise we came up with.
Larry
 
Hi All, Jay we carried our Lyle Hess Fatty Knees 8' hard shell dingy with a sail rig and 7' oars aft of the mast on our 382 for the last 11 years and loved it. We had it securely attatched in case of a boarding wave and our guests loved it for the back rest. We chose the hard shell for the rowing(awesome) and the sailrig (great from 10knts to 35knts plus). we plan on moving it in front of the mast like Rich and Pat and others to make room for our 6 person Switlik liferaft under the boom. I like Jim Balls Maluhias' attatchment point aft of the anchor locker and also a couple on the coachtop for dink and jackline attatchment points. As Larry said Whatever you do seems to be a compromise.
 
Larry,

I have what appear to be Kato davits on my boat. They work fine, but I would like them to be a little taller and a little more in reach across the dink. Just a little bit bigger. The newer inflatables are wider and taller because of the bigger tubes. RIBS with the hard bottom deadrise are even taller.

The Kato website shows a RIB on their davits and appears to fit nicely. They also seem to have more davit models now than they used to. I have no idea how old my davits are, but I guess at least ten years. My 1993 Avon roll-up fits my davits fine, but my recently purchased RIB may not. Since stainless davits last forever, you might be able to buy used, but check the dimensions.

I worry about weight aft with this boat. Offshore I like the dink on the foredeck for weight and safety, but then my wife (5'3") can't see forward at all. Davits at anchor are good for security and they allow the dink to dry out a little. If I am just motoring down the waterway, the dink can stay on the davits. Always a trade-off.

Tim
 
Boy O boy....that's a mighty big picture. Is there a way to post a photograph on this sight that does not require a movie theater screen to view?
 
Guys, thanks for the replys, but back to the original question. Does anyone have experience with Martek, Garahauer, or any other brand other than Kato?
Thanks,
Larry
 
Cheryl and I have been talking about davits too. We have a 10' Trinka dink for the same reasons Geoff bought his - great rowing (esp. now that we've fitted it with Concept 2 racing oarlocks and 8' skulls cut down from one of our rowing shells.) It's too long to fit behind the mast - maybe someday I'll build a nesting dink.
For open-water we will lash it to the foredeck - though if we do an inner forestay length may become a problem, for more protected water, it tows great. At 135 lbs, its a handfull to hoist on deck. When anchored, we'd like davits - no bumping in the night, more secure, etc. I'd like davits that either fold or are removable. We will probably have to rethink / rework the stern ladder, grill mount, etc.
I like the look of the old cast aluminum Edson davits but out of production. I wonder about the strength of the davits that rely on the stern rail for support. Combining functions like solar panel mount, radar pedestal, etc. is good in concept but don't want Hunter roll-bar look. Keep the comments coming.
-Alan
 
Larry,

Just took a look online at the Garhauer and Martek davits. They are both very similar to the davits I have.
Again, I do not know what I have on the stern. Probably all designs will function about the same.
Most claim that they are designed for 300 pounds, but some a lot less. I would go for the highest load rating.

Tim
 
Alan, Tim, I agree. The davits must fold, and I want the strongest lifting weight. I RIB is about 150lbs, a 10hp motor is around 100lbs. Then add fuel tank and dink anchor etc. You have a lot to lift. I figure that I will put 6 to 1 blocks on the side that will lift the motor and 4 to 1 on the bow side, which will be lighter because it's narrow and does not have the motor weight. If I use 6 to 1 on that side it might not drop with out pushing it down. I figure I'm going to lift 300+ lbs. at least 200 in the stern section. So each davit should be able to lift 300lbs. to be safe.
Larry
 
That much weight on the stern and so far from the centerline is a wrong on any any boat of this displacement is my opinion. It is unsafe unless you only motor or sail in FLAT water. 300#s?
Jim
 
I think some are missing the point on davits, while underway a dink should never be hanging on the davits. On the other hand, once at anchor a dink should be raised out of the water when not in use, hence the need for davits. The reason for this is security and keeping bottom clean.
As far as carrying the dink while underway, the picture above says it all.
I do not feel comfortable having the dink behind a mast where a large wave could dislodge it and send it flying into the cockpit.

My two cents!
 
Right Jose! To add a another 2 cents, while at anchor the dink can raised out of the water with a bridle and halyard like you would when placing on the foredeck. When sitting in the cockpit a dink hanging off the stern, blocks your view and hinders both swimming and visitors coming aboard.
Jim
 
Jose,

I agree. The davits, in my case, are for the waterway and at anchor. We kept the dink on davits most of the way around Florida when in the waterway. Always kept the outboard on the rail not on the dink. It worked fine with the lightweight rollup and a 4 HP outboard.

Off shore from Marco Island to the keys and from Miami to Fr. Pierce, the dink was on the foredeck. Bigger dinks and bigger outboards really change the equation. Just have to go one step at a time.

Tim
 
Thanks for the replies on the tender storage. I tow mine while in protected water and lash her down on the foredeck when coastal cruising. I ask the question because in response to Larry's question I researched the Pardey's book on cruising and they advised carrying the tender on the coach roof aft of the mast as opposed to the fore deck for the exact same reasons given on this board for the opposite configuration and wondered if any 382 skippers chose this location.

Jay
 
For passage making I carry my Achilles 9'6" air floor deflated and lashed aft of the mast. For island hopping in the Bahamas, inflated on the foredeck as in the photo. My 382 came with davits so I use them to keep the dinghy out of the water at night but I might try a sling and halyard and remove the davits, trying to keep it simple.

Steve Guy
 
By aft of the mast I mean aft of the saloon skylight, where a life raft would probably mount for an long passage. Then I might stow the dink... where? The pilot berth? Going down the intra-coastal I might keep it on the davits.

Steve.(Pilgrim)
 
I have Kato Marine davits on my 79 382 and love them. I also purchased the cross brace and have my solar panel mounted there.I feel they work great and are a much better solution then dragging the dink around....fine for lake, bay or sound use however I would probably NOT stow it there for offshore unless the weather was benign and I kept a close watch on it.As far as balance no problems as of yet...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top