Let's get out of the bilges and into some fresh air for a change. Last Autumn I bought a used hard dinghy. It came complete with a pair of Weaver Davits for the swim platform and a Weaver stand-off, which is an adjustable bar to lock the dinghy in the upright position. http://www.weaverindustries.com/ has photos and illustrations, and the Weaver people are responsive to questions (see below). The system consist of 2 swivelling, spring-loaded snaps for the dinghy gunwale, and 2 passive "loops" for the platform. Installation is straightforward, but there are always little twists to challenge the imagination, and ignorance is NOT bliss. What didn't come with the package were the Weaver instructions, and that minor omission ultimately led me astray. In my case, the swim platform is quite low to the water, so I had to make some modifications. The brackets for the dinghy were already installed, about 1/3 of the way from bow and stern. (Weaver's instructions would have indicated that the aft bracket should have been installed much closer to the stern. More below.) With the dinghy in the water, alongside and centred on the platform, I marked where the platform brackets should go, measured the height of the "snap" from the platform deck, and subtracted the height of the platform bracket. I then went home and made two 5" high riser blocks from a piece of very tight ash. Unable to find SS bolts long enough to go through the brackets, the risers, and the swim platform, I cut 4 lengths of heavy aluminum angle and used large SS flat-head screws to fasten them to the sides of the blocks with the "L"'s under the blocks. Since screws would not be sufficient to attach the brackets to the blocks, I drilled the three vertical holes for 1/4" SS bolts, but to a depth of only 3". I then drilled 1/2" horizontal holes into the vertical ones from either side and one end. A chisel produced flats on the upper surfaces for plain and lock washers, and elongated the holes enough to permit the use of SS wing nuts. To start the bolts I held the wing nuts in place with long-nose pliers. The nuts were then trapped in the holes and tightening was simple. This approach avoided having to remove a lot more wood to accommodate a wrench. Back on the swim platform, I placed the assemblies in the previously marked positions and with a soft pencil traced their outlines on the platform. I unscrewed the aluminum "shoes" and numbered each one on the inside and on the risers, laid them on the outlines, and drilled holes for 3" SS flat head bolts through the aluminum and the platform. I countersunk these holes, and then slathered some of that ultra-sticky bedding compound - notwithstanding the quantity I had earlier spread on myself, there's lots in the tube - in the holes and on the bottoms of the "shoes", and pushed the bolts through. Through luck rather than planning I missed both of the platform brackets which I later discovered are positioned slightly differently on each side. Hitting them would have been both stupid and very aggravating. Thank the hole gods and press on. At this point, I should have realized I was moving ahead too fast, and taken a break. Not my nature, however, so of course I made a mistake, but only realized it some days later. Fortunately not (yet) fatal. Awkwardly lying on the platform and reaching under it, doing everything by feel, I smeared still more bedding compound under the platform, and used SS fender washers under nylon lock nuts on the 1/2" bolts. That was the mistake: the fender washers' surface area is undoubtedly too small for the loading, and I should have made up 4-5" wide SS or aluminum plates bridging both bolts to distribute the upward pressures from rough seas. (Probably also made clear in the instructions.) When I then dropped a socket into about 4 fathoms, I finally called it quits for the day, and spent another half hour unsuccessfully trying to get the !@5%&** bedding compound off my hands and tools. Good stuff! (What's the solvent?) The second day, I finished the remaining couple of nuts, jumped in the dinghy, lifted and swivelled the snaps to the "out" position, and hooked onto the platform. Not so automatic as one is led to believe, but rock solid for boarding and embarking. The stand-off comes with a mating socket that goes into a hole on the dinghy's "high" side gunwale. Again, it was already in place on the boat, so the only thing I had to do was locate the other end on the transom. To do that, I tied a rope to the "up" side gunwale, raised the dinghy almost/almost upright, and tied it in position. The dinghy end of the stand-off has a drop-down tab that prevents the dink from falling back. A very large wing nut prevents it from falling forward, and also enables the rod to be adjusted for length. I placed the stand-off's swivelling square plate on the stern of the mother-ship, drilled 4 holes, applied more @$#%!@ bedding compound - gosh I love that stuff - and drove the 4 SS screws. I then released the rope, shortened the rod to balance the dinghy, and all was well. Just as with attaching and detaching the snaps, lifting and lowering the dinghy isn't quite so easy as advertised. (What is?) The problem here is geometry. There's no vertical angle to the pulling line when standing on the platform, so the effort goes into trying to compress the dink. (This raises all sorts of possibilities with an inflatable, and my imagination can picture someone being sling-shot into the distance...) If I had to lift from the platform, I would fall back on my sailing days and rig up a gin pole using an oar, but this is certainly one instance where an aft cabin layout is very handy. Although the angle from the deck is still not the best, from there I can pull it up directly by hand. When it's almost to the point of balance but still leaning out, I tie the line to a stanchion, insert the stand-off, and pull the dinghy in the remaining couple of inches - now very easy since its weight is almost all on the davits. Done. Altogether it takes 5 minutes. An opinion to stimulate some debate: a few members have commented that Weavers are expensive for what you get. Maybe, but they're still cheaper than any of the alternatives except towing. Moreover, I've looked - casually - at the other options. I have lots of space on the foredeck, but don't want to store the dink there because it would hinder the view from the lower helm. If I had a sedan layout with a vast upper deck, maybe I'd go with a crane and electric winch and stow the dink on high, but watching such rigs in action has never left a positive impression. They seem cumbersome, slow, and noisy, and usually require 2 people. Davits off the stern are another option, but they are very expensive, take up a lot of space, and render the swim platform next to useless for boarding. They also add several feet to the manoeuvring length of the boat. The Weavers are certainly not perfect, but they offer a decent combination of cost, utility, and space utilization. (I know it's a human trait to argue for what one already has.) Anyway, this set-up worked just fine for 6 months while I was content to row. However, now I have a 6 HP outboard to add to the mix, and hanging its 65 pounds 3 feet out from the nearest Weaver seems like an accident-in-waiting. A request to the List for advice last week generated some helpful replies, including a suggestion to contact Weaver Industries. So I did, and received a response within 24 hours. Unfortunately, as noted above, it confirmed the aft Weaver ain't aft enough. It should have been placed much closer to the stern to support the weight of an engine. I am now looking at two possible solutions: 1) lazy: i.e. devise and install a separate support for the stern; or b) responsible: i.e. move the davit and bracket. It's not the work that's stopping me, it's how to repair the holes I drilled in the swim platform. I know lots about the lay-up process and performance characteristics of fibreglass, but I've never actually repaired any of it, and I sure don't want it to look ugly. I'm not yet certain I want this to be another "First", but I guess I'm going to do it, because I should also replace those dinky fender washers with large plates. And give myself at least one more opportunity to muck about with gobs of bedding goo. Cheers, Garrett

My favorite repair of leftover holes is to put a stainless bolt with a nice washer in them. You don't have to tell anybody that they don't do anything. Note that your Weavers come with a lifetime guarantee and they can be broken. I have gotten two over ten years. Jim > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com > [mailto:owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com]On Behalf Of Garrett > Lambert > Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 12:22 PM > To: TWL > Subject: TWL: First - Weaver Davits > > > Let's get out of the bilges and into some fresh air for a change. > > Last Autumn I bought a used hard dinghy. It came complete with a pair of > Weaver Davits for the swim platform and a Weaver stand-off, which is an > adjustable bar to lock the dinghy in the upright position. > http://www.weaverindustries.com/ has photos and illustrations, and the > Weaver people are responsive to questions (see below). > > The system consist of 2 swivelling, spring-loaded snaps for the dinghy > gunwale, and 2 passive "loops" for the platform. Installation is > straightforward, but there are always little twists to challenge the > imagination, and ignorance is NOT bliss. What didn't come with the package > were the Weaver instructions, and that minor omission ultimately led me > astray. > > In my case, the swim platform is quite low to the water, so I had to make > some modifications. > > The brackets for the dinghy were already installed, about 1/3 of the way > from bow and stern. (Weaver's instructions would have indicated > that the aft > bracket should have been installed much closer to the stern. More below.) > With the dinghy in the water, alongside and centred on the platform, I > marked where the platform brackets should go, measured the height of the > "snap" from the platform deck, and subtracted the height of the platform > bracket. I then went home and made two 5" high riser blocks from > a piece of > very tight ash. > > Unable to find SS bolts long enough to go through the brackets, > the risers, > and the swim platform, I cut 4 lengths of heavy aluminum angle and used > large SS flat-head screws to fasten them to the sides of the > blocks with the > "L"'s under the blocks. Since screws would not be sufficient to > attach the > brackets to the blocks, I drilled the three vertical holes for 1/4" SS > bolts, but to a depth of only 3". I then drilled 1/2" horizontal > holes into > the vertical ones from either side and one end. A chisel produced flats on > the upper surfaces for plain and lock washers, and elongated the holes > enough to permit the use of SS wing nuts. To start the bolts I > held the wing > nuts in place with long-nose pliers. The nuts were then trapped > in the holes > and tightening was simple. This approach avoided having to remove > a lot more > wood to accommodate a wrench. > > Back on the swim platform, I placed the assemblies in the > previously marked > positions and with a soft pencil traced their outlines on the platform. I > unscrewed the aluminum "shoes" and numbered each one on the inside and on > the risers, laid them on the outlines, and drilled holes for 3" > SS flat head > bolts through the aluminum and the platform. I countersunk these > holes, and > then slathered some of that ultra-sticky bedding compound - > notwithstanding > the quantity I had earlier spread on myself, there's lots in the tube - in > the holes and on the bottoms of the "shoes", and pushed the bolts through. > Through luck rather than planning I missed both of the platform brackets > which I later discovered are positioned slightly differently on each side. > Hitting them would have been both stupid and very aggravating. > > Thank the hole gods and press on. At this point, I should have realized I > was moving ahead too fast, and taken a break. Not my nature, > however, so of > course I made a mistake, but only realized it some days later. Fortunately > not (yet) fatal. Awkwardly lying on the platform and reaching under it, > doing everything by feel, I smeared still more bedding compound under the > platform, and used SS fender washers under nylon lock nuts on the 1/2" > bolts. That was the mistake: the fender washers' surface area is > undoubtedly > too small for the loading, and I should have made up 4-5" wide SS or > aluminum plates bridging both bolts to distribute the upward > pressures from > rough seas. (Probably also made clear in the instructions.) When I then > dropped a socket into about 4 fathoms, I finally called it quits for the > day, and spent another half hour unsuccessfully trying to get the !@5%&** > bedding compound off my hands and tools. Good stuff! (What's the solvent?) > > The second day, I finished the remaining couple of nuts, jumped in the > dinghy, lifted and swivelled the snaps to the "out" position, and hooked > onto the platform. Not so automatic as one is led to believe, but > rock solid > for boarding and embarking. The stand-off comes with a mating socket that > goes into a hole on the dinghy's "high" side gunwale. Again, it > was already > in place on the boat, so the only thing I had to do was locate > the other end > on the transom. To do that, I tied a rope to the "up" side gunwale, raised > the dinghy almost/almost upright, and tied it in position. The > dinghy end of > the stand-off has a drop-down tab that prevents the dink from > falling back. > A very large wing nut prevents it from falling forward, and also > enables the > rod to be adjusted for length. I placed the stand-off's swivelling square > plate on the stern of the mother-ship, drilled 4 holes, applied > more @$#%!@ > bedding compound - gosh I love that stuff - and drove the 4 SS screws. I > then released the rope, shortened the rod to balance the dinghy, > and all was > well. > > Just as with attaching and detaching the snaps, lifting and lowering the > dinghy isn't quite so easy as advertised. (What is?) The problem here is > geometry. There's no vertical angle to the pulling line when > standing on the > platform, so the effort goes into trying to compress the dink. > (This raises > all sorts of possibilities with an inflatable, and my imagination can > picture someone being sling-shot into the distance...) If I had > to lift from > the platform, I would fall back on my sailing days and rig up a gin pole > using an oar, but this is certainly one instance where an aft cabin layout > is very handy. Although the angle from the deck is still not the > best, from > there I can pull it up directly by hand. When it's almost to the point of > balance but still leaning out, I tie the line to a stanchion, insert the > stand-off, and pull the dinghy in the remaining couple of inches > - now very > easy since its weight is almost all on the davits. Done. > Altogether it takes > 5 minutes. > > An opinion to stimulate some debate: a few members have commented that > Weavers are expensive for what you get. Maybe, but they're still cheaper > than any of the alternatives except towing. Moreover, I've looked - > casually - at the other options. I have lots of space on the foredeck, but > don't want to store the dink there because it would hinder the > view from the > lower helm. If I had a sedan layout with a vast upper deck, maybe I'd go > with a crane and electric winch and stow the dink on high, but > watching such > rigs in action has never left a positive impression. They seem cumbersome, > slow, and noisy, and usually require 2 people. Davits off the stern are > another option, but they are very expensive, take up a lot of space, and > render the swim platform next to useless for boarding. They also > add several > feet to the manoeuvring length of the boat. The Weavers are certainly not > perfect, but they offer a decent combination of cost, utility, and space > utilization. (I know it's a human trait to argue for what one > already has.) > > Anyway, this set-up worked just fine for 6 months while I was content to > row. However, now I have a 6 HP outboard to add to the mix, and > hanging its > 65 pounds 3 feet out from the nearest Weaver seems like an > accident-in-waiting. A request to the List for advice last week generated > some helpful replies, including a suggestion to contact Weaver Industries. > So I did, and received a response within 24 hours. Unfortunately, as noted > above, it confirmed the aft Weaver ain't aft enough. It should have been > placed much closer to the stern to support the weight of an engine. > > I am now looking at two possible solutions: 1) lazy: i.e. devise > and install > a separate support for the stern; or b) responsible: i.e. move > the davit and > bracket. It's not the work that's stopping me, it's how to repair > the holes > I drilled in the swim platform. I know lots about the lay-up process and > performance characteristics of fibreglass, but I've never > actually repaired > any of it, and I sure don't want it to look ugly. > > I'm not yet certain I want this to be another "First", but I > guess I'm going > to do it, because I should also replace those dinky fender washers with > large plates. > > And give myself at least one more opportunity to muck about with gobs of > bedding goo. > > Cheers, Garrett > > > > > >

Garrett Lambert wrote: > Let's get out of the bilges and into some fresh air for a change. > > Last Autumn I bought a used hard dinghy. It came complete with a pair of > Weaver Davits for the swim platform > lifting and lowering the > dinghy isn't quite so easy as advertised. (What is?) The problem here is > geometry. There's no vertical angle to the pulling line when standing on the > platform, so the effort goes into trying to compress the dink. Good Eye Garrett, I went thru the same lifting charade sev. mos. ago when I installed Weavers for my RIB. Here is how I solved the geometric problem. First I have a p/h boat so it is shaped in the back like a sedan. Don't despair double cabin owners I have a possible solution for you too! Anyway, I attached a small pad eye high up on the aft bulkhead beside the back door. I fabricated a backing plate, from alum flat bar abt 3/4 inch wide by 3 inches long . This is on the inside of the cabin wall ,it is up near the ceiling and not even noticed. This is the attachment point of a block and tackle set up. The hook of the block and tackle is snapped to the far side of the dinghy and the other block is snapped to the pad eye. The pulleys each have two shives and the one that is attached to the bulkhead has a dead eye for the end of the rope. This allows you to have the end on which you are pulling on the boat block so that you are pulling down on the rope. It works so well that it is almost too easy. The block and tackle set up snaps off and is stored in a plastic grocery bag and placed in the lazarette. Double cabin boats or the like without a high point can accomplish the same by attaching the block to the rail or to he house. It is just a few feet to the house so this is really no problem. The RIB is heavy enough that I could not comfortably pull it up even working fr the bridge deck. That is why I came up with this system. Caveat. A friend who just got back fr. a year long trip to the Bahamas and all the way to Venezuela ( on a CHB 45 just like CCRIDER) cautioned me that a heavy wind could rip the inflatable off of the platform.( You need not ask just how he knows this.) He suggested and I did what he said, I mounted two 6 inch cleats on the top of the back rail . On one I tie the bow line of the Rib, (that is looped through the d ring on the far side) and to the other I tie the stern line of the dingy. It is then securely tied down . We experienced winds of over 45 mph in Jan on our way back fr Corpus Christi Texas and the RIB held steady. CCC Charles C. Culotta Jr. Patterson, LA 95 Miles West of New Orleans on ICW

Charles, your solution to the Weaver davit system made me smile thinking about the first time I tried out my Weaver system on my Whaler Squall dinghy which seems to weigh about 6,000 lbs. I thought this was easy, just pull the line I had rigged on the dinghy's seat and the boat comes right out of the water. Easy!! I pulled and nothing happened except my hands hurt from the strain of the line. I have a sedan and ended up on the bridge using all my 190 lbs. pulling the darn dinghy up. It did come up very slowly at first, and much faster at the end banging against the transom. When I am tired sometimes I just can't do it. My solution was to buy a $5.00 very light block and tackle that I rig to the bridge rail. That works, but generally I just pull hard from the bridge deck with someone in the cockpit with a seat cushion to insert between the dinghy and the transome to stop the crash. That said, I really appreciate the Weaver system when loading the dinghy with things and people. I keep the dinghy clipped until the guest is seated, then unclip it before I get in. This system evolved after a good cruising buddy with very little boat sense, stepped into the dinghy (unfortunately not the center of the dinghy), the dinghy tipped and he went into the drink. Now he can board safely and I can be pretty sure that no one is going to get hurt. Herb Hoffman My Tyme Prairie 29 Kent Island, MD ---snip > Here is how I solved the geometric problem. > First I have a p/h boat so it is shaped in the back like a sedan. Don't despair > double cabin owners I have a possible solution for you too---snip > Charles C. Culotta Jr.