Would a RIB with Motor be too Heavy on Davits all the Time?

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by lilbabypenguin

OK thank you all so much for your help, maybe we will need to keep the motor lift then. We need to decide before our survey time in which the owner will take the lift off and fill in the hole from it. Don't want him to do that and us decide we actually we need it.

Keep the motor lift no matter what in my view. It is very handy for lots of odd jobs. Even raising a MOB is possible with a good motor lift.

[Cheechako]

although I love davits the RIB on the back is too much for a 32.... and wont work with a windvane anyway. With no vane you might put an air floor dingy back there on davits... without motor. Keep the motor crane!

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

We always keep the motor on the rail with a lock. The dinghy is NEVER towed with the engine. If you do not remove the engine you will surely be towing an inverted dinghy with a wet motor; abandoning it. OR you will be dealing with a wildly out of control dinghy & motor on the davits. You simply can't be too lazy to do what is needed to stow your gear. Sorry, brutal but true.

I have found that I can launch the dinghy & drop and attach the motor (15 HP) in just a few minutes. The OB jib-boom and tackle is easy to use. I have even done it under sail by myself in order to take photos. From the dinghy, flick the line from the tackle & release it from the jam cleat; lower the outboard. That simple. You can see the tackle hanging off the stbd quarter.

Nice looking mizzen staysail. I'm sorry that fashion and designer conformity have made ketches so rare these days. They are far more suitable in some ways to long-term cruising than are sloops.

As for the OP, I had cast davits SNAP in only four-foot seas on Lake Ontario, with a 115 lb. Zodiac C310 RIB crashing down in fairly dramatic fashion. Had the engine (at the time a Honda BF100 of about 100 lbs.) been on the transom, the situation would have been considerably more fraught, rather than merely inconvenient as we struggled to haul the Zodiac on deck in a rising wind.

Davits are fine for light weather and short transits. But any passage with weather or distance argues for lashing down on the foredeck. Various boom or pole falls can be rigged in conjunction with a RIB bridle to do this easily.

[montenido]

I have a strong arch with davits that I installed on my boat. I keep the rib on the davits while docked and underway. The dinghy is at least 7' above the water, so I don't worry too much about following seas. Obviously, for any significant passage I would lash the dinghy forward on the deck.

It is my current practice to remove the outboard before hoisting the dinghy (15hp 2-stroke), which I do every night when anchored (Sea of Cortez, MX). I have it down pat so that it really just takes a couple of minutes. My reasoning for removing the outboard and hoisting the dinghy nightly is first, for security. No problems yet. Secondly, If I have to suddenly leave an anchorage at night due to wind, weather, etc., I am all set to go. Everything is secured and ready for travel.

I have tried leaving the dinghy in the water overnight, but it just slaps too much (Caribe 10X). YMMV.

Cheers, Bill

[a64pilot]

My dinghy and outboard (20 hp 4 stroke suzuki) live on Kato davits, total weight about 300 lbs, so far I've never removed th eengine, but am purchasing an engine lift from another forum member next month so I can