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Old 17-03-2013, 23:41   #1
Jd1
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Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

This spring we are planning to get a tender. The top choice seems to be a Walker Bay Genisis 310 (any good deals out there?). The biggest issue yet to be resolved is how to best transport/store the tender. I have no room at the dock to mount a tender bracket/holder and I really can't get behind leaving the RIB in the water all the time. Deck space is limited and I can see a deflated dingy to be a pain for general day sails and what not (no problem to have the dingy on deck while cruising where it is needed on a daily basis but that occurs only rarely at the moment).
So, my thoughts have turned to a davit system of some kind. The question at this point seems to be "should I get a setup that is pre-manufactured for a Catalina 36 MkII or should I get something that it custom built for my specific boat". I have no idea what kind of a cost premium there is for a custom built.
The second question that occurs is " should I include mounting arrangements for solar panels and does this automatically make this a custom fabrication?" I assume there will be some flexing going on with a RIB hanging off the back of the boat - will this flexing be an issue for solar panels ?
Are there any other issues that I should think about at this point ?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts ......
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Old 18-03-2013, 06:30   #2
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

Many people with walk through transomes add davits and then can no longer use there swim ladder with the dinghy on the davits. To me this becomes a safety issue, since now you will have to hoist someone back on board if they fall off.

My only suggestion is have the davits built and mounted so that when the dinghy is raised to the "Underway" position, you still have room to lower your swim ladder.

I attached a pic of our davits, which are high enough to allow use of the swim ladder with the dinghy secured in "traveling position"
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Old 18-03-2013, 08:05   #3
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

Hmmmm .... that is really high and pretty much eliminates any solar panel mounting ideas.
I had not thought of the issue of deploying the swim ladder in case of a MOB situation.
Thanks!
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Old 18-03-2013, 08:20   #4
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

I have't seen one on a C-36, but an arch would allow you both the davits with swim ladder clearence and a solid platform for panels.

Ours are separate... We have a 4 panel rack over the bimini.... I also had our boat build with Catalina's hard dodger and mounted three 85 watt panels on top of that.
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Old 18-03-2013, 09:06   #5
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jd1 View Post
This spring we are planning to get a tender. The top choice seems to be a Walker Bay Genisis 310 (any good deals out there?). The biggest issue yet to be resolved is how to best transport/store the tender. I have no room at the dock to mount a tender bracket/holder and I really can't get behind leaving the RIB in the water all the time. Deck space is limited and I can see a deflated dingy to be a pain for general day sails and what not (no problem to have the dingy on deck while cruising where it is needed on a daily basis but that occurs only rarely at the moment).
So, my thoughts have turned to a davit system of some kind. The question at this point seems to be "should I get a setup that is pre-manufactured for a Catalina 36 MkII or should I get something that it custom built for my specific boat". I have no idea what kind of a cost premium there is for a custom built.
The second question that occurs is " should I include mounting arrangements for solar panels and does this automatically make this a custom fabrication?" I assume there will be some flexing going on with a RIB hanging off the back of the boat - will this flexing be an issue for solar panels ?
Are there any other issues that I should think about at this point ?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts ......

JD1, I would not recommend sailing in anything other than benign and protected waters with your dingy in the davits. We discovered this years ago( shortly after installing our new davits) on a shakedown daysail in the Gulfstream when the weather turned nasty and we were far offshore. We could not keep the dingy stabilized as the seas began to build. We considered trying to drop it in the water to tow, but the boat was pitching badly and we were concerned we might loose the dingy. We currently have an older Avon with fiberglass floors and we are considering purchasing a new one with the inflatable floor that can be rolled up on deck when sailing. There are some people (catamarans, larger boats with fixed davits) who will probably swear by them, but on a smaller vessel like yours and mine, I don't recommend them. And, at one time, they were considered to be a deterrent to theft, but from the reports in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America, I think that is no longer the case. Don't spend the money without giving it a lot of thought. I no longer use mine and consider my purchase money that could have been better spent elsewhere. Good luck and good sailing.
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Old 18-03-2013, 10:29   #6
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

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Originally Posted by rognvald View Post
We could not keep the dingy stabilized as the seas began to build. We considered trying to drop it in the water to tow, but the boat was pitching badly and we were concerned we might loose the dingy.
Currently, most of my sailing is in relatively protected water (PNW, Victoria, BC) with 30 knts being about the maximum and I figure this should be ok. Is that an accurate assessment ?
Theft was one concern I had but the bigger concern was general storage (no room for a rack on the dock and in-water storage seems to ask for wear and tear and theft)
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Old 18-03-2013, 12:20   #7
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

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Currently, most of my sailing is in relatively protected water (PNW, Victoria, BC) with 30 knts being about the maximum and I figure this should be ok. Is that an accurate assessment ?
Theft was one concern I had but the bigger concern was general storage (no room for a rack on the dock and in-water storage seems to ask for wear and tear and theft)

JDL, from the area in which you sail, the davits would probably be fine. However, it's not the wind that causes the problem generally, it's the sea state. If I had it to do over again, I would opt for an Avon with an inflatable floor that could be rolled up during passages and deployed when needed. It is lighter than the older models with the wood and/or fiberglass floors and could be easily lifted on deck at night with a halyard for safety or left in the water when theft would not be an issue. If you go to my bio, you can see a picture of my boat with the dinghy stored on the davits. We were sailing in the semi-protected waters of Hawk's Channel in the Florida Keys to a staging area to cross over into the Bahamas. I will not re-install my davits for our next journey as I believe they are only an inshore convenience. Think it through before you commit. Good luck and good sailing.
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Old 18-03-2013, 13:43   #8
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

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Originally Posted by jeremiason View Post
Many people with walk through transomes add davits and then can no longer use there swim ladder with the dinghy on the davits. To me this becomes a safety issue, since now you will have to hoist someone back on board if they fall off.
Hmmm. I question this as a safety issue. In an MOB situation on my boat, it would take very few seconds to drop the dink so that it was being towed by the bow from the port davit. Maybe 5 seconds? It would actually take longer to deploy the swim ladder than drop the dink.

Here's the trick for those who are similarly concerned: only apply a stopper knot to the davit that holds the bow. When you drop the dink, its stern can then go free when the line pulls through the tackle, and that line will stream behind the dink.
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Old 18-03-2013, 16:18   #9
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I custom made my davits for my H36. I carry dingy so that it about deck level but below rails. Dingy is a 10'4" soft bottom aluminum floor. I like it as good as the rib it replaced, it is light and I can it apart and store in locker. I have sailed in 20+ knots an all was very good. To do this you need a lot more lines than just the lift line to keep dingy stable. I add a couple of light horizontal lines to do this. To release dingy light lines would need to be removed. The lift lines are fed through sheet stoppers and have a figure 8 at end of bow line. Releasing stoppers allows dingy to fall into water and the knot on the bow end makes it into a tow line. This all takes a couple of minuets and is the only way to access boarding ladder. The only solution to this is to add a side boarding ladder if you want. I sail single handed so it does not matter, I make sure I stay on the boat. Beats a long ending.
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Old 18-03-2013, 23:06   #10
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Hi


Sorry for jumping in, but I might be able to buy a Cat 36 this Saturday (hopefully the las argument with the seller...) and I am very interested on the Davits

For those who have them, can you post additional pics? Close ups and different angles would be great

Regards
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Old 19-03-2013, 05:50   #11
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bash View Post
Hmmm. I question this as a safety issue. In an MOB situation on my boat, it would take very few seconds to drop the dink so that it was being towed by the bow from the port davit. Maybe 5 seconds? It would actually take longer to deploy the swim ladder than drop the dink.
BASH

As you are well aware, very few people have quick disconnects on there dighy davits, which means even if you drop them in the water, they will obstruct the ladder until you dettach the falls, which are normally carabeaners. This is very difficult in seas.

Also in your case, having the dinghy swinging behind the boat creates another safety issue, especially in seas, where the person trying to reboard will have to contend with the swinging dinghy.

Nothing is perfect.....

I subscribe to Murphy's Law... So my point is keep it simple and easy. Raising the dinghy up higher and being able to drop the ladder without the extra step of dropping and disconnecting the dinghy just seems easier.
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Old 19-03-2013, 05:56   #12
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

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Originally Posted by rognvald View Post
JD1, I would not recommend sailing in anything other than benign and protected waters with your dingy in the davits. We discovered this years ago( shortly after installing our new davits) on a shakedown daysail in the Gulfstream when the weather turned nasty and we were far offshore. We could not keep the dingy stabilized as the seas began to build.
JD1

We overcame that problem by designing our davits with the ability to crosstie the dingy with cargo straps. It does not move even in high seas and winds.

Of course, we also never travel with the outboard on the dinghy, which balances the load better. The outboard is mounted on a engine mount on the transome below the dinghy.
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Old 20-03-2013, 08:40   #13
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

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JD1

We overcame that problem by designing our davits with the ability to crosstie the dingy with cargo straps. It does not move even in high seas and winds.

Of course, we also never travel with the outboard on the dinghy, which balances the load better. The outboard is mounted on a engine mount on the transome below the dinghy.

J, we tried that( and numerous other efforts) but were getting a lot of serious chafe on the dinghy with the straps. On a smaller boat, like mine and Jd"s, there's always the issue of greater and quicker motion at sea and I've never felt comfortable with the dinghy in the davits in an offshore passage after our Gulfstream fiasco. In protected waters, they're great, but I won't reinstall mine for our next serious trip. I guess is some instances, size does matter. Good luck and good sailing.
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Old 20-03-2013, 09:02   #14
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

If there are pre-made lightweight stainless ones for the Catalina, in the end that is probably the way to go. Engineering and fabricating all the stuff and brackets is not always easy, or sucessful. You're going to love davits. There's nothing like reaching a destination and having the dink in the water 5 mins after the anchor is down. I would carry the motor separately.
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Old 20-03-2013, 19:28   #15
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Re: Davit suggestions for Catalina 36 MkII

Thanks for all the input! I have decided to not buy a Davit system for my first year of dink ownership in order to find out just exactly how much hassle (yeah, I am lazy) it is to bring the dink on the foredeck (and possibly deflate) during periods when I don't expect to use it.
Anybody use a 12V pump to inflate their 10 ft dinghy and if so, how long does that take ?
If I do decide to get the Davit setup, I think it will come from Kato (probably with the solar panel mounting option)

Thanks !
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