Thanks for the
advice guys. I think I'm actually going to hold off on this
project for this season. I've re-examined the davit construction, and I think it may not be as in need of reinforcement as I've been thinking. I am planning on attempting a welding
project to weld on some mount pads for a couple winches to make lifting the
dinghy easier. If I can do that project satisfactorily, I think it will be no problem to custom fabricate a base plate if I ever decide to go forward with this project.