Ok, I thought I'd throw this out to the community for opinions. I'm planning out
davits and
dinghy for future cruising. The
boat is 39' (11.9 m)long, the beam is 13' 2"(4 m), and the beam at the stern on
deck is 8-1/2' (2.6 m). The
deck is 3-1/2' (1.1 m) off of the
water, and the rail is 2' (.6 m) above the deck.
While I would love to have a hard
dinghy, I've yet to find one that I think is light enough, small enough, and still able to plane. So I'm likely stuck with a
RIB, and I'm thinking I can probably safely carry a 10' (3 m). But I've never owned a
boat with
davits, and I'm not sure how 9" of overhang on each side of the stern would behave.
I also have an issue with putting a dinghy on the foredeck, since I've got a stay up there that is in the way. I don't know what you call it, it's not a stay for a
cutter sail, it hits the deck about 5 or 6 feet in front of the
mast and goes half way up. But it makes the space between it and the
windlass too small to lay a 10'
Rib. So whatever I get will probably live on davits full time or have to lay across the aft
cabin top. Not planning on
circumnavigation, just coastal cruising with short hops into the blue like crossing to the
Bahamas and between the islands.
So what do you think, can I carry a 12', or only an 8', or would 10'
work?
Also, with the beam 8-1/2 feet at the stern, how far apart should I be putting the davits, 6 feet?