Leopard 40: Dinghy Swinging and Chafing on Davits

[Tom and Maje]

I saw a post like this, but it was in the Lagoon forum. Naturally, the davits were different.

We have a 2004 L40, and have not been able to figure out how to keep the dinghy from swinging and chafing. We've pulled it up snug and added ratchet straps all to no avail.

Does anyone have an idea that works?

Maje

[SV DestinyAscen]

Does the dingy have a bow eye?

If so, that's where I have the dockline that I loop around a cleat after lifting - no swinging as far as I can tell.

[Tom and Maje]

Yes, it does.

Maje

[jdazey]

We tie the bow painter to one hull, bow or stern, of our cat and another line from the stern of the dinghy to the other hull. When it's time to get in, we loosen the bow line, pull the stern to our transom, and get in. In the meantime the dinghy just sits there quietly between the hulls.

If we're under way we raise the dinghy up to the davits as high as it will go and then cinch the forward side of the dinghy up to the under side of the davits where it rides without moving around.

[briblack]

cross-tying it somehow. and fore-and-aft, if necessary

[Dave22q]

Secure w/ shock cord fore and aft. Cannot swing/chafe if tight. Many ways to skin that cat.

[tstano]

Originally Posted by Tom and Maje

I saw a post like this, but it was in the Lagoon forum. Naturally, the davits were different.

We have a 2004 L40, and have not been able to figure out how to keep the dinghy from swinging and chafing. We've pulled it up snug and added ratchet straps all to no avail.

Does anyone have an idea that works?

Maje

We have wooden mounts on the davit bottom that match the round tubes. These have carpeting glued to them so we don't chaff the dinghy. Ratchet straps hold the dinghy snug. Maybe though your cat walks over the water with a wiggle that makes it swing. Hmmmmm.

All U Get

[Teej]

Originally Posted by Tom and Maje

I saw a post like this, but it was in the Lagoon forum. Naturally, the davits were different.

We have a 2004 L40, and have not been able to figure out how to keep the dinghy from swinging and chafing. We've pulled it up snug and added ratchet straps all to no avail.

Does anyone have an idea that works?

Maje

Not sure if the davit system on your Leopard is similar to that on my Admiral catamaran so this may not be particularly helpful. On countless long sails up and down the Windward and Leeward islands, also the San Blas islands and back and forth to FL on a couple of occasions, the dinghy was always stored and secured tight to the davit rails. Once elevated out of the water and secured agains the davit frame, I'd tie a line from the bow of the dingy to one of the Admiral's stern cleats and a line from the dingy stern to an aft cleat on the other hull. I had installed pads around the davit so there would be no rubbing of the dinghy hypalon on the metal davit frame. In heavy winds or confused wave action, which could result in some moderate lateral dinghy movement side to side pressed agains the davit frame, I would reinforce the dinghy tube pressure against the davit railing by wrapping and ratcheting a line around the middle of the dinghy and back to the vertical length of the davit frame. Worked well for me in over 7 years of cruising the Caribbean.

[Sarayu]

We have the same problem on our L40. Cross tie it from the lifting points inside the dingy to the cleat on the Davits, opposite side. I use the tail end of the line from the lifting pulleys, with a harness from the rear lifting points of the dingy.

If concerned about rough seas I also tie off from the towing point on the dingy to the U bolt on the Isidro of the hull, directly below the bow and stern of the dingy.
This helps prevent the dingy bouncing up.
Cheers

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by briblack

cross-tying it somehow. and fore-and-aft, if necessary

I've always had success with cris-cross tricing lines, up tight to the davit arms above. This generally requires modifying the lift points and spreader so that you can lift it up tight. It's the hanging down that starts the motion. I blame dinghy makers, since they KNOW most will go on davits.

[captnknopf]

the way to stop the swinging is to tie a line from the bow (as I remember on the stbd side) around the ss bar at the bottom of the port davit. Another line from one of the stern eyes to the other davit. it worked for us when the boat was Spot On. may need to adjust the solar cells

[R2boat]

Crisscrossing 3 separate lines works well and we used dinghy vang hardware 3:1 with a jam cleat, works well on our monohull see no reason it would not work on a cat, when we make the move we will do so again. Adding chafe patches to the dink also helps.

[Captain Bill]

I use crossed lines from the inside bow lifting eye to a cleat on the starboard davit and another from the port inside lifting eye on the transom to a cleat on the port davit. I then run a line from the bow eye to a stern cleat and a line from the starboard transom lifting eye to my stern rail an cinch it up tight. This takes out almost all motion, but not all, so I took some hypalon patch material and glued it in the outside of the tubes anywhere there was contact with anything. Dinghy is now three years old and so far no wear on the tubes though a bunch on the patch material. So far none of the patch material has even come close to wearing down to the tubes.