Davits and dinghies

Olivepage · Post by **Olivepage** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:14 pm

I have davits on the blunt end of Olive.

I have a boarding ladder that fits on the Starboard side.

Does anyone have a really clever idea of how, having dropped the dinghy in the water, I move it to the starboard side so as to get in it.

For that matter - how do I do the reverse, preferably without getting wet.

chakalo · Post by **chakalo** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:33 am

I'll stick my neck out with first go...

You will need 2 lengths of strong light line, that yellow 8mm stuff they use on those fancy heaving lines that come in a bag will do. You also need 2 big carbine clips.

Make a carbine clip fast to one end of a line,clip it on the bow ring of the dinghy while it's hoisted in the davits. Run the line forward,outside of everything (stantions, standing rigging etc: to a point well forward of where your ladder is. Run the free end through a small block on the toerail/bulwark/a stantion base..bring the free end of the line aft to the cockpit and turn it up on a cleat.

With a carbine clip on the end of the second line,clip it to the dinghy transom and coil it down on deck with the end made fast close to the davits base.

Lower the dinghy, unclip the davit falls, haul away on the forward line, pay out the slack on the after line. When the dinghy is alongside the ladder, make both lines fast, climb into the dinghy and make it's painter fast. Unclip the 'forward and after lines and clip the carbine hooks close to the ladder, perhaps on the guardrail or top of the ladder.

Back on board haul in any slack of both lines so they are not trailing in the water and are free to run when you return.

On return, come alongside the ladder, make fast with painter, clip on carbine hooks, climb on board, unload booze, kids, stores etc: let go painter, slack away head line, haul on after line until dinghy is at the vessels stern and can be made fast to davit falls. Hoist dinghy. The "head and stern" lines can be hauled taught and left rigged in situ if they don't foul any working sheets, running backstays etc:

If there is 2 or more of you it will be easier, you may not have to lead the end of the "head rope" back to the cockpit if you can have someone tend it up forward, where it leads on board.

If you're at anchor lying head to wind the dinghy will run aft easy enough when you slack the "head rope" away to get the dinghy back to the davit falls.

That's it, fingers ache, end of message...

Olivepage · Post by **Olivepage** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:15 am

Thanks for that. well thought out.

I can only see one minor flaw. The bit where you say lower dinghy and unclip the falls.

I can't reach the dinghy from the deck so I can't unclip the falls.

Sorry

chakalo · Post by **chakalo** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:27 am

Ahh! fooled me

Could you use a snap shackle on each of the l fall lower blocks? A lanyard spliced on the release pin with the free end of the lanyard made fast on board would allow you to 'tug' the pins and release the davit falls from on deck.

On return though it sounds as if you're just going to have to climb over the rail into the dinghy when it's in position under the stern, and hook the falls on.

Other alternative is to sign on a crew member with 9 foot arms.

Olivepage · Post by **Olivepage** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:16 pm

I've suggest an exercise programme for SWMBO to facilitate this.

No doubt the bruises will fade in due course.

It seems a dead stymie at the moment. Only solution I could think of was 2 dinghies, but that seems ridiculous.

sahona · Post by **sahona** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 12:53 pm

As I read this, I wondered when someone was going to undo the dinghy! If the ladder is mobile ( you say 'it fits' on the startboard side) Can it not (even temporarily for the moment, )be fitted over the transom. That's what we have and it's great to lower the drib, step in, release the falls,and drive off. Returning is even better as we have a wee platform to come alongside as well.

Olivepage · Post by **Olivepage** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:28 pm

Nice piccy

A fine view of your big toe!

Sorry

The ladder fits on sort of clip things fixed to the hull, so not easily moved. Added to that its not really long enough to give a safe entry into the dinghy.

I do envy your arrangement looks exactly what I want. Its rather difficult on the CW as it has a rounded stern so anything like that would have to be custom made at a custom price.

chakalo · Post by **chakalo** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:04 pm

OP are you any good at fishing??
Suppose you were to fit stainless steel rings or wire strops in the bow and stern of the dinghy and have a plain open hook on the davit fall end.

Lower the dinghy, give the fall a shake and unhook from the ring/strop. On return, hook the ring/strop with the fall (like ducks at the fairground) as soon as there was weight on the fall it would remain hooked on and safe to lift the dinghy.

In a crowded anchorage with a swell running this could provide hours of amusement for all concerned.

(It does work though because I used to haul my aluminium dinghy aboard by hooking the lifting tackle onto a strop which was midships in the dinghy. Using an old spinny pole as a boom I could land the dinghy on the cabin top)

sahona · Post by **sahona** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:10 pm

The clips for your existing ladder - can't you get/make more and lengthen it.
Point 1: if it's not really long enough, can you rescue yourself if you fall in?
Point 2: is it only useable on one side?
I think you should consider flexibility, maybe by adding to the exisiting ladder or getting a longer/folding/telescopic one, and fitting "landing points" (clips) in strategically useful areas of the boat - ie stern and both sides. Since the pic above was taken, we have added another ladder that goes 2 rungs under water so we can clamber onto the existing ladder ( we have experience of perlooshes!) We also have a facility for boarding at either side, with a gate in the lifelines, which is great when it's a bit lumpy - the captain gets aboard, and then I have park the rib....
I realise I've moved away from the original thread, but I believe a lot of problems occur between the tender and the mothership...

Olivepage · Post by **Olivepage** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:28 pm

"In a crowded anchorage with a swell running this could provide hours of amusement for all concerned."

Yes

I must admit that thought did cross my mind, but full marks for ingenuity.

Actually thinking about it again I think it could well work. Perhaps some sort of clip on the end of a boathook Hmmmm.

I knew someone would come up with a solution.

claymore · Post by **claymore** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:46 pm

This is a very simple problem to solve.
Dinghy painter is long enough to attach somewhere along the side of the boat.
Davit lines are similarly long.
Undo the lines and lower the dinghy into the water
pull the dinghy around the stern and up the side of the boat
hop onto boarding ladder and lower self into dinghy
undo davit lines
QED

sahona · Post by **sahona** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:18 pm

Huge falls, of course, excellent! You realise that "three steps to heaven" my bespoke ladder manufacturing facility, will be instucting our lawyers to pass your rope company a missive outlining the action we intend to take over your unfair disclosure of sensible and simple solutions to this problem. It's not fair, it's just not fair. **curly-lip emoticon**

claymore · Post by **claymore** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:47 pm

It is not beyond the realms of possibility for your esteemed company to do well here. I have in fact had a couple of huge falls from the back of claymore in arriving at this solution. The most eye-watering of them involved me getting one leg either side of the aforementioned huge falls which inevitably helped me develop huge balls for a while. Despite my protestations, the medics were unable to ease the pain but leave the swelling and so wiser and speaking an octave higher, I no longer utilise that method of getting my leg over...
A quick release ladder that unfolds and reaches the water is an excellent device for the Claymore - when I do fall off, Dear Heart is entirely incapable of assisting me back aboard - in fact so assured of this am I that frequently when falling off, I hear myself thinking - "Well, you're on your own here matey"
Getting back aboard is greatly assisted if one can release the dinghy and get it to lower into the surrounding oggin - again - huge falls help, as does a three steps to heaven ladder.
Hope that extricates me from impending litigation

claymore · Post by **claymore** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:52 pm

Going back to an earlier point - I often lower the dinghy down from the davits then grab a handful of 'fall' lift the dinghy back up, unclip the snapshackle and let the dinghy flop back into the water (the painter is best attached otherwise one does feel a pillock)

This is a grand method as the dinghy lands with a loud smack and all the meerkats on surrounding boats are soon bobbing their heads above the dodgers to see what calamity has befallen you.

sahona · Post by **sahona** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:52 pm

My imagination has been stimulated. We need a method of releasing the falls while semi-submerged at the stern, and assuming the tender was lifted and secured from the poopdeck. So have you got explosive cleats fitted with a long dangling trigger lanyard? If so, does the noise of the dinghy landing on your body rather than water not give the game away to the meekats?