Cover for Dinghy on Davits

[Holismoke]

Hey folks, looking for solutions.
I have a RIB350 (11.5 ft) dinghy on Seawise tip up davits on the swim step of my 42'CHB Trawler.

I would like to be able to use a cover on the dinghy while it is on the davits to protect from UV and nastiness. The Sea Wise davits have a winch cable connected to the transom of the dinghy and a strap near the bow connected to the floor of the dinghy. Have any of you done this? Anyone know of a provider who makes one? May need to have a custom made, but that gets spendy.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. We had a SeaWise on a previous boat. I made a cover for the dinghy that was like a vertical envelope that slid down over the dinghy with the bottom and stern open. Then some straps that snapped to hold it together and secure it to the dinghy. If you can’t do the canvas work yourself any good canvas shop could make one for you. I doubt you will find one off the shelf. With a couple of canvas projects you could save enough to pay for a decent commercial sewing machine.

 

[Holismoke]

Thanks for the reply. Good to hear you have tried that, it was my similar idea. I do have a commercial sewing machine and have made cushion and seat covers, so I guess it is time to make a dinghy slip cover!

 

[Comodave]

It was pretty easy, in fact one of my first projects. Make sure to use Tenara thread so it will last.

 

[koliver]

I have seen such a cover work well on a 42' trawler. the simple design, snapping the cover to the big boat stern and tying it to the big boat again after passing over the dinghy seemed to work well.
Custom built, of course.

 

[Comodave]

I didn’t snap the cover to the stern, just a sleeve that slid down over the dinghy while it was in the vertical position. That way I could still use the swim platform when the dinghy was covered.