I liked the roll on set up mentioned earlier. I called and it is no longer available.
I guess the Hurley system is the only set up similar out there.
Do you mean the St. Croix system, linked in post #2?
Last fall I recovered this tender that had come adrift from it's mother ship several hours prior in Admiralty Inlet (the entrance to Puget Sound).
The mother ship was perhaps 60 feet long and was powering into waves not larger than 6 feet (the wind had died substantially by the time I took the above photo). The Vessel was equipped with a swim-step lift/davit not unlike the one pictured below. The problem with this system was that as the mother ship pitched up, the stern submerged and the dingy simply floated off it's cradle, breaking the marginal hold-down straps. If stronger hold-downs where used, then I believe there would be great danger of damaging the davit and/or the hull where it attaches.
This system seems unsuitable for off-shore use.
Steve
Ours is a roll-on system, but the dinghy mounts from the side, not from aft as in the St. Croix system pictured in the post #2 link. See here
JATCO Marine Products - Online Catalog and our installation comes closest to the MD-450 model.
The Jatco roll-on feature also makes it different from the Hurley design, which kinda looks to me like the St. Croix system but without the wheels.
In any case, I tend to agree that there can be serious issues with sea states, off shore or not. We address that in a few different ways. First, I replaced the original wheels with a larger diameter, partly to raise the dinghy, but in our case it was more about matching the mount profile to the new (current) dinghy when we upgraded.
Second, we use two different tie-down systems. One is sacrificial, and one is a back-up, again for two reasons. If the primary sacrificial line snaps, the damage to the line is likely less destructive than damage to the swim platform or mount... and the back-up painter is intended to catch the dinghy at least for long enough for us to work out Plan C or D. The other reason for the sacrificial line is that I can slice it with one stroke and the dinghy will float off, which also means I have a kinda-sorta "life raft" of sorts should the need arise. (This is for inland and coastal travel, not at all meaning to be a real life raft as for offshore passages.)
Third is usually about direction and speed of travel. Sometimes I can improve the ride -- and take some strain off the dinghy and swim platform -- by tacking, slowing, whatever.
And then there's the Stay Home option. I'm often able to wait out the weather... although of course that's not foolproof and doesn't help if we're caught out in it.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Not a recommendation.
-Chris