whwmsj
Member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2020
- Messages
- 18
- Vessel Name
- Trust
- Vessel Make
- Meridian 490 Pilothouse
Dinghy on swim platform
- Thread starter Maravilla1
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
firehoser75
Guru
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2018
- Messages
- 1,719
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- former owner of "Pilitak"
- Vessel Make
- Nordic Tug 37
Seawise is a good choice for swim grid use
I used a manual Seawise davit on my Nordic Tug 37, with a 10+ foot RIB and a Yamaha 8HP 2 stroke, so we were quite a bit under the weight limit.
Cons:
There is a size and weight limit (powered unit is available and it handles larger dinghy.....but still a limit).
Restricts view aft somewhat while underway or docking.
Cannot easily use one side of the swim grid due to hardware mounting.
2 "hooks" mounted on swim grid "permanently" could be a trip hazard??
Fairly expensive system, but quality built.
Pros:
Makes for easy and quick launching and retrieval in almost all conditions.
Can still use one side of the swim grid for entering and exiting the boat when docked and dinghy is "up".
When at anchor or anytime "view" is desired or swim grid use is desired, dinghy can be quickly launched and secured alongside. Takes less than 5 minutes!
Reduces potential weight aloft (which could possibly negatively affect boat stability).
No need to drill holes in the "top deck" for mounting, tie downs etc. and therefore no worries about future leaks.
We never found that visibility aft was impaired when docking or backing, especially since the pilot's boat partner (deckhand - me
) was located aft with communication headsets to provide guidance.
We never once feared for the dinghy. Many times we were out in 4 foot (or more) close chop, sometimes with winds in excess of 30 knots, and the dinghy was stable. I guess that if you took a large "green water" breaking wave at the worst possible angle, it could affect your dinghy, but in many "big" (not large) wave situations we never experienced that as an issue at all (even in following seas).
One summer we "buddy boated" with good friends who own a much bigger boat (60 footer and at anchor we rafted to them) and we always used our dinghy due to how easy it was to launch and retrieve and it was "big enough". They had a larger dinghy located up top, but found having to use the crane to be a bit of a pain, especially in windy or choppy conditions.
We really liked our Seawise and found it worked very well for us. No affiliation, just owned one and liked it. There are other options, but some swim grid systems block the entire swim grid, which we did not want.
I used a manual Seawise davit on my Nordic Tug 37, with a 10+ foot RIB and a Yamaha 8HP 2 stroke, so we were quite a bit under the weight limit.
Cons:
There is a size and weight limit (powered unit is available and it handles larger dinghy.....but still a limit).
Restricts view aft somewhat while underway or docking.
Cannot easily use one side of the swim grid due to hardware mounting.
2 "hooks" mounted on swim grid "permanently" could be a trip hazard??
Fairly expensive system, but quality built.
Pros:
Makes for easy and quick launching and retrieval in almost all conditions.
Can still use one side of the swim grid for entering and exiting the boat when docked and dinghy is "up".
When at anchor or anytime "view" is desired or swim grid use is desired, dinghy can be quickly launched and secured alongside. Takes less than 5 minutes!
Reduces potential weight aloft (which could possibly negatively affect boat stability).
No need to drill holes in the "top deck" for mounting, tie downs etc. and therefore no worries about future leaks.
We never found that visibility aft was impaired when docking or backing, especially since the pilot's boat partner (deckhand - me
) was located aft with communication headsets to provide guidance. We never once feared for the dinghy. Many times we were out in 4 foot (or more) close chop, sometimes with winds in excess of 30 knots, and the dinghy was stable. I guess that if you took a large "green water" breaking wave at the worst possible angle, it could affect your dinghy, but in many "big" (not large) wave situations we never experienced that as an issue at all (even in following seas).
One summer we "buddy boated" with good friends who own a much bigger boat (60 footer and at anchor we rafted to them) and we always used our dinghy due to how easy it was to launch and retrieve and it was "big enough". They had a larger dinghy located up top, but found having to use the crane to be a bit of a pain, especially in windy or choppy conditions.
We really liked our Seawise and found it worked very well for us. No affiliation, just owned one and liked it. There are other options, but some swim grid systems block the entire swim grid, which we did not want.
Comodave
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2015
- Messages
- 22,254
- Location
- Au Gres, MI
- Vessel Name
- Black Dog
- Vessel Make
- Formula 41PC
We also had a SeaWise davit on a previous boat and absolutely loved it, no affiliation. It was so quick to deploy and retrieve. And you don’t have to remove the motor, it just hinges up and stores vertically in between the dinghy and transom. It wasn’t cheap but what quality piece of equipment is for a boat.
