Davits

[stevediebold]

Has anyone installed St. Croix removable davits or Hurley Davits on their 35'? If so, how did the St. Croix davits work on your gunwhales? A friend had them on a different brand of boat and it caused cracking. Or, was there enough room on the platform for the Hurley system? Thanks

[powerboater56]

I have also been considering installing St. Croix davits on my 35 CB and would like to hear anyone's experience with them. Or with any davits installed on a 35CB or 35TE.

John S.
2005 35 CB OTTER

[Veebyes2]

I know both of you are looking at davits but do you really need them?

Contrary to what my Admiral thinks I really am adverse to drilling holes in a boat.

Before, with an Albin 27 & now with our 32 we just roll the dingy sideways onto the platform & tie it off to the cleats. The only holes drilled were to install a small cleat center on the transom combing to use for towing the dinghy. We have always used a rather round sided hard dinghy. An inflatable would be much easier to tie off on the plarform but I like the durability of a fiberglass dink, 22 years old now.

Just a thought.

[jcollins]

I've had inflatables since the 80s and love it. Like Veebyes I could never bring myself to add hardware to the swim platform. Most of the time I just pull it. It takes a little manuvering to back into a slip but it's not too bad. On long trips I'll either leave it behind or strap it to the platform. I will admit the times I have left it home I miss having it.

[joe.baar]

In 2007 I took photos of St Croix mountings on a 28TE in Bellingham. I was really impressed with how simple the installation appeared to be but only recently have I considered seriously how to remove and replace interior structures in way of the lower mount. Certainly such a davit would be useful in a MOB situation, as well as providing a great way to bring your Harley aboard. As always, you need to puncture the exterior to attach the mounting, however this requires only two holes. Probably the backing plate needs to be substantial but I wasn't able to see it. The davit itself seems to be stowed easily because it disassembles into manageable chunks. I would go for the larger model.

IMG_0679.JPG

[Veebyes2]

Still staying on the 'don't drill holes' angle, if you have a small inflatable why not carry it ontop of the fwd cabin? One of our 32+2 owners does that. No real big deal to tie it down using handrails & available cleats.

[stevediebold]

Thanks all for your replys. I also do not like the idea of drilling holes. Currently, I take the engine off, store it in the cockpit, pull the dink on to the platform and tie it down cleat to cleat with a ratchet strap. When I get to an anchorage, I put it all back together and then do the same thing the next day when it is time to go. Whole thing doesn't take long but is kind of a pain. I had an old boat that had the St. Croix system and it was easy to just lift it and tie it down. I was just curious if someone had successfully installed this system. My understanding is it takes some serious backplating and they should be secured to the stringers. A friend bought a used 32+2CB that still had the St. Croix mounting hardware and you could see some crazing/cracking. So I will either install this or just keep doing what I am doing. Thanks again.

[Albinflorida]

Here a couple photos of a 32+2 and a 35TE with removable St Croix davits. Notice knee supports on inside of transom connected to cockpit sole

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LE ... directlink>

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zK ... directlink

[stevediebold]

Thanks Doug. Are these vessels you are aquainted with? Was curious if the stress has caused any gelcoat cracking on the coaming. A friend bought one with this davit setup and there is some cracking.

[Veebyes2]

Can't say that I have seen the St Croix davits & if I have I have not looked closely at them. Looking at the dinghy hanging out there like that must be on helluva stress on the transom IMO. Dinghy, motor & davits must combine to over 300#.

I guess it is 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other on which way to go. Davits or remove motor & put dinghy sideways on transom. There is not easy way. How much dinghy & how fast does it need to go? Any motor over 5 or 6 hp get heavy to handle. Over the years my dinghy has been used for puttering around. It is a hard dinghy, easy to row, & moves easy enough with a 2 hp motor. The dinghy was good for the kids growing up. They started rowing at about 7 & had the motor on their own as soon as they were able to start it.

From the dinghy we jumped to a 14' Maritime Skiff with a 50hp. No middle boat. The skiff gets towed most of the time now so we are limited to hull speed with the 32.

[Albinflorida]

Thanks Doug. Are these vessels you are aquainted with? Was curious if the stress has caused any gelcoat cracking on the coaming. A friend bought one with this davit setup and there is some cracking.

Sold both boats new and was just on the 35. I did not notice any cracking. If a good yard, which has done install before, does the work you should be fine. Doing a 2000 model 32+2, with St Croix, right now. Will post pictures when done.

[stevediebold]

Please do. Would love to install them with a sense of confidence.

[jruesr]

I purchased a 1990 Albin 32 this past June and have been fixing It up. No limit to the projects that just keep surfacing. My boat has enough gelcoat cracks and drilled holes that adding a few more has not been an issue. I have lots of pictures and could provide them if needed. I looked at an Albin 32 with the St. Croix removable davits during my search for a boat to purchase. The boat had the removable davits with the Sportsfish mount. The installation required some surgery to the transom and lots of new holes. The installation is not very attractive but works great. I put the same setup on my boat and I like it just fine. Its easy to launch and retrieve and I can remove the arms when not in use. My boat is heavy on Starboard side (no generator) and the motor hangs on my heavy side. I wish it were reversed but due to the transom door I had no choice. Sometimes I travel with the dinghy (10.5 ft AB) reversed and the dinghy's bow extends beyond the Starboard side and the outboard hangs by the transom door. It travels better in this orientation. I will try to attach some photos of the boat that I considered buying because I have the pictures here now.

If you are concerned about drilling a few holes then this may not be for you.

John Rue
Passages III
Albin 32 Sportsfish

[Albinflorida]

Here are some photos, of a recent St Croix rotating davit install, on an Albin 32+2 of a client of mines boat. He chose this style, instead of transom mount, because he wanted the boat hanging more out over the water.

DSCF6550.JPG

[Farmer38]

This looks interesting. How many pounds is your boat with engine and such?