Boot key beware!

hmason said:

Lifting our 700# Boston Whaler is a snap. Settling it into its custom made chocks is another matter. It must be done precisely and I wind up having to lie down on the boat deck to muscle it into place while the Admiral runs the crane. (Trust me, I never lie under the dinghy, just off to the side.)

I am trying to "invent" a means of guiding the tender onto the chocks without the effort I currently need to expend. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Howard

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Have you got a picture of the current chocks? It's really tough to envision something when we don't know what your dealing with.

mbevins said:

Have you got a picture of the current chocks? It's really tough to envision something when we don't know what your dealing with.

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Yes, that would help. It might be a minor thing that can be added.

I will post a picture of the chocks tomorrow. They are made to exactly match the contour of the Whaler's bottom including the running strakes.

hmason said:

I will post a picture of the chocks tomorrow. They are made to exactly match the contour of the Whaler's bottom including the running strakes.

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I suspect that's the problem. It does make them better support and makes the whaler sit perfectly when underway, but due to the design they also have surfaces on which the boat can catch. Anxious to see.

Now, I don't know if it worked or helped or not, but I did see one case where an owner had made marks on the crane as to exactly how it should be positioned to drop the boat.

If your dinghy is of significant value, why not put a Spot Hug under the console, wired to the battery. That way, you know where it is, and if aboard, others can know where you are as well. It has low power draw so would not run the battery down.
findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=113

As far as dinghy chocks, why not put two vertical posts on the inboard side of the chocks and use them to align the dinghy when you're lowering it on the chocks. A mark on the hull of the dink and against both posts and you're ok to lower away.

stubones99 said:

If your dinghy is of significant value, why not put a Spot Hug under the console, wired to the battery. That way, you know where it is, and if aboard, others can know where you are as well. It has low power draw so would not run the battery down.
findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=113

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Good suggestion. But according to the web page: "*This product is no longer manufactured,
but is still supported by SPOT."

OK, didn't see that.

I guess you could mount a regular spot tracker device somewhere and hook it to the battery?

There are other sat trackers but none were as inexpensive as the spot hug. Most other systems use GSM radios rather than GlobalStar satellite, so don't work internationally.

stubones99 said:

OK, didn't see that.

I guess you could mount a regular spot tracker device somewhere and hook it to the battery?

There are other sat trackers but none were as inexpensive as the spot hug. Most other systems use GSM radios rather than GlobalStar satellite, so don't work internationally.

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The problem with a regular SPOT is it automatically shuts off and you have to reset it. It needs a clear view of the sky. And it can only be externally powered by a USB jack.

The GOST system or something like it might be s better alternative. Or on larger tenders AIS.