Dinghy Cradle - Who Uses Them

Montenido · Nov 2, 2015

Hi folks,

I am under contract on a Californian 42. It has a deck crane for lifting the dinghy out of the water, but no cradle or rack on the deck. I will be bringing my 10' Caribe RIB to use on the boat, and would like to hear or see what others are using to store/secure their dinghy on deck.

Thanks, Bill

kchace · Nov 2, 2015

We keep our dinghy on a cradle on the aft deck. Can't imagine how else we could store it that would be out of the way, secure yet readily available.

Ken

Bay Pelican · Nov 2, 2015

Sailboats frequently store the dinghy on the foredeck without a cradle. Haven't seen a trawler do that. Cradles can be expensive/ complicated or just simple. Mine is 2 x 4s covered with outdoor carpet. Brackets just hold the 2x 4s off the deck.

Conrad · Nov 2, 2015

This is what came with Blue Sky. The Edson cradles held the 12' RIB in place while the keel rested on rubber pads on the deck.

Larmex99 · Nov 2, 2015

I have had both a cradle and the adjustable pads that are secured to the deck. The cradle is by far better suited to open ocean travel where severe weather can cause the pads to move substantially if there is even a tiny amount of slack in the tie downs. The cradle allows you to secure the dinghy to the deck and also to the cradle as a backup. I have been on two deliveries where the dinghy broke loose (neither had a cradle)and we lost one of them. Thankfully, it was insured.

smitty477 · Nov 2, 2015

We made ours out of Alaskan cedar painted with epoxy and 'glued' a soft strip of padding on the top where it meets the dinghy. The pieces were cut to fit both an inflatable and a jet ski by making cardboard templates and then transferring and cutting the wood. Here it is without anything on top one day we had the boat 'dressed' up - ignore the pirates they were drunk. And a couple of pictures with the dinghy and jet ski on top...

healhustler · Nov 2, 2015

In at least one situation, a fellow Krogen Manatee buddy used semi deflated fenders and tie downs to secure his dinghy on the boat deck, and he was a regular traveler to Bahamas. The new owner finds that system working well and there's nothing to trip over when the dinghy is launched.

Ted · Nov 2, 2015

My boat came equipped with a cradle. The dinghy does not have a drain hole
so was (still is) lashed in it upside down.
Have acquired a larger Riviera so will need to alter the systems somewhat.

Ted

BlindHog · Nov 3, 2015

You could always have two pieces of aluminum bent and installed that run lengthwise like bunks on a boat trailer and it would hold various size dinghies.

Rebel112r · Nov 4, 2015

These work for me.

ImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1446616021.512647.jpg

gaston · Nov 4, 2015

Rebel112r said:
These work for me.View attachment 46218

They look too simple so they cant work

SeaMaster101 · Nov 4, 2015

Montenido said:
Hi folks,

I am under contract on a Californian 42. It has a deck crane for lifting the dinghy out of the water, but no cradle or rack on the deck. I will be bringing my 10' Caribe RIB to use on the boat, and would like to hear or see what others are using to store/secure their dinghy on deck.

Thanks, Bill

Hi Bill
So you went ahead and bought the Californian ehhh?
on the Seawitch I use these:Weaver Industries, Inc.: Chocks The beauty of these is that they slide out and leave only low profile catches on your deck. So there is nothing on the way half drunk sailors to trip on...
Good luck and welcome to the dark side!

Larry M · Nov 4, 2015

If we had to do it again, I would look at the removal chock basis weaver Industries Offers or equivalent. I can't tell you have many toes have been skinned with the existing set up plus the loss of usable deck space on the Fb once the dinghy has been deployed. I also like that they offer several options so changing dinghies wouldn't be such a headache.

Insequent · Nov 4, 2015

The Weaver chocks work well. Although I needed some pads underneath so the RIB would drain. Had we set it up to have the dingy motor aft, perhaps the normal way to do it, then the pads would not have been necessary.

BlindHog · Nov 4, 2015

Rebel112r said:
These work for me.View attachment 46218

That us *exactly* what I was talking about! The beauty is that you can put different size hulls on it without any issue.

Rebel112r · Nov 4, 2015

The rails fit into sockets and are easily removed. Dinghy can be set on in either direction. When rails removed, have deck with no obstructions. Have a set of stub brackets to store rails when they are out of the sockets, but have not mounted those as yet. I have a set of Weaver 12 inch high pad stantions, that I decided not to use, that I would sell if anybody has an interest.

ImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1446647601.059619.jpg

Phil Fill · Nov 4, 2015

Being cheap I made them out of 2×8" . Paint white like the rest of the roof. The marine paint cost more than the material.

Montenido · Nov 5, 2015

Thanks everyone for the great pictures and suggestions. I have to admit, I kind of like the idea of using four large fenders, as was mentioned early on. Easy to set up, easy to remove, and no toe breakers. I have some great ideas now to consider from you all.

Cheers, Bill

Aquabelle · Nov 6, 2015

We're sick of falling over the fixed chocks on our flybridge and we want to claim the space back for lounging when the tender is over the side at a favourite anchorage....so we're going with a locally-made version of these removables: SoftChocks removable, lightweight and soft dinghy chocks for inflatable boats and RIB's - Free Shipping Maybe a little better than the fenders option.

Dinghy Cradle - Who Uses Them

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