Dinghy for a Mainship 390

Does anybody on this forum own a Mainship 390?
If so what sort of dinghy do you have?
I need to get a second hand dinghy. For now I am doing recreational around Miami but at the end of the year plan to go to the Bahamas for 6 months or so.
There is just me and my wife. I already know I need a RIB.
I was thinking of a 9 or 10 foot. I think I need at least a 15hp.
Am I on the right track?
Main question. My boat does not have a davit. I was thinking of pulling tender onto the swim platform and tying her up at an angle? I think I would have to remove the motor every time I did this. Is this a good idea?
Should I be looking at installing a davit? If so any suggestions on where to go for advice? I live in Miami / Fort Lauderdale area.
Hit me with your comments. Don't hang back. I have thick skin!

See here: http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/small-dinghy-models-39859.html

There are davits of various sources designed for use with a swim platform. Weaver, Seawise, Hurley, Jatco, etc., with varying approaches to handling an outboard.

Your swim platform may or may not be able to handle sufficient weight without additional bracing... which isn't impossible to add.

-Chris

We have a 9.5' Aquadutch RIB with a 4hp Yamaha and Weaver davits on the swim platform. The Yamaha is light enough for me to remove it each time. I would not want to wrestle with anything larger with the boat bouncing around.
The Weaver davit works well. The brackets are mounted to the platform and the dink flips up on its side and is tied off to the flybridge rails. I have a bracket that sticks in one of the rod holders and then screws on to the transom of the dink with a wingnut. It holds the dink vertical so we have room to move around between the dink and transom of the boat.
John

In my avatar to the left you will see a 9' Caribe on Weaver davits. They originally came with stand offs, but I took them off and now pull the dinghy up against the transom with a 4 part tackle. Works very well.

I agree, 4 hp is about all you want to struggle with. A separate Forespar davit will let you lift a 9.9 hp and swing it to a transom bracket.

Ten hp will plane most 9-10' RIBs. Add a Doel Fin and switch to a flatter pitch prop if you have trouble getting up on plane.

David

I have a 10 foot Avon with a 15hp 2 stroke Yamaha on my 390 swim platform. I have the Dinghy Ramp slid on davits. I have 4 to one blocks attached front and rear that are attached to the bridge railing for lifting. Also shares the weight so it’s not all on the swim platform. Just have to be sure to strap down tightly to swim platform for open water passages. Spent 2 months in Bahamas this spring and system worked well.

Paul Baker said:

Does anybody on this forum own a Mainship 390?

If so what sort of dinghy do you have?

I need to get a second hand dinghy. For now I am doing recreational around Miami but at the end of the year plan to go to the Bahamas for 6 months or so.

There is just me and my wife. I already know I need a RIB.

I was thinking of a 9 or 10 foot. I think I need at least a 15hp.

Am I on the right track?

Main question. My boat does not have a davit. I was thinking of pulling tender onto the swim platform and tying her up at an angle? I think I would have to remove the motor every time I did this. Is this a good idea?

Should I be looking at installing a davit? If so any suggestions on where to go for advice? I live in Miami / Fort Lauderdale area.

Hit me with your comments. Don't hang back. I have thick skin!

Click to expand...

I don’t know a Mainship but...

I have a SeaWise Davit system on my boat that I really like. We have a 10’, relatively heavy RIB that had a 4 stroke Honda 8hp motor. That motor is stupid heavy. Probably not a lot lighter than a 15hp motor. My substantial swim step can hand the weight. With bracing, I imagine yours could as well.

I now use a Torqeedo electric outboard. It is lightweight and simple. I can recharge the battery with a flexible solar panel and don’t have to have gasoline on the boat. The down side is that the dink will not go anywhere fast. The Torqeedo is very lightweight so easy to move around. If you want fast, I would go with a 9.9 - 15 hp outboard.

I would personally not consider any system that required me to remove the motor each time it was going to be used. I’d go with a Davit system that allowed the motor to stay in place.

Since our 390’s have a fairly deep swim platform, I would consider a slide on or roll on system. That would allow you to leave the motor attached and the dinghy riding flat. Examples would be the Nautley Dinghy ramp or the Hurley pull-on system. Of course this is all dependent on how you use your dinghy and swim platform - and your priorities.

The 350/390 swim platform is a self supporting (floating) box or, if yours has been glassed in, a part of the hull. Plenty strong enough. No way (or need ) to really add any bracing.

I am looking at the Trick, Hurley and Nautley systems for a 10' dinghy on a 36' Grand Banks. Would appreciate any feedback. I have had a couple of people express concern about the clearance from waterline and the possibility of "swamping" the dinghy in foul weather. Anyone have one of these on a Grand Banks?

Tilting an engine can cause the cooling water to drain into the exhaust.

I would get a set of davits .

A condom style dink does not row very well.And is fragile near shore.


In some spots if the engine dies , you could be headed for Spain.


An aluminum rowing dink is light ,EZ to lift aboard, hardy and needs on outboard to maintain.

We have a 390 and an older 10-1/2ft Titan aluminum RIB with a Lehr 5hp propane outboard. I made davits for the swim platform, much like the Hurley units. Very easy to slide the dinghy onto the davits, no need to remove the outboard, or even tilt it. Very happy with the outcome, especially the ease of launching/loading and the unobstructed view from the cockpit.