who uses mast/boom to get dink on cabin top?

The boat I'm negotiating to purchase has a short mast no boom, but it has a removable wire opening in the railing.


So it looks like the original owner never used a boom, which I want to add not only for the dink but a steady sail.


Apparently they manhandled it to get there for now????


So for those that use this method is it convenient to use the boom to hoist it up on deck?


I hate the davits as an option or tilting it up on the transom.

Highly recommend you do research to verify the mast and rigging can support such a modification. Depending on dink weight, you can put a significant load on your mast/rigging.

Crusty Chief said:

Highly recommend you do research to verify the mast and rigging can support such a modification. Depending on dink weight, you can put a significant load on your mast/rigging.

Click to expand...

I concur with the above, but assume your rig is robust enough for this discussion:

My boat came with a 10 foot plastic speeder and 20 hp on on the swimstep with one of the tricky Seawise launchers. I like the convenience, but you are right, the esthetics suck. The little boat is ugly and it makes my lovely trawler ugly. If you don't have teenage boys, stick with the lightweight low power shore boat and carry it aboard.

As to the mast and boom: I also carry a hard sailing dinghy and an 8-foot inflatable on the boat deck (you can see in my avatar, the Bullfrog is intentionally out of frame) and I use the traditional launch method. Once you fabricate proper lifting harnesses, and work out the geometry (as in, where do I position the boom to avoid whacking my lovely green Imron?), it is pretty quick and easy.

I use a simple pulley block on top of the mast to lift my inflatable dink off the cabin roof, then just push it out to one side and lower it into the water. Easily done singlehanded.
With a hard dinghy, using the boom may be necessary to keep the dinghy clear of the hull.

Because I have a gaff rig, I don't bother with using the boom due to the added weight of 2 booms plus the sail would double the overall weight of the lift.

Works well in flat water but can be a challenge getting the dinghy back on board when there are wakes about.

We use a Lewmar 16 self tailing winch on the mast to raise and lower the boom - on a 2:1 purchase from mast top to boom end - and a snubbing winch on the boom for the final lower or first hoist. It sounds more complicated than it is but does take a fair bit of physical exertion.
This has worked OK for the last 15 years, but I am considering an electric or hydraulic davit if i can find one at the right price.