Pilot 34 St Croix Davits on Swim Platform

Anyone install the series 400 St Croix davits on their Pilot 34 using the platform mounts? Seems like a great way to mount davits and still be able to use the swim platform for boarding while the dinghy is on the davits. There are a couple of installation issues I am coming across. I don’t think the transom door will fully open with the platform mounts installed and secondly I think I will have to install hatches in the inside transom liner in order to install backing plates as well as be able to use nuts and bolts to fasten the upper davit bracket. My dinghy is a Highfield CL290 which has a length of 9’6” and I run a 15hp Honda outboard on it. Weight is about 250 pounds so I think it’s well within the davits capacity. Any help appreciated.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

The PO installed St Croix davits on my 34T. They were offset to port and with a small dinghy - I had a Highfield CL 260 -- there was room to fully-open the transom door. (I assume the Pilot is similarly configured but I don't know that...)

When installed they did put a couple of watertight plates inside the transom storage lockers to get access to the transom for mounting the upper brackets.

This installation worked well for us.

I don't think you could offset the davits like danderer did with his 34T. The beam of the Pilot 34 is almost 2' less than the 34T. I think his installation makes the transom door usable because he probably mounts the dinghy with the bow to starboard which allows more room for the transom door to open. The dinghy may block the transom door when installed on your Pilot 34. It did with Weaver flip up davits on mine.

But in five years of owning our Pilot 34, I never boarded from a dock to the swim platform, always over the gunnel.

Yes the transom has two layers so you will have to install small round access ports to install nuts on the bracket bolts. The PO did this on ours to install a raw water hose bib to the starboard of the transom door.

David

Just to clarify I want to install platform davits as in hopefully attached photo. The davits would then be at stern edge of the swim platform. The bracing bars on the platform bar blocks the door from opening. Using this option avoids attaching anything to the transom which solves one of my issues. Additional bracing is supplied by St Croix to go under the swim platform. I like symmetry so offsetting one of the davits is a last resort. I could offset the weight of the dinghy by adding some anchor chain in the bow

Ok, I see what you are proposing. Look at where you would mount the platform. I suspect it will be directly in back of the transom door and will block the door from opening fully.

Also that is a lot of weight to cantilever out 6' aft of the transom. Is the swim platform up to handling those loads? The Pilot 34 has two SS braces underneath the platform. I would consider installing a pad where the braces fit up against the transom as well as the swim platform to distribute the loads.

But again I have to say you are spending a lot of effort to solve a problem that I never faced when I owned my Pilot 34.

If you have to have lifting davits, then mount them near the transom with a short bracket to the top of the transom to carry the tilting loads. But I much prefer the Weaver davits.

Here is a couple of pics of my boat with those davits. Note the tackle for pulling the dinghy up visible in the first pic from the top of the dinghy to the back of the roof. The dinghy is 9' and the outboard is on a bracket outboard of the dinghy's transom just visible in the first pic.

djmarchand said:

Ok, I see what you are proposing. Look at where you would mount the platform. I suspect it will be directly in back of the transom door and will block the door from opening fully.

Also that is a lot of weight to cantilever out 6' aft of the transom. Is the swim platform up to handling those loads? The Pilot 34 has two SS braces underneath the platform. I would consider installing a pad where the braces fit up against the transom as well as the swim platform to distribute the loads.

But again I have to say you are spending a lot of effort to solve a problem that I never faced when I owned my Pilot 34.

If you have to have lifting davits, then mount them near the transom with a short bracket to the top of the transom to carry the tilting loads. But I much prefer the Weaver davits.

Here is a couple of pics of my boat with those davits. Note the tackle for pulling the dinghy up visible in the first pic from the top of the dinghy to the back of the roof. The dinghy is 9' and the outboard is on a bracket outboard of the dinghy's transom just visible in the first pic.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply. You have a gorgeous boat. I have to agree that the davits may be too far aft. Unfortunately I would very much prefer using the swim platform to board the boat than going over the gunnels.

My swim platform has 4 stainless struts under the platform. The davits add additional supports under the platform and along the bottom of the platform. They look well engineered.

I guess my second option is to install the davits up against the transom and launch the dinghy when in a marina to clear the swim platform. The davits rotate back out of the way. Again the problem here is the door on the port side. I could mount both davits to starboard of the door and bring the dinghy up bow to port then rotate it on the davits so it is centered on the transom. Not sure if this would work. I should also note that I intend to leave the motor on the dinghy. It’s just too heavy to lift on and off.

I regularly travel in quite heavy Atlantic Ocean swells so lifting the dinghy has high as possible is important. Standing it on its side on the platform would just be looking for trouble.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

JamieM said:

I regularly travel in quite heavy Atlantic Ocean swells so lifting the dinghy has high as possible is important. Standing it on its side on the platform would just be looking for trouble.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

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The Weaver davits lock the bottom of the dinghy solidly to the swim platform. No boarding wave is going to bother the dinghy.

Another thing you can do is get some stand off bars- I think Weaver sells them. That way you can flip the dinghy vertical or a little aft to clear the transom door. Then when you go offshore, pull it up snug to the transom and tie it down well.


My boat originally came with those bars, but I removed them because I wanted the security of the dinghy raised snugly against the transom. The second picture which isn't very clear shows the dinghy supported a few inches aft of the transom with the bars. These could be made even longer to raise the dinghy near vertical and give you more clearance.


David

hi,

we've have st croixs installed on the the stern platform/stern rail. we have a 10'6 west marine rib w/15 hp yamaha. when you dock portside to the dock the stern door is fully useable. we've had this setup for 10 years. don't let anyone tell you it's not possible.

Not exactly what you want to do, but here is our setup. Ours is a 9' RIB with a 4hp outboard and the door is accessible, but not convenient. With the dinghy off, the door opens fully and latches with the davitrotated inward or outward. The davits mount on the swim platform and on the transom top.

An additional issue to consider is with our dinghy on the davits, the boat is slower to plane and requires a bit more rpm to make speed. A heavier dinghy, located farther aft would exacerbate the problem.

Brett

Tonic1:


Will the transom door open with the dinghy fully up as in your second pic? That seems to be the OP's main criterion.


David

David,

The door opens to about 90 degrees, then you have to get limber to go under the dinghy and in the door.

Gotcha, thanks.

It is a bit beyond me why the OP wants to do that rather than step over the gunnel. That boat has a little step inside at the corner of the cockpit and the aft cabin for just that purpose. You just need one of those fiberglass steps on the dock to step up and over the gunnel.

David

Agreed. Other than at floating docks, the swim step always seems too low for boarding.

hi,

here is a pic of our st croix davits with 10'6" rib and 15 hp. stern door is fully usable for boarding from swim platform on the portside.

djmarchand said:

Gotcha, thanks.

It is a bit beyond me why the OP wants to do that rather than step over the gunnel. That boat has a little step inside at the corner of the cockpit and the aft cabin for just that purpose. You just need one of those fiberglass steps on the dock to step up and over the gunnel.

David

Click to expand...

My boat is kept at a floating dock at our yacht club that is the same height above the water as the swim platform. My wife has a medical condition that makes her a bit unsteady on her feet and she finds walking across the platform the easiest way to access the boat. She also stands on the corner of the platform when we back into our marina and this allows her to easily step onto the float with the dock lines. We also have a set of steps for boarding over the gunnel, and yes, the mounded steps in the boat are perfectly placed.

Duetto said:

hi,



here is a pic of our st croix davits with 10'6" rib and 15 hp. stern door is fully usable for boarding from swim platform on the portside.View attachment 96246

Click to expand...

This looks like a great solution. The curve of the transom brings the bow away from the door. Didn’t think of that one and it saves purchasing the St Croix Platform Mounts if I was to mount the davits at the end of the platform. Looks like ratchet straps securely hold the dinghy in place. It is a bit of a compromise having the boat at an angle rather than flat across the stern but that’s just aesthetics and an opening door is more important to me at this point.

Thanks for sending a pic of your solution. I’m impressed with the replies I’m getting from Trawler Forum.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

jamiem,

your wife would find our setup very reassuring, since she can use the dinghy for support on one side.

in general, the dinghy needs to be stabilized in all directions. we have a strap from the stern davit to the dinghy transom. this jacks the dinghy against the davit. we have cross straps to bow & stern from the davit and finally a line/tackle to the bow to the boat's stern cleat.

Duetto said:

jamiem,



your wife would find our setup very reassuring, since she can use the dinghy for support on one side.



in general, the dinghy needs to be stabilized in all directions. we have a strap from the stern davit to the dinghy transom. this jacks the dinghy against the davit. we have cross straps to bow & stern from the davit and finally a line/tackle to the bow to the boat's stern cleat.

Click to expand...

Hi Duetto,

Just curious if your St Croix davits are the 1” tube or the 1.25” tube? Quite a price difference between the two. My dinghy weighs in at 250 lbs and the 1” davits support 350lbs so that is what I am looking at.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Jamie,

When sizing the davits remember that the weight is not evenly distributed if the motor is left on the dinghy. You can figure half the weight of the dinghy plus the weight of the motor is roughly supported by one davit and only half the dinghy weight by the other. I believe the St. Croix rating is for the pair, so 175 lbs each. My davits are the 1" but my dinghy weight is only about 100 lbs and 55 for the 4hp motor.

My davits originally had 6:1 lifting tackle which was more than needed. The lines get very stiff over time and it was a pain to raise and lower. I replaced the lines and reduced the purchase to 3:1 on the bow davit and 4:1 on the stern. It is now much easier, and quicker to raise and lower. St. Croix can probably advise you on the proper amount of purchase for your dinghy weight.

Good luck with your project.,
Brett

hi jamie,

yes, our st croixs are 1". we actually have the same davit on 2 different boats and like you our dinghy weighs about 250# incl motor, and full fuel.

when we got our first set 13 yrs ago i worked directly with bill who owned st croix at the time. i described our dinghy requirements (i.e. travel with motor on, gulfstream, etc) and he said the 1" were more than up to the task. he made it perfectly clear that the dinghy had to be completely immobilized to remove any chance of large schock loads.

when we bought our pilot 10 years ago i called bill again. this time the issue was where to mount the upper support. st croix standard was to have the mount on the outside vertical of the stern. i told bill no way. i wanted the top support on the flat top surface. so they welded up the bracket for the transom top. so my experience is 13 years on one set and 10 on the other.

good luck.

Thought I should let everyone in the thread know that I finally completed my davit project. There’s a few photos attached. The davits got caught up in the COVID problems in the US and did not arrive in Nova Scotia until late May. I then had problems with the brackets supplied with the davits so I had a custom pair of brackets made locally that attach to the deck. It’s a much stronger attachment point then mounting on the transom and avoids having to add inspection hatches in the transom liner to mount backing plates. I just finished the install today (October 18, 2020) so I really can’t comment on how they perform but my first impressions are very good.

Thanks to everyone on the forum for their replies. Very helpful info.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Mainship Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Nice looking. I had an old pair of St Croix Davits on a Mainship, too. My pulleys looked different than yours so I hope the problem will not happen to you, but my line (rope) would always get stiff and not pay out nicely when I would lower the boat. I would have to dangerously help it move along. I replaced the line 3 times including the line from St Croix itself and it always had trouble paying out and lowering. The problem never went away no matter what I did. Hope you dont have that problem.

Jamie - looks great!


BTW - who did the hard top on FOTO ?

JamieM said:

View attachment 109046View attachment 109047View attachment 109048Thought I should let everyone in the thread know that I finally completed my davit project. There’s a few photos attached. The davits got caught up in the COVID problems in the US and did not arrive in Nova Scotia until late May. I then had problems with the brackets supplied with the davits so I had a custom pair of brackets made locally that attach to the deck. It’s a much stronger attachment point then mounting on the transom and avoids having to add inspection hatches in the transom liner to mount backing plates. I just finished the install today (October 18, 2020) so I really can’t comment on how they perform but my first impressions are very good.

Thanks to everyone on the forum for their replies. Very helpful info.

Jamie Morrison
2002 Mainship Pilot 34 “Foto”
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Click to expand...

I do not understand the middle photo. What is the stainless u shaped part on the stern used for. Is it used for the davits.
Not sure how this all works together? Could you please explain.

Olebird said:

Jamie - looks great!


BTW - who did the hard top on FOTO ?

Click to expand...

The hardtop on Foto was made by Atlantic Towers in New Jersey and shipped to me in Halifax where I installed it. It was a big job to install it and required a fair amount of planning. It required a bit of backyard engineering to get it on the boat but my wife and I are more than pleased with the result.

oak said:

I do not understand the middle photo. What is the stainless u shaped part on the stern used for. Is it used for the davits.
Not sure how this all works together? Could you please explain.

Click to expand...

The davits stand on the swim platform and are then attached to the u-shaped bracket on the stern deck. I found this was a stronger point of attachment then attaching a bracket to the transom. I’ll be going out in the boat in the next few days and will get a few pics that will help with explanation.

Looks like the same setup we have on our Pilot 34, here is a picture showing the overall view. I have also seen boats with the port side davit set inboard of the door to allow it to open freely.

Brett

pull on davits?

Hi all,

Great thread - we are considering our options for our 07_34HT ... I would love to use the type that you pull the dinghy onto an extension of the swim platform like in the pic (not a mainship) - I have seen one 34 with a similar setup but was wondering if anybody has any practical experience - many thanks.

hi,

boat next to us has that exact setup. only downside i can see is that it would probably make stern door unusable unless you could mount at an angle.

Thanks Duetto - I have found a source that can make a 18inch extended version with a longer mounting place (6 bolts and 6 inches long) ... dink is only 70Lbs and I believe that would give me about 6-7 inches to walk behind the dink and the door should be accessible ... its only for short weekend trips and within the bay .... main concern is washing the dinghy off ... I do like the simplicity of storage when not in use (which will be 90% of the time).