Crane for foredeck dinghy storage

[BobH]

Looking for info or experience for mounting a crane to store the dinghy on the foredeck. Are there cranes available that don't require a hole through the deck to a below deck mounting? I was thinking of a deck mounted crane with some struts to the flybridge structure for support.

Bob

 

[Larry M]

Call Nick Jackson Co. They've been around a long time and Nick still answers the phone. They have foredeck davits but I don't know about the installation. Our NJ Davit has worked flawlessly. Their web site looks like it's under construction.


Nick Jackson CO Davits

 

[Shoalwaters]

Your foredeck is probably strong enough to carry the weight of a generic dinghy when supported in chocs or a cradle. I would be surprised if any GRP deck could carry the turning moments involved in hanging say 500lb over the side and swinging it inboard. I'm not saying that is the weight of your dinghy, but it is the sort of minimum load that such an installation might experience/should be able to survive.

Don't let this scare you away from a dinghy crane, but be prepared for some structural modifications.

 

[BobH]

I was hoping to find something that would be deck mounted and have a couple of supporting struts back to the flybridge structure. the Nick Jackson pipe davits looks like they would do the job but have to go through the deck with a support below in the forward cabin. Not a whole lot of room down there on a 38' boat.
Hoping to find a u-tube video of a DIY installation.

Bob

 

[DHeckrotte]

Saw one with a big RIB on the forecabintop. IG 44 in CT. Can't quite imagine the shenanigans it took to reinforce that deck! I thought it a dandy idea, except you could not have driven the boat from the lower helm position with the RIB in its chocks.

 

[BobH]

Our RIB only weights about 100lbs and the two stroke OB is less than 100lbs. I just hate the idea of putting a hole through the deck to get a support down in the forward cabin. Thought about putting it on the hardtop, would make the crane install much simpler but much more difficult to crawl up there to tie down the dinghy.

Currently have davits on the back but the boat seems to squat quite a bit and creates a heck of a wake. I thought that maybe that additional weight hanging on the back might be the cause.

 

[Britannia]

Our RIB only weights about 100lbs and the two stroke OB is less than 100lbs. I just hate the idea of putting a hole through the deck to get a support down in the forward cabin. Thought about putting it on the hardtop, would make the crane install much simpler but much more difficult to crawl up there to tie down the dinghy.

Currently have davits on the back but the boat seems to squat quite a bit and creates a heck of a wake. I thought that maybe that additional weight hanging on the back might be the cause.

It might be worth checking to see if this is the cause - especially if it's your main reason for wanting the crane. Some thoughts that come to mind.

1) Leave the dinghy at the slip, take the boat out and see if the trim improves.
2) Have a couple of people stand at the bow and see if the trim improves underway.

Richard

 

[DHeckrotte]

With respect to trim, move stuff forward. We bought the boat with two spare anchors and associated chain/rope rode (enough chain so that when I fed it into a milk carton, I could not lift it). The lazarette was full of other stuff as well. I put all the spare ironmongery as far forward as I could on the little raised foredeck over the chain locker and the draft of the 38' boat changed by about 1 1/2" at the stern. Put the dink on the transom davits and I loose most of that change.

Even a trawler is rather pointy at the bow and it overhangs the water.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Bob,
Planing boats will all squat except at very low speeds as do all other craft but planing boats are more suseptable to squatting as aft weight bias is usually part of their design.
Many boats depending on weight distripbution and hull fullness fwd/aft will behave differently in this regard but basically they all squat at speeds close to hull speed or more.

I'm glad that this bothers you in that you will probably take the trouble to research your weight distribution/trim. A well trimmed and balanced boat is a joy and anything else pretty much not worth having.

 

[Larry M]

Valid concerns on trim but he's talking about less than 200 lbs plus the davit, ~centered on the foredeck. What happens if an adult wants to lay down in the v-berth while underway?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Larry,
200lbs here and 200lbs there. Bow/stern

I was'nt talking about 200lbs. I was talking about insuring that the boat is a balanced craft and if it is obviously 200lbs could be added anywhere w/o upsetting trim enough for amyone to be concerned. The OP is complaining about his boat squatting so I'm saying to make sure there is'nt 2000lbs (collectively or otherwise) where it should'nt be is worth doing before dinghys are even considered.

If it were my boat knowing only what I know here I'd keep the dinghy at the stern.

 

[foggysail]

I mounted mine (purchased used from Sailorman in Ft. Laudale) on the foredeck. It has a deck plate plus a 4" x about 4' aluminum stand pipe. I penetrated the deck such that the stand pipe (our whatever one wants to call it) falls inside a locker. I then used a 3/4" plywood mounting plate inside the locker which itself was properly secured.

The placement was just fine. When I elevate the crane I can drop the hook right onto the lifting lines for the dinghy. Push the 'up' button which lifts the dinghy, outboard and all things needed to run the dinghy and rotate the crane/dingy so it can be dropped into the water. The reverse is used to retrieve the dinghy.

If you don't yet have a crane, might be worth checking with Sailorman! They had 3-4 available a few weeks ago.

I highly suggest you do not rely on just a deck mounting plate.

 

[ranger58sb]

Looking for info or experience for mounting a crane to store the dinghy on the foredeck. Are there cranes available that don't require a hole through the deck to a below deck mounting? I was thinking of a deck mounted crane with some struts to the flybridge structure for support.

St. Croix makes a lightweight lifting davit that would attach to a bow rail and to the deck.

Don't know what its weight limits are (see the St. Croix website). If it'll even handle 100-lbs or so, maybe you could lift in two stages, motor first, then dinghy.

??

FWIW, another one of our owners club members added a crane toward the bow of their flybridge cruiser, and they stored their dinghy on the foredeck... but their crane went through the deck and at least as far south as the "floor" of a hangling locker underneath. At least similar to foggy's. Can't remember if she said it went further down to the bilge beneath that...

-Chris

 

[BobH]

Looked at the St.Croix one but not enough capacity and reach. I guess the through the deck is really the only solution except out forward cabin is kind of tight and finding a place for the support pipe is going to be an issue.
As far as weight distribution goes, there isn't much to be done. No big storage lockers at the back, a 150 gal water tank under the aft cabin bed. Maybe once I put our 200' of anchor chain back it will balance out some. Also need to spend some time playing with the trim tabs.
Another reason for moving the dinghy to the front is that it kind of gets in the way of the boarding ladder going up from the swim platform.
I'll check out Sailorman.
Thanks,
Bob

 

[FF]

If you will install hard points to drop in the hoist , do more than one location.

When Herrishoff anchors were the norm ,5- 10lbs of anchor was per foot of boat was common.

A pipe crane was set up to lift the weight over the bow rail.

Might prove useful today.