Seawise vs. Weaver

[JohnO]

Hey y'all - looking at an 43 footer which need a davit and dinghy. Curious to hear about install costs for Seawise and Weaver systems. Also, recommendations on ~10' dinghy with appropriate power (and cost) would be much appreciated!

thx.

 

[Comodave]

The SeaWise will be much more expensive because it is much better, made, working and in every way except more money.

 

[NComfort]

We installed a SeaWise davit 2 years ago. The system is custom built for your boat. You can have a look in the SeaWise website for the order form and see what information is needed. Stuart (owner of SeaWise) is personally involved in the design and build of your davit. He is accessible by phone and email to answer any questions. Excellent customer service.



We installed the davit ourselves. Challenging at times but with Stuart's guidance we were successful. The box of stainless parts and pieces weighs about 80 lbs. Everything is supplied except the glue for the pads that go on the inflatable. Cost at the time was $5800 Cdn. Can't comment on installation cost if you have to hire someone. We are extremely happy with the system and it was worth every penny and curse word during installation.



Our dinghy is a Highfield CL290, 9'6" aluminum bottom with a 9.9 4 stroke Tohatsu outboard. On a 43 foot boat you could certainly go larger and still utilize a SeaWise system.



If you ever see a used Seawise for sale(very rare) be cautious as they are custom made for the mothership, dinghy and outboard so parts may not work for your boat.



Great system and we would highly recommend it if it fits your budget. Your back will thank you.

 

[Ken E.]

A vote for Weaver. I have their snap davits on a hard dinghy and use a sailboat sheet winch to haul it up. Works great

 

[Comodave]

I have had both systems. If you can afford the Sea Wise it is well worth it. Try using both systems and you will see what I mean. Especially if you have an outboard. The Weaver system is a real kludge in that respect.

 

[Brican]

We bought a 1989 MT Tradewinds that had the Sea Wise davit system for the 10.5' AquaPro SMR PVC that was trash. I sold the AquaPro ($200) and bought a West Marine RIB 350 (11.5') Hypalon. I called Stuart at Sea Wise and asked if the system I had could be used for the new dinghy and he said maybe. Then he said they will only engineer a custom system for the dinghy and transom. They won’t sell just pads or other parts without a complete system quote. They might use some of the existing parts but no guarantees. They quoted me $5k-$7k using some of the Sea Wise parts and custom building others. I'm considering a hybrid system using Weaver davits and the Sea Wise hoist. Stuart hinted that the plate that goes on the dinghy transom and holds the motor would need to be custom made because the distance between the top of the transom to the top of the tube on each dinghy is different. If you have the money I think the Sea Wise is a great system. For the amount of time we use the dinghy, I would rather spend that money on other things we need for the boat.

 

[fryedaze]

Check out Dinghy Caddy.

https://dinghycaddy.com/Products

Install uses the same brackets as the Weaver Davit system. Fast and easy dink deployment.