Deploying and lifting a dinghy on the 44ST

caseclosed · Jan 25, 2021

Looking for advice and tips on how to utilize the mast and boom system on the 44ST.I attempted to lift my dinghy on he boat today and some how snapped the black lifting line using the winch. I checked all the rollers and they are turning freely. I will replace the and try again. Any tips on how to retrieve and deploy will be greatly appreciated

boater3 · Jan 26, 2021

caseclosed said:
Looking for advice and tips on how to utilize the mast and boom system on the 44ST.I attempted to lift my dinghy on he boat today and some how snapped the black lifting line using the winch. I checked all the rollers and they are turning freely. I will replace the and try again. Any tips on how to retrieve and deploy will be greatly appreciated

It gets easier with practice. It used to take me a few swaps between the white and black line but now I can pretty much handle the dinghy in one motion of each. Of course factors that might play a role are wind, dinghy weight, etc. Never ever stand under the dinghy or boom.

How heavy is the dinghy? I would not feel comfortable going past 50% of the lifting limit using the OEM setup. Many make some simple upgrades to feel comfortable lifting >50% or more of the full capacity. I had a part fail on mine and my dinghy and engine are 110 pounds TOTAL (IIRC limit is 260 pounds).

I might have some pics of what some other ST44 owners have done to upgrade. It involved changing both lifting lines to 2:1 and 3:1 instead of the 1:1, using some additional pulleys, and some rollers to redirect the angle of the line at the winch. Also, many have reinforced the fly bridge bench seating where the winch is mounted to the fly bridge deck as a couple people had it pull out or come loose.

caseclosed · Jan 26, 2021

mystery said:
It gets easier with practice. It used to take me a few swaps between the white and black line but now I can pretty much handle the dinghy in one motion of each. Of course factors that might play a role are wind, dinghy weight, etc. Never ever stand under the dinghy or boom.

How heavy is the dinghy? I would not feel comfortable going past 50% of the lifting limit using the OEM setup. Many make some simple upgrades to feel comfortable lifting >50% or more of the full capacity. I had a part fail on mine and my dinghy and engine are 110 pounds TOTAL (IIRC limit is 260 pounds).

I might have some pics of what some other ST44 owners have done to upgrade. It involved changing both lifting lines to 2:1 and 3:1 instead of the 1:1, using some additional pulleys, and some rollers to redirect the angle of the line at the winch. Also, many have reinforced the fly bridge bench seating where the winch is mounted to the fly bridge deck as a couple people had it pull out or come loose.

Thank you for the information. my dingy and motor weigh 170 lbs I lifted the dinghy today and all went fairly well. Took a few attempts to adjust the bridle but all in all we got the boat up on the deck. If you have the information regarding upgrading the lifting gear I would appreciate seeing what others have done to improve the system.

Tigs · Feb 15, 2021

Following this thread, my dingy and engine will be 205 pounds from what I read the load limit on the boom of an SW34 2016 is 275 pounds. Heading down to the Bahamas next year. So my system really needs to work. One suggestion I have come across is to change the lines and cheek blocks. I would have to verify but I think my lines are 1:1 and 2:1. Looks like changing them to 2:1 and 3:1 is a good idea. Amy other suggestion would really be appreciated,

caseclosed · Feb 16, 2021

Tigs said:
Following this thread, my dingy and engine will be 205 pounds from what I read the load limit on the boom of an SW34 2016 is 275 pounds. Heading down to the Bahamas next year. So my system really needs to work. One suggestion I have come across is to change the lines and cheek blocks. I would have to verify but I think my lines are 1:1 and 2:1. Looks like changing them to 2:1 and 3:1 is a good idea. Amy other suggestion would really be appreciated,

I have contacted a sailboat rigger to add two double pulley blocks one on the boom lift and another on the lifting line. This will make the lifting system 2x1 and reduce the lifting lode by 50%.This will make the system safer and more efficient.

Tigs · Feb 16, 2021

caseclosed said:
I have contacted a sailboat rigger to add two double pulley blocks one on the boom lift and another on the lifting line. This will make the lifting system 2x1 and reduce the lifting lode by 50%.This will make the system safer and more efficient.

thank you for the advice

boater3 · Feb 16, 2021

for those replacing their lines, what are you using? Dyneema? Spectra? What is good in UV/sun?

boater3 · Feb 16, 2021

here are some upgrades that another ST44 owner did..

caseclosed · Feb 17, 2021

I was supplied this drawing by a 44ST owner and description of how he improved on his lifting system his rigger added two Harkin double blocks which reduced the lifting load by 50%.I have contacted a rigger to install these upgrades to my boat.

caseclosed · Apr 9, 2021

dinghy lift

Hi all I want to share an update regarding my dingy lift improvement. I contracted a local sailboat rigging company to improve the original 1-1 lifting set up. The rigger installed 4 additional blocks creating a 3-1 lifting ratio. He also increased the line diameter on the boom lift to 3/8.The new set up is smooth and reduces the lifting load from 1-1 to 3-1 thus reducing the load to a third of what it was originally.Please see attached photos.Thanks to all who responded with suggestions on this issue

boater3 · Apr 10, 2021

How is the line connected to the boom (the lifting line)? I can tell you from experience my factory setup there was not safe/sufficient. I had a sailboat rigger drill holes into the boom and insert a heavy duty stainless fitting that wouldn't pull out.

Also, what do you mean increase to 3/8? I believe the factory size is 8mm which is bigger than 3/8. 3/8 would be a downgrade. But perhaps the 3-1 allows a smaller line to be used? Not my forte so I dont know.

I decided to put my modifications on hold. I just got new lines to replace my original lines that were very worn at 5 years of age. My dinghy + motor + gear only weights 120-130 pounds so half the Beneteau "limit". If it were any heavier or I was upgrading my dinghy, I'd definitely improve to 2-1 or 3-1.

BruceK · Apr 10, 2021

8mm = 5/16
10mm =3/8
Not exact,but close. 8mm is definitely not bigger than 3/8.

boater3 · Apr 10, 2021

BruceK said:
8mm = 5/16
10mm =3/8
Not exact,but close. 8mm is definitely not bigger than 3/8.

Sorry, its been a long week...

3/8 = .375
8mm = .315

so yes 3/8 is larger !

jungpeter · Apr 10, 2021

There is a lot of chatter in this thread regarding increasing the mechanical advantage of your lifting gear to ease dinghy handling. But be careful. What has NOT been discussed is the HUGE increase in compression loading at the mast base, should an overweight dinghy be hoisted aboard. Or a surge load caused by being waked while dinghy hoisting, or simple boat roll caused by wave action.

I'm not familiar with Beneteau's safe working load for the OEM mast rigging. But it is safe to assume that exceeding this working load, no matter how much reduction in hoisting force results from increasing the mechanical advantage of the lifting gear, may well result in failure of some other part of the standing rigging, or the mast base, or the cabin top, or the fittings, or...etc.

Remember, your mast, boom, cabin top, mast base, fittings, standing rigging, etc. are all part of the dinghy handling "system". Simply beefing up one part of your "system" may cause another to fail, with possible catastrophic results. My daddy used to say, "what you make on the potatoes, you lose on the tomatoes." Wise words for machine design.

Regards,

Pete

boater3 · Apr 10, 2021

jungpeter said:
There is a lot of chatter in this thread regarding increasing the mechanical advantage of your lifting gear to ease dinghy handling. But be careful. What has NOT been discussed is the HUGE increase in compression loading at the mast base, should an overweight dinghy be hoisted aboard. Or a surge load caused by being waked while dinghy hoisting, or simple boat roll caused by wave action.

I'm not familiar with Beneteau's safe working load for the OEM mast rigging. But it is safe to assume that exceeding this working load, no matter how much reduction in hoisting force results from increasing the mechanical advantage of the lifting gear, may well result in failure of some other part of the standing rigging, or the mast base, or the cabin top, or the fittings, or...etc.

Remember, your mast, boom, cabin top, mast base, fittings, standing rigging, etc. are all part of the dinghy handling "system". Simply beefing up one part of your "system" may cause another to fail, with possible catastrophic results. My daddy used to say, "what you make on the potatoes, you lose on the tomatoes." Wise words for machine design.

Regards,

Pete

Totally agree. From my perspective though, I am only comfortable at about 50% of the OEM limit, to go to 100%, I'd want to beef things up. I would not exceed it.

lipets · Apr 10, 2021

It's not the line diameter it's it's breaking strength.

You can find 3/16" with over 5,000 lbs breaking strenth

There's no concern with compression on the mast base it can handle alot more than a dink

The 2-1 or 3-1 is simply compensating for a undersized winch making it easier to turn

caseclosed · Apr 11, 2021

mystery said:
How is the line connected to the boom (the lifting line)? I can tell you from experience my factory setup there was not safe/sufficient. I had a sailboat rigger drill holes into the boom and insert a heavy duty stainless fitting that wouldn't pull out.

Also, what do you mean increase to 3/8? I believe the factory size is 8mm which is bigger than 3/8. 3/8 would be a downgrade. But perhaps the 3-1 allows a smaller line to be used? Not my forte so I dont know.

I decided to put my modifications on hold. I just got new lines to replace my original lines that were very worn at 5 years of age. My dinghy + motor + gear only weights 120-130 pounds so half the Beneteau "limit". If it were any heavier or I was upgrading my dinghy, I'd definitely improve to 2-1 or 3-1.

The rigger drilled a hole in the mast and through bolted a stainless choler to attach block

boater3 · Apr 11, 2021

caseclosed said:
The rigger drilled a hole in the mast and through bolted a stainless choler to attach block

Cool. thats what our rigger did.

We had a very scary situation where the slug plugged out of the boom, lifting only 110-120 pounds, and the dinghy fell. Thankfully it was over the water and no one was injured.

lipets · Apr 13, 2021

try this link

https://www.facebook.com/100028177805917/videos/803243527291567/

Deploying and lifting a dinghy on the 44ST

Veteran Member

Guru

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Guru

Guru

Attachments

Veteran Member

Attachments

Veteran Member

Attachments

Guru

Moderator Emeritus

Guru

Guru

Guru

Senior Member

Veteran Member

Guru

Senior Member

Similar threads