Snap Davits - Part 2

Following on from last month’s explanation of snap davits, here are a few photos of the finished article. We are still not 100% sure that the solution will work effectively for us and Naughty-Cal, but the donkey work has now been completed.

First up here is a picture of the stern of Naughty-Cal before we set about the task of fitting the davits.

Before

Next up here is a picture of the davits fitted to the boat. As you can see we have removed the stainless steel grab handle to utilise the recessed areas for the new davits. The GRP in this location was found to be in excess of 1 inch thick so plenty strong enough to take the weight of the dinghy. The davits are bonded with marine Sikaflex adhesive and sealant and then screwed using four hefty self tapping screws per davit. The strength has been tested by standing on them and they don’t move at all, so should easily hold the weight of the dinghy.

After

The next task was preparing the dinghy to be mounted on the boat. This involves gluing large pads to the dinghy which have to be in exactly the right place. Before we could mount these we had the small task of locating and fixing a puncture in the front chamber of the dinghy. Here is a picture of the repair job. Not too bad a job and when the patches have weathered slightly it will blend in with the rest of the boat.

Puncture Repair

Finally we glued on the davit patches. They needed shaping slightly to avoid existing fittings on the dinghy. We measured, measured and measured again to ensure the patches were in the correct locations before setting about the lengthy task of fixing them. The glue is a special PVC adhesive which takes some prep work but patience is the key. Finally they are fitted and now we need to wait at least 48 hours before testing them out, 7 days for the glue to fully go off. So even now we still don’t know if they are in the correct place.

Dinghy Pads in place

It will be with some nervousness that we have our first attempt at mounting the dinghy to the rear of the mother ship, most likely tomorrow evening. Only time will tell if they are going to work effectively and if the boat will still be useable with the dinghy aloft.