After a few years of 2 foot-itisch you realize you need a Junior boat for your big ride. Your big boat is no longer one you just throw up on the beach and you don’t really fancy swimming ashore any longer.
So what do you do? You buy a dinghy – but pretty soon find out that it needs an engine. Once it has an outboard engine – it gets heavy. So hauling it up on the front deck is a chore.
So then you go looking for a dinghy mount for your boat. They come in many shapes and sizes – but common for all is most are made by small entrepreneurial companies around the world who does not have Garmin’s marketing budget. So they can be hard to track down – and hard to choose between.
Here is our list of the Dinghy Mounts and Dinghy Davits we have found so far.
Hurley Marine Inc of Escanaba, Michigan
Hurley Marine are the makers of a classic style Davit plus the more modern Hurley H20 davit systems. Hurley has just [2014] launched the Hurley H30 model which is a winch based “turnable” mount. Prices range from $800-$2000
Click here for more info on Hurley Davits
Nautley Inc of St. Clair Shores, Michigan
DinghyRamp is the product range of dinghy davits from Nautley Inc. Their 3 ranges of dinghy davits are the DinghyRamp HD in classic style, the DinghyRamp HD+ with rollers, and the DinghyRamp XL with more rollers and longer arms. Prices range from $875-$1700.
Click here for more info on Nautley DinghyRamp
DinghyRings of Sweden
Well a real different take on Dinghy Davits for mostly light weight dinghies. The system is based on putting the “pointy” stern-ends of the dinghy into some nice stainless rings on a big roller – and then hoist the bow of the dinghy out of the water. It can be stern mounted on most boats – but according to DinghyRings it can be used abeam as well or on any other flat surface.
There are two “Under swim platform” mount versions as well for boats with big or small permanent swim-platforms.
Click here for more info on DinghyRings Flex, Bold or Slim
Trick Davit Systems of Marquette, Michigan
The easiest to load says Trick Davit Systems – but still of the classic type. The Dinghy Davit locks in @ 45 degrees – so the dinghy is easier to load and un-load. Other systems can “flip” all the way down (90 degrees) – making it harder to haul in the dinghy. Prices start at $895. Click here for more info on Trick Davit Systems
ProDav Swivel Davit Systems of Gladstone, Michigan
A nice simple Swivel Davit system is what you get with the ProDav. It utilizes a winch and a swivel system to make it easy to haul in your Dinghy. Prices range from $1800-$2100. Keep an eye on their twitter feed for discounts.
Click here for more information on ProDav Swivel Davit Systems
Harbormen Marine of Hingham, MA
The Dinghy Sling Davit System is a specialized net to keep your Dinghy safe hanging off your swimplatform or the side of the boat. It is cheap compared to the other hardware solutions. The Dinghy Sling Davit System is a “fishing net” specially designed to keep you dinghy safe – even at 40 knots. Price is $245.
Click here for more information on The Dinghy Sling Davit System
Dinghy Caddy of Ontario
The Dinghy Caddy is different – it is a mix of a hoist and caddy system in one stainless steel frame. It uses very little space on your swim platform (18″) but needs tie-backs to the back of your swim-platform. When the dinghy is launched the Dinghy Caddy can be tilted into the water – and double as a swim ladder. They have versions for 7-9′ dinghies and 9-11′ dinghies. Prices start at around $2000.
Click here for more information on the Dinghy Caddy
Dinghy Davit round up
So that is what we have found so far. There are many more out there – and if you feel anyone has been left out – let us know and we will update the guide. We hope you find this useful in your hunt for getting ashore with dry feet. The Davits are listed in no particular order apart from which ones we remembered first.
[…] back later for updates… Still considering which Dinghy Davit system to […]
It would be great if we could include Davits that do not require a swim platform.
Just send me the links and I’ll update the list 🙂
I can only speak for pullondavits.com but they require a swim platform.