Snap davits on SO 37

[simond]

Hi everyone

My first post here, as I'm not (yet) a Jeanneau owner! My prospective SO37 is being surveyed on Monday; fingers crossed!

I'm thinking of fitting snap davits in the hope that this will make it easier to get our lively Labrador on and off the boat. Has anyone fitted these to a SO37? If so, what type and in which orientation, i.e. on the horizontal or vertical part of the transom.

Thanks in advance

Simon

[MalcolmP]

I did fit them to our previous 34.2. They worked OK regret I don't seem to be able to find a photo. I fitted them horizontally on the top of the platform - but the levels were not perfect - so I actually had to fit the snap davit parts upside down on the dinghy which worked OK. I did look at mounting them vertically but I wanted to ensure the dingy was well out of the water when heeling - and they would be more unsightly on the vertical face.

I used to lift the dinghy on and off the davits when there was no weight in the dinghy - which may be an issue with a dog

On the 39i I now have a smaller Lodestar dinghy which I find I can lift and hold up vertically on the stern OK with webbing straps - and overall this probably works for me as well as the Snap Davits and avoids the cost plus hassle of fitting etc

[simond]

That's really helpful: thank you. I had my doubts (hence the post) and you've reinforced those. I think it might be best to try a webbing strap solution this season and see how it goes.

When you say yours is held vertically, do you mean transom down? If you had a picture of your current arrangement, that would be really helpful.

On my last boat, I made a contraption which was essentially a wooden framework that sat on the sugarscoop and projected two arms aft. The dinghy was lifted up to sit on these and then swivelled up into position, held with lashings. I can see something like that on the 37.

[MalcolmP]

My boats out of the water at the moment, but when I launch and have the dinghy inflated will take a picture - but that might be until March


so what I meant by vertical was the upright part of the transom where the name graphic is - IE if you mounted the snap davits here you would see them and they would be too low to keep the dinghy out of the water when sailing I suspect

On the 39i I had a couple of extra SS bars welded on the pulpit - these strengthen it for the outboard and liferaft 

but I had the bars go down onto the lowest step which are great handrails when boarding from the dingy, and if you have a reasonably light dinghy all you need to do is to tie up to both bars with the dinghy across the stern then step out and haul the boat up with an extended painter from the opposite side - I then can lift and tie the dinghy up reasonably high

[simond]

Thanks again: very helpful. Adding extra bars looks like a good idea. I've always thought that the gap between the pushpit is a bit wide: I can't see why it needs to be wider than the drop down section. An addition to close this up and take handrails down to the sugarscoop would seem to make sense. As you say, it would then be easy to rig something to hold the dinghy.

[dublin]

After four seasons using webbing straps I felt that there was too much movement in the pushpit (39ds) when sailing. The pushpit also carries the weight of the literary and outboard. Last year I fitted stainless steel strengthening posts for the pushpit. They have solved the problem of the unacceptable flex in the pushpit

[Mistroma]

I fitted a folding padeye (same as ones in cockpit & deck) on port side, just inside floor of sugar scoop.

I have a Lodestar 220 and tie up with a line from a transom fitted eyebolt (also used as an Outboard saftety line). I loop through the padeye and back to the dinghy transom. I leave the painter through a D ring on top of port sponson. This is run through the hoop at base of boarding ladder and back to the dinghy.

This holds the dinghy very well and makes it easy to unload food, outboard etc.

Lifting up is also very easy, but difficult to explain.

1) I clip a length of tape to the centre of the dinghy furthers from the yacht.
1) Stern line is untied from dinghy and tied to pushpit. i.e. It now runs from dinghy transom through padey on scoop and up to pushpit.
2) Slacken this line and flip it out the back of the dinghy and under the sponson sticking out from the transom.
3) Pull this line taught enough to lift the dinghy 2-3" clear of the water
4) Untie the bow line and lead it directly from bow to pushpit and pull it enough to lift the bow about 12"
5) Pull the tape to flip the dinghy up onto the scoop andagainst the stern.
6) Use excess tape to tie off (I take it to pushpit upright, tie & lead behind aft sponson and back to pushpit.
7) Tie up bow as needed.

I'm afraid that it sounds messy and complicated. However, it is really easy and quick. After the first time you know how far to lift the dinghy and can mark the lines for next time.

Lowering takes a couple of minutes and is just as easy.

I was going to buy the "proper" clips but have decided not to bother. The dinghy didn't move in over 2000nm last year and I was launching it most days for last 2 months of the season.

Pushpit takes the load with ease as the dinghy is close to the hull and is rarely exerting more than 10lb pull. I did put in one strengthening bar but that was because I had to hang an ISO spec Liferaft on it.