Speaking of Inflatables and Davits...

[hetek]

Hello All -

I am approaching my first real full season with my A27 AC and cruising plans are being made.

For cruising, our inflatable will be stored on "C" type davits mounted to the aft edge of the swim platform. They look like giant "C" shaped hooks that clamp around the air chamber on an inflatable. When you haul the inflatable you just pull the side air chamber into the "C" and with a lanyard, pull the dinghy into the vertical position. Then just lash it against the transom. The motor will be removed beforehand and stored on a rail mount.

My questions regards what to do upon reaching our destination. Many of our favorite cruising marinas have us dock our boat stern-in. The swim platform in this case is up against the dock.

In this situation, how would I remove the dinghy for use?

I haven't lost sleep over this but am surprised I don't have a clear answer.

Some thoughts:

1. Dock bow-in first. Unload inflatable and move it out of the way. Pull Albin back out of slip and redock stern-in. Too many movements to do a simple task, it seems. Plus, the dockhands may be annoyed of all the manipulations as they await their tip.

2. Stop near slip, but not in yet. Unload inflatable with oldest daughter aboard and have her row to dinghy dock. Then dock Albin aft-in. So here I have my daughter drifting and rowing around in a marina... or river... while, again, the dockhands are waiting for me in frustration. Too many things to go wrong here.

3. Dock aft-in as told. Tip dockhands accordingly and in a timely manner. Then, manhandle the inflatable off the swim platform and around the Albin, or along the wobbly finger dock, with my wife's "willing" assistance, while simultaneously corralling the kids.

4. Leave the inflatable at home and just go straight to the cooler for a frosty beverage or two... or seventeen.

Let me add that my last boat had a few nice black paint lines running down the hull sides from a Mercury 5 hp engine cowl as the owner tried to manipulate his inflatable around me at the slip.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how I might accomplish this daunting task with finesse and the awe of all who watch said smooth procedure take place? I'll even entertain horror stories and file them in the "what NOT to do" category.

Ideas? Thoughts? Horror stories?

[jleonard]

When in front of the marina, deploy the dink and walk it to your bow and secure with a failry short line.
Then dock your boat and reteive the dink later or let it float during your stay.

[Pitou]

When in front of the marina, deploy the dink and walk it to your bow and secure with a failry short line.
Then dock your boat and reteive the dink later or let it float during your stay.

ditto ... that's my procedure. Then when tied and tipped got to the later part of no. 4 for that beverage of choice!

[hetek]

Looks to me like a modified version of #2 - sans daughter.

Makes sense, but I can't help to wonder if the dink tied to the bow hurts maneuvering/docking performance. I assumes it will just trail off the bow when going in reverse. Perhaps a deckhand (my daughter who now has no task) should be armed with a boat hook to fend off the dink should it get in the way?

I see that the key, regardless, is to prepare for your arrival, before you arrive, and before enlisting the assistance of the dockhands.

"Fenders? Check. Dock lines? Check. Deploy dink? Working on it..."

[jleonard]

I assumes it will just trail off the bow when going in reverse

Yes it will. I have never seen one get in the way.

[jcollins]

This is the same way we handle it. Learned it by watching sail boaters.