DIY Davits

[TeddyDiver]

For a DIY project I would defineatly go with composites instead of any metal. Some epoxy, wood strips, uni- and biax glass are the needed material plus epoxy fillers for fairing and some marine paint. The result will be lighter and stronger than any commercial davits thou you need to do the engineering. Laminated fast to the transom and the deck
How about an arch with integrated davits? On top place for solar panels and on the colums some lockers..

[Hudson Force]

OK, It's time for me to "come clean" with the story of my beefy 2.5" pipe stainless steel davits....

#1- The expert pipefitter was the brother of a friend who crewed with us to the Bahamas. The payment was the cost of the pipe and buying the beer while we gathered in his garage shop.

#2- This item will not be acceptable to some, but I'm very pleased and confident with the plan. From the distal end of each davit I have an added stay that connect to the top of my mizzen and with a tension adjusting turnbuckle. The resulting frame of my davit structure carries this "unibody" across my triatic and down my forestay. Offshore I carry the 9L Carribe RIB and no other weight except a tied in 100 watt solar panel and a boarding ladder above the davits. I've been enjoying this frame for about ten years.



You may see these added stays rising between the solar panel and the boarding ladder.