Fitting a tender, outboard and davits to MV Destiny

As with many things boat related, there is a need for compromise when choosing a tender. What type, size and material, what size of motor and how to secure it to your boat. I wanted something durable and of a suitable size to be able to ferry us ashore and able to carry all our victualing when we start our cruising in the Med. It also needed to be of a quality that would withstand the harsh UV environment. We also wanted it to be as light and able to withstand being pulled up onto a beach without damage. Having spoken with Neptune Marine regarding the largest practical size and after much consideration I decided on an AB Lamina 8AL - aluminium rib, 2.56m long and capable of carrying a 6HP motor and 4 people. We  would have liked something bigger but a compromise on size meant we could still have access to both sides of the bathing platform while not having the tender or outboard overhanging the sides of the boat. The choice of motor was simple in terms of size. The max the tender is rated for is 6HP. Having spoken to a number of suppliers we opted for the Suzuki DF6AS. In terms of davits, the space and shape of the bathing platform and transom limit the options. It was important for us to be able to remove the davits when not in use and after trolling the internet we opted for the Hurley H2O system. These are not cheap but Hurley seems to have the market covered and, as far as we could see, no-one else came close to their simple, practical, durable and sturdy design. All we had to do now was fit them!

This was not a straight forward job. The main reason being that a backing plate had to be fitted to support the davit brackets. However, the swim platform is hollow and the davits needed to be fitted 1 metre from the opening of the cavity. My arms are only 0.7 metres long and besides, access to the cavity is from under the master bed, where access is restricted by pipes, cables steering gear, ducting and a wood pillar that supports part of the bed. This looked close to impossible so I contacted Elling. They said this could be done and when I asked how, their helpful response was "we employ small people"! At least I knew it was possible. So with this in mind me and Bruce - my very helpful and practically minded friend whose favourite saying is "everything is doable" - set about finding a solution.



First we got some backing plates made up with the nuts welded on - bottom item in picture left. I then got a long piece of wood and drilled holes to fit the spacing on the nuts - top item in picture left.

This allowed us to secure the backing plate onto the wood and thread it into the cavity while lying on top the batteries and crammed into a very tight space. After a bit of giggling around the plates were fitted. No small people were used during the completion of this procedure.









The video should help you to visualise our predicament.

Davit fitting bolted in place with a healthy dose of sealant/adhesive applied.

Both plates fitted

The final result with dingy sitting on davits.

I had been warned that lifting the tender onto our swim platform which sits 450mm above the water was at the limit of what the davits are designed for.  If these young ladies can do it.......... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSoEBj9Px0A&feature=youtu.be). It proved to be very doable for me and Jane. If all else fails we could always revert to using the passerelle.

I'm now in the process of breaking/running-in the motor. Can't wait to see how it all performs once I'm allowed to wind her up past idle!