PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Our 2005 didn’t have davits when we purchased it. We are in the process of exploring our options - we are leaning towards either the Kato Island model or the St Croix rotating davits. We are planning for a West Marine 10’ dinghy and a Mercury 9.9 hp. Any thoughts, suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks
Bob and Pam Harrington
Out Of The Blue
MV 34 #57

hi,

we replaced our original davits with st croix. we have a west marine 10 ' with a yamaha 2 stroke 15. it's a good setup. we have 8:1 on the motor end and 4:1 on the bow. we have 4:1 on each end to stern pdq cleats securing it from swinging back and forth. we also have a strap running from the stern under the tube to the davit to make it secure to the davit.

one other point. pdq laminated aluminium plates into the rear walls. these were tapped to receive the original davits. whatever davits you choose you will have to decide how you will secure the davit to the wall (i.e. find the aluminium, drill, tap or simply drill and use backing plates in the bunk). i'm sure james power can add to this.

John,

Thank you for the info. We are planing on having the davits extended (about 10") so we would be able to secure them to the bottom back rail of the aft bench. We are a little concerned that St. Croix does not use a stabilizer bar but they assure me that it is not an issue if the dinghy is secured properly.

we have had 3 boats with davits. 2 with st croix, 1 with kato. the kato's had a "stabilizer" bar joining each side but it was not rigid. our original pdq davits failed mostly because we did not have it adequately secured. when we bought our first set from st croix they worked with me to design how the dinghy will be secured. it's all about making sure the dinghy can't move in any direction. i believe you can do that with any of the systems you're considering.

Very helpful info. Thank you for sharing....