Searching for Davits - help please

stiknstring

stiknstring

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Still looking for a pair of quality but well priced davits. Thanks to all who replied previously on my Plastimo versus Simpson post.

I just struggle with the idea that the two UK suppliers I could find were so dramatically expensive for what should be a relatively simple product - so, have been looking on the web for a US or French/Italian manufacturer but the US built kit looked really cheap (and it was!). There must be a quality manufacturer out there who charges a reasonable amount for a fair product but I have yet to find one?

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks in anticipation, Skinstring
 
My local stainless man reckoned he could not make a pair of davits for the same price as the plastimo ones, so we used the 60mm versions as the starting point for mine.
 
Thanks for that - an interesting idea to get them made up by a SS specialist - hadn' t considered that. I am not surprised that the Plastimo's are very competitively priced but similarily, I am amazed that Cooney's and another UK manufacturer quoted me £2600 and £4000 respectively for a better looking and probably better grade bit of kit, but still a huge difference in pricing.

I was surprised not to see a Cooney/Simpson equivalent manufactured in the US (the ones I found looked very like the Plastimo, only flimsier) and that I cannot find anything equivalent made in France or Italy.

UK is such a rip-off country that I hesitate to buy from Cooney when they have what looks like a monopoly situation here in Blighty.
 
Why not get a pair made up in ordinary steel, and then have them galvanised or powder coated in a suitable colour ? Different from the usual stainless lot !
 
I bought Kato davits for our boat in the US - they are very nicely made but are more expensive than other US suppliers. Kato are in Annapolis, Maryland, and you can find their website here or call +1 410-269-1218 and ask for Colleen. Don't work for them etc etc, just a happy customer.

I bought a pair of their Island range davits, the heaviest duty ones they do, along with a pair of 6:1 tackles for lifting the dinghy (which is a 10 1/2 ft rib). I installed them myself which was straightforward, took a day and saved some money. They cost around $2k - a separate outboard "crane" was about $500 - can't remember exactly but it was around that. Had some extra options as well. Nicely built and very sturdy, I'm very pleased with them and with Kato's service. If you want some photo's of the installation on our boat please PM me.

Cheers

Neil
 
Might be a bit PBOish, but Dave_S has a hand-knitted pair of davits. Much cheaper than manufactured ones. Pretty impressive - try a PM to him.
 
my tip would be to make sure they are detachable, especially if the boat is likely to stay in marinas where they measure every inch to determine the charges.

i have looked at a couple of boats recently where the davits (which i don't want) have been so permenantly attached, removing them would leave a hell of a mess on the deck and transom to clear up.
 
Sorry to disappoint, but my davits are actually the cheaper of the two Plastimo models. The "boxes" that the bases are set into are home made, however - adventurous bi-coloured gelcoat affairs which would have been really impressive if (a) there hadn't been a load of voids between the gelcoat and the glass which needed filling with 'poxy putty, and (b) the division between the colours hadn't ended up an inch above the equivalent division of the hull colours. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif (What was that bit about measure twice and cut once?)

Other bits, like the battery hoist (old mainsheet), were also tacked on later. (Sorry, "individually customised" - must learn the jargon...)

The Plastimos can be turned round and tied together to avoid overhang and marina charges (did this at Kirkwall this summer) or can be removed completely (my normal method during most of the year.) What I haven't done yet is to stuff closed cell foam up them so that they'll float, but it's on the "to do" list (having first weighed them to see if it's possible...)
 
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