Dockhead
Active member
I have Simpson-Cooney S175 davits on my boat. They are among the most troublesome items of equipment on board.
The belts give out with alarming frequency. I have gotten used to one or the other davit being out of commission at virtually all times and requiring to be cranked up by hand with a ratchet and hex key. And this weekend something much worse happened -- the starboard davit blew its belt, and then failed to hold, so that the stern of the dinghy dropped uncontrollably -- fortunately not whilst at sea.
I see these davits everywhere -- they seeme to be the most popular type of davit around here. Do they really have to be so unreliable? Does anyone have any tips on how to make them work better?
I don't even really need the electric operation. I would never have bought such davits -- they came with the boat installed by the PO. A decently efficient hand crank would be perfectly acceptable. What's the use of electric operation if you spend more time changing belts, than you save from not hand-cranking?
Argh, sorry about the rant. There are just always so many things to repair on the boat, that I resent having to spend so much time on such a relatively trivial system.
The belts give out with alarming frequency. I have gotten used to one or the other davit being out of commission at virtually all times and requiring to be cranked up by hand with a ratchet and hex key. And this weekend something much worse happened -- the starboard davit blew its belt, and then failed to hold, so that the stern of the dinghy dropped uncontrollably -- fortunately not whilst at sea.
I see these davits everywhere -- they seeme to be the most popular type of davit around here. Do they really have to be so unreliable? Does anyone have any tips on how to make them work better?
I don't even really need the electric operation. I would never have bought such davits -- they came with the boat installed by the PO. A decently efficient hand crank would be perfectly acceptable. What's the use of electric operation if you spend more time changing belts, than you save from not hand-cranking?
Argh, sorry about the rant. There are just always so many things to repair on the boat, that I resent having to spend so much time on such a relatively trivial system.
