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I have a 11.5 foot West Marine inflatable weighing 160lbs and a mercury 9.9HP weighing 80lbs. I will be doing some cruising on my F38 this summer and I prefer to store the dinghy on board when I am sailing anything over 50 miles or so. Last year I put the dinghy on deck between the mast and the dodger and put the engine in the large lazerette locker in the cockpit. I am looking for a practical davit system that works well on this boat. Or maybe I just get a hoist for the engine and tow the empty dinghy.

Would like to hear from other F38 owners on dinghy/engine storage/towing solutions.

I really like the Atkins and Hoyle davit system. I will say that I've been through 2 sets, finally settling on a fairly heavy duty system. The problem the ones made out of stainless tubing is that they'll flex/bend if you start pounding. Even with the system that I have, I can't recommend storing the motor on the dingy while underway.

Here's a link to some photos of my setup: http://www.geoffschultz.org/BlueJacket/Davits/

-- Geoff

I keep my inflatable on KATO davits. Store the engine on an Edson mounting bracket when sailing any distance. Have the Forespar engine lift that works great and keep the top tube mounted on the door in the aft cabin when not in use. When we have sailed from the Chesapeake to Martha's Vineyard we deflate the dink and tie it down on the deck with four Witchard folding eyes.

Jim Demerest
F36/38 Lady of Remes

Thank you, Jim and Geoff for those useful suggestions.