Installing a Portland Pudgy on R-25

[baz]

I have a mind to buy a Portland Pudgy -- the prices have been reduced some and they have two yellow ones with slight blems at reduced pricing.

No matter, my questions are related to how quickly and easily can a dingy of this type be lowered and launched in case of emergency.

It seems to me that a block and tackle will be required to raise and lower the dingy and then there's the davits that need releasing. Just how easy and how quickly is it to get the dingy from it's stowed position down into the water and ready to launch off?

I would install this dingy in the traditional way -- that is, on the swim platform.

Any advice is most welcomed. Thanks....

[Lobo]

I know zilch about the Portland Pudgy. I do have a 7.5' Livingston dingy on my R-25 swim grid. I have Weaver Davits. They hook an un-hook quite easily with me in the dingy. I raise and lower it with "armstrong" power -- I have a line affixed to the outside of the dingy, midships, that I pull it up with. I have a small block also available, but find I don't really need it. I also installed "stand off arms" to hold the dingy vertical. I found that when in heavier seas or going fast the wake sometimes bashed into the dingy. My cure is to lean the dingy forward over the back railings. This also lowers the height of the dingy, giving me a bit better sternwise view. I have to stand the dingy vertical on the arms in order to put fuel into the tank.

Hope this is of some use.

Dave
"Lobo"

[Island Ranger]

We have the Pudgy mounted on Island Ranger - and yes, you need either a block and tackle (we use a 5x to ease the effort) or a winch (most people mount a removeable one on the rear bulkhead). Weaver makes a custom davit that fits the Pudgy..

It is easy to release or re-clip. We just load everyone up, and have them lean slightly to one side to attach or release. The dogs don't always listen accurately to my commands however..../


Mac

[baz]

Dave & Mac:

Thanks for your quick responses to my enquiry. Your advice is very helpful -- especially the quick release comments that Mac described.

Is the installation a DIY job or should it be done professionally? I also wonder if my Marina at Edmonds will allow me to install the Pudgy while it's in my slip -- or will they require me to pull the boat out of the water! Edmonds is a stickler for keeping the Marina in pristine condition (and so they should). If they do allow me, then I suppose I would need to stretch some plastic under the swim platform to catch debris as I'm sure I will have to drill some holes in it for attaching davits etc.

Tools? -- Drill, drill bits and some spanners/wrenches -- anything else needed ???

Thanks.

[Edit]
One last thought... I wonder if shipping cost from Portland Pudgy's Maine location to my Edmonds Marina will be less that having it shipped to my home residence. It seems S&H is always more expensive when delivery is made to a non-business location.

[baz]

We have the Pudgy mounted on Island Ranger - and yes, you need either a block and tackle (we use a 5x to ease the effort) or a winch (most people mount a removeable one on the rear bulkhead). Weaver makes a custom davit that fits the Pudgy..

It is easy to release or re-clip. We just load everyone up, and have them lean slightly to one side to attach or release. The dogs don't always listen accurately to my commands however..../


Mac

Mac: I've been reviewing the Portland Pudgy price sheet Emailed to me and I'm a little confused. It seems they offer the Davit Lifting/Safety Harness Eyes Part #PP-DS that is described as

"Lift boat or secure safety harness. Four stainless steel eyes with backer plates (on interior side wall)."

Is this what I need for attaching the Pudgy to the swim step and does it provide for the quick attach and release features I was enquiring about ?

Also, what additional accessories would you advise for the Pudgy? Thanks...

[Edit]
OK -- seems I missed reading further down the price list... The Weaver Davits you mentioned are listed as...

Weaver Davits Part #PP-WD.
A removable, rugged stainless steel, davit system to secure dinghy to boats with swim platforms. Includes:
• Two removable heavy duty eye pins and backer plates for Pudgy
• Two snap davit heads for swim platform
• Two stand off arms (not included; price varies with length).

Is the above the correct Davit system for our R-25s ?

[Island Ranger]

Your option, but I would suggest getting the weaver davit hardware direct fron Weaver.

You will get to decide how you would like to mount the standoffs 'cause that is what will determine the length you need. On Island Ranger, it was a little complicated because I wanted to locate them below the full canvas enclosure. If you go direct to the stern, they will be shorter.

They are pretty simple to attach - drill a few holes in the swim step and both 'em in. They attach directly to the Pudgy - there is a molded hole for them.

Mac

[baz]

Your option, but I would suggest getting the weaver davit hardware direct fron Weaver.

You will get to decide how you would like to mount the standoffs 'cause that is what will determine the length you need. On Island Ranger, it was a little complicated because I wanted to locate them below the full canvas enclosure. If you go direct to the stern, they will be shorter.

They are pretty simple to attach - drill a few holes in the swim step and both 'em in. They attach directly to the Pudgy - there is a molded hole for them.

Mac

OK -- I will take your advice and obtain the Weaver Davit hardware from Weaver directly.

I'm still unsure of the complete setup for securing the Pudgy to the boat.

1. The Weaver davits attach to the trailing edge of the swim step via bolt holes drilled thru the swim step -- correct ?

2. What are "standoffs" ? Are they metal pieces that attach to the davits and standoff the Pudgy's gunwales from the trailing edge of the swim step ?

3. You mention attaching something below the full canvas cockpit enclosure. This confuses me as that seems to imply you're attaching something to the outboard surface of the transom -- help me out on this one.

4. What actually holds/secures the Pudgy in its stowed position ? Is it the block and tackle or are lines used to simply secure it to the transom rails ?

Maybe I should just chat with you over the phone...

[baz]

OK -- so I had a long chat with David Halbert at Portland Pudgy in Portland Maine today.

It was very instructive and I do believe I'm ready to order one. They require a 25% deposit and typically can deliver to West coast in about 2 weeks. More importantly for me I also checked with my Edmonds Marina and they will allow me to have the Pudgy shipped to the Marina rather than my home residence. This apparently saves $80 on the shipping costs.

Currently, the Pudgy is on sale with a nice $300 discount.

I spent some time talking with David about the Davits and how the Pudgy is attached and stowed on my R25's swim platform. It's much much clearer in my mind now how all this is accomplished.

The orange Pudgy is no longer manufactured! People seemed to think it looked too 'dangerous' (not sure I understand that but that is what David said). No matter, our color choice is one related to the Pudgy being easily spotted in open waters and this leans us toward red and sunset yellow. Mind you, the exposure Canopy is always red (I believe) with it being colored blue inside to avoid people getting too nausea.

Our primary requirement for a Dinghy is to cover the emergency situation where a 4-person lifeboat becomes a necessity.

At this point I'm looking to get

-Basic boat (Sunset yellow is our choice at this time)
-Sea anchor
-Exposure canopy
-Boat cover as I want the Exposure Canopy to be in its pre-set position as apposed to being stowed in the Pudgy and therefore being very hard to assemble/erect in an emergency. David said he will figure the boat cover to be easily removed when Pudgy stowed using Davits on R25. In fact as we talked he thought of a new design to make this a whole lot easier.
-Electrical system + solar panel
-Sailing kit (this will not only be useful in the emergency case but fun to just sail about some locally)
-Bow bumper (I simply like the look of it and it does offer some practical benefits)
-Torqeedo Motor - it's light and folds up and goes into a small back pack. I prefer this motor to gasoline and the outboard motor noise, but downside is its limit range. The range really doesn't bother me as it would only be used around port and to/from local islands when moored offshore. The sail kit will get me to where I want to in case of emergency.

Now I need to price this all out and see if my piggy bank will balk at being emptied. I can always buy some of the extras later and over time. However, I'm a person who tends to consider seriously what I want/need and get it all up front and be done with it. We will just have to see. The biggest accessory cost will be the sailing kit -- so may have to leave that out for time being.

[baz]

Your option, but I would suggest getting the weaver davit hardware direct fron Weaver.

You will get to decide how you would like to mount the standoffs 'cause that is what will determine the length you need. On Island Ranger, it was a little complicated because I wanted to locate them below the full canvas enclosure. If you go direct to the stern, they will be shorter.

They are pretty simple to attach - drill a few holes in the swim step and both 'em in. They attach directly to the Pudgy - there is a molded hole for them.

Mac

Why should I get the Weaver davit hardware directly from Weaver?
Is there a price advantage or is there some other reason for doing this?

I spoke with David at Portland Pudgy and when discussing the davits I could not understand why I should not allow David to install the Pudgy's hardware at factory and for me to install the remaining hardware on my R25's swim platform.

I intend to initially lash the Pudgy to stern railing when it's upright on the swim step. Later on I will invest in a block & tackle much like you've done with your Pudgy. David has said lifting the Pudgy from the water into an upright position isn't that difficult. I guess we will see.

At this time here's what I'm ordering...

1. Basic Boat in Sunset Yellow (not sure if seats etc are grey or charcoal black)
2. Bow bumper (installed at factory)
3. Bailing Pump and Access port (any necessary installation to be done at factory)
4. Weaver davits for attaching to my Ranger Tug R25's swim platform (hardware for Pudgy installed at factory)
5. Electrical system (factory installed)
6. Torqeedo Motor Travel 801S 2 hp. Foldable electric outboard incl. LIMA high-performance battery, charger and travel bag, long-shaft version.

Any of the remaining Pudgy accessories I can select later on as the needs arise and I can install all of them myself. This helps keep the initial investment cost reasonable for me. The strategy approach to my order was to get the basic boat plus any accessory that I deemed best be installed by the factory. Other accessories can be considered later on.

I will have the Pudgy shipped and delivered directly to my Port of Edmonds marina as this will save me approx $80 on the S&H. The Marina Ops staff were kind enough to let me do this so long as I could tell them when to expect its delivery. Apparently the Pudgy ships in a bag (not sure what is meant by a bag at this moment -- it does sound weird mind you )

[Aurelia]

I am in the market for a Pudgy but would really like to get a look at one in person before ordering direct. I have been in touch with the company and they said they could likely find a person in my area that would be willing to have a quick visitor taking a peek at their Pudgy but they have not been able to set that up so far. We simply want to get a feel for the sizing and seating arrangement and take a close look at the storage areas in the hull. There is a shortage of good detailed photos out there that I can find. We are in the Gig Harbor area but willing to do some driving to take a look. Is there anyone out there with one of these fine little boats that would be willing to have visitors for a few minutes?

Greg ang Cindie Lang
C-Dory 25 owners

[Island Ranger]

We have a Pudgy on Island Ranger - and are up here on Whidbey Island (Clinton). At the moment, the dinghy is here at home - you are welcome to take a look, or I could take more pictures if that would help

Mac

[baz]

I am in the market for a Pudgy but would really like to get a look at one in person before ordering direct. I have been in touch with the company and they said they could likely find a person in my area that would be willing to have a quick visitor taking a peek at their Pudgy but they have not been able to set that up so far. We simply want to get a feel for the sizing and seating arrangement and take a close look at the storage areas in the hull. There is a shortage of good detailed photos out there that I can find. We are in the Gig Harbor area but willing to do some driving to take a look. Is there anyone out there with one of these fine little boats that would be willing to have visitors for a few minutes?

Greg ang Cindie Lang
C-Dory 25 owners

I'll have mine shortly and it will be installed and kept on our R-25 at the Edmonds Marina, WA. I also can take photos of the Pudgy as you wish for and can arrange for you to see it in person at the Marina.

[Aurelia]

Thank you for the offers and I think Barry and Gill win with an easier trip from Gig Harbor (although we do love to ferry over from PT). I also have a sister in Edmonds so that is an excuse for a visit as well. If you could send me a PM or post an update on this forum I will promise to keep an eye on it and we can find a time that will work best for you. We actually bought our C-dory from Edmonds yacht sales and the boat spent its first few years at the Edmonds marina. There is a chance we will lose control and just order one but we are trying to be thorough.

Greg and Cindie

[Aurelia]

Guess we won't need the peek after all. I called PP today and took that other blemished yellow model so I will have one on the way soon as well. Thanks so much for the offers but I couldn't pass up the deal on this one. I am pretty sure we will be pleased

Greg

[baz]

Guess we won't need the peek after all. I called PP today and took that other blemished yellow model so I will have one on the way soon as well. Thanks so much for the offers but I couldn't pass up the deal on this one. I am pretty sure we will be pleased

Greg

Hmmm -- interesting about that "blemished" Sunset Yellow PP. I asked about that several weeks ago and was told they were spoken for -- so I dropped any further enquiries about it. My understanding was that the "blemished" PP would be further discounted beyond the current $300 discount program.

The "blemish" issue is, as told to me by David, simply a manufacturing issue in that the inner and outer shell in a small area was not adhering to the core material and thus one would feel some flexing in the surface when stepping on it. Beyond that, the "blem" PP was structurally sound etc.

The PP folks seem quite slow to communicate and seem to work in a relaxing manner. I sent my order specs in and after not hearing from them for a week I decided to called David to discuss this lack of communication. The next day I received an invoice. The day after this I spoke with David and placed down my deposit via CC to expedite payment to them vs. mailing them a personal check. That was a week ago and my CC has not been charged yet nor have I heard from PP.

I'm not too concerned as I'm in no hurry. I'm still recovering from shoulder surgery which will be a hindrance to me when wanting to install the PP on our R-25. If the PP gets to me in a week or so my shoulder will be in better shape -- so the delay in having the PP delivered is working in my favor at this time.

It seems we both will have the Sunset Yellow PP to show off to each other.