boom winch for dinghy roof mounting on R27

[Peter Lawson]

Hello, I would appreciate news or suggestions of roof mounting a dinghy on my 2023 R27LE.
Possible dinghy choice is a 385 pound Highfield Classic 310 FCT.
Peter Lawson boat is Grandview.

 

[Bruce Moore]

Bumping post delayed in moderation queue.

 

[Rebel112r]

My opinion is the dinghy is too heavy to be up there. Any boom that would lift it over the side to get it on top, would cause quite a list, and then you would be pulling the dinghy uphill. Good luck if you try it.

 

[Submariner]

I wouldn't put a 385 lbs dinghy on the roof.

Here's an idea for a lightweight inflatable.
Note, it's easier to get it off at anchor.
It's best put up there when next to a dock.
https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.co...c9c0_0ffd868bae9c411b9281a081ad82c322mv2.jpeg

https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.co...c9c0_06b2a392ab8942b08f677eddfd335490mv2.jpeg

https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.co...c9c0_b5cd12e1258f483d96fd08f10a3a5f00mv2.jpeg

For Channel Surfing, this is our dinghy solution. It's an inflatable that weighs 60 lbs. The Yamaha f2.5 weighs an additional 35lbs.
https://www.letsgochannelsurfing.com/dinghy

 

[sfladgard]

Martin's comment x2. That's too much weight too high for this boat IMHO.

We use a 10' lightweight (60lbs +/-) and just haul it up into the cockpit when we run at speed. At lower speeds (<12 knots) we have also towed it.

https://truekit.net/en-us/products/true-kit-navigator

 

[ALICE J]

On Alice J, I carried a Highfield 310 double aluminum bottom dinghy on my roof crossing the Gulf Stream and other long journeys for three years with no issues. I used a St Croix davit with an electric winch (Harbor Freight ATV 12V). The davit poll was mounted on the Port side aft cabin. I believe I used three extensions to get the proper height to clear the stainless steel tubing frame that I custom built that allowed the dinghy to sit above the solar panels. The extra height of the davit extension needed two guy wires, aft to the stern cleat and another athwartship to the starboard side. I flipped the dinghy in the water so as I lifted it upside down it to place it on the cabin top upside down so no rain water accumulated. I made a bridle to secure to the welded bow towing cleats and to the aft tie points. Yes the Alice J listed when hauling the dinghy, scary at first, but got used to it when I figured out the meta centric height calculations. Plenty of reserve buoyancy, but prudence indicates avoidance of steep broad side waves. :shock: 😱

 

[Peter Lawson]

To Alice J
From: Grandview
Peter Lawson email Peterlawson92@gmail.com
Thanks for your helpful reply. Can you send me pictures of your dinghy mounted please.
Also What power is make and power of dinghy motor and where you store it when not on the dinghy?

 

[RMarkSampson]

I asked the same question on the RT website for my RT31S - their response was

I would highly recommend using the lift system on the swim step. I cannot recommend you putting your dinghy on the roof and will not give any insight into mounting it on the roof.

So, there will not be any roof mounted dingy factory solution forthcoming for the RT31S.

I'll likely stick to the swim step as they suggest, but I'm also inclined to notice that the RT31CB dry weight cited in their specs is 500 lbs. more than the RT31S -- where is that extra weight? Yep, on the roof. So, I'm also inclined to believe placing a dingy that weighs less than 500 lbs. on the roof is not impossible, or dangerous - it is simply not recommended by the RT factory. You still have the choice to come up with your own solution. The factory did come up with a nice rooftop dingy solution for the RT43.

I still want to figure out a winch solution for at least lifting a kayak or paddleboard and a couple of foldable bikes. Humping those toys up there and then flinging them over the side is not optimal in my opinion. Right now, these toys stay at the dock unless I absolutely know I will be using them. That is something I can do on a local trip - but not for cruising.

 

[Peter Lawson]

Thanks for your input on the roof mount question. The R27 has a 300 hp outboard motor which makes swim platform mounting of the dinghy boom/davit lift difficult and I don't feel comfortable using the factory solution of dinghy lift option blocking my rear view. I will explore the idea of mounting a boom lift support pole on the starboard side outside the roof canopy where it won't interfere withe the opening window to the cockpit. The 1000es boom winch by Steelhead Marine looks very impressive with good reviews. Peter

 

[Kenaithab]

Have you considered getting the Ranger swimstep dinghy lift and mounting a rear facing camera mounted on the roof rack? This would allow you to see over the dinghy. There are cameras that interface with Garmin chartplotter or iPhones, iPads which can be mounted near the helm.

 

[Peter Lawson]

I did consider the camera feature for rear view scanning but I would have to be wherever the monitor was so I could observe but wanted to see aft clearly from whatever my position was on the boat, Also I was interested in the Highfield 310 FTC model with a console. The dinghy I prefer is 10' 2" in length plus motor for a total of 11' 8" in the raised position. The Ranger 27 is trailerable without permits at 8' 6" wide and the dinghy can't extend wider than the boat nor could it be inverted upside down as in the case of the factory offered mount. Hence the need for a roof top, upright position for the dinghy. Thanks for the thought.

 

[OverTime]

I came up with an electric winch setup for my factory 8' dingy. I plug it into the outlet for the starboard downrigger. I had to design the control circuit so it would mount out of the way to the top inside of the storage compartment/step. It has a removable wired switch and a remote. I was able to modify the existing davit mount in order to accommodate the winch. Everything is easily removeable for storage when not in use. Now, no more cranking the old come-along!

 

[HookedUp]

I came up with an electric winch setup for my factory 8' dingy. I plug it into the outlet for the starboard downrigger. I had to design the control circuit so it would mount out of the way to the top inside of the storage compartment/step. It has a removable wired switch and a remote. I was able to modify the existing davit mount in order to accommodate the winch. Everything is easily removeable for storage when not in use. Now, no more cranking the old come-along!

Could you post some pictures and links or manufacturer/part numbers? Sounds like an excellent idea.

 

[SeaCabin]

 

[SeaCabin]

Above pic is a Garhauer dinghy lift on a R23…..super well made and reasonably priced. I eventually cut a foot off the top. The whole thing easily breaks down by lifting off the base ball socket and pitching the assembly back towards the cockpit via the rotating aluminum ring attached to the cabin housing. (note i had a specially made reinforcement gusset where the ring attaches to the cabin housing) The upper section sits in the tube and can also be pulled out collapsed. It will all fit in a golf bag.

Once the dinghy is lifted to the needed height, just walk to the other side of the boat and the dinghy will swing around on its own. The largest soft dinghy i had weighed about 70 pounds…i would say that’s plenty.

 

[OverTime]

Could you post some pictures and links or manufacturer/part numbers? Sounds like an excellent idea.

I got a 3000lb capacity winch from Amazon. It came with a wired switch and a remote. The first order of business was the switch. The switch it designed so the “hot” power lead exits the wire bundle somewhere near the switch itself. I needed all three leads to be the same length. I soldered on an extension was able to run it inside the bundle to get all three wires the same length. I attached a 3-prong waterproof connection so I could remove the switch when not in use. Next, I mounted the contactor, the remote receiver, an in-line 40-amp fuse and all the terminal strips etc. on a 7”x7” marine grade plywood base that I painted white. I slathered all the connections in dielectric grease and wrapped it in heave plastic before mounting it. The whole thing is very streamlined and the plastic sheeting gives it extra protection when utilizing the storage space. Next, the winch itself. I took the old davit plate from the original manual winch and was able to use it for the power winch by drilling two new mounting holes in the winch plate that match the studs on the davit plate. I also had to machine two threaded bushings to give enough clearance for the bolts that hold the davit receptacle to the underside of the overhang. I got some 10 gage marine grade wire for the power cord. One end of the cord was mated to a Scotty plug that fits in the existing outlet. A stainless-steel hook keeps the cord out of the way when in use. When not in use, the winch, cord, and remote fit nicely in the storage compartment at the head of the bunk in the main cabin. A little inconvenient but I like it for weight distribution.