290 RIB rubber pads installation (R31)

[STS]

Hello all,

I'm getting ready for my very first boating season and am currently trying to figure out my new dinghy installation. I've searched all the Tugnuts, but I was not able to find the information I'm looking for. There are some interesting posts with pictures, but the pictures are no longer available.

I am about to pick up a new Highfield 290 CL PVC RIB for my R-31. The Weaver receiver plates are already installed on the swim platform. They are symmetrical, and the distance between the centers of the pads is 49-3/4 inches. I bought a pair of Weaver Davit heads, which are 4" up and 4" out. Because the distance between pads is constant, all I need is the vertical offset for the pads.

Are there any installation instructions or drawings showing exactly where to glue the Weaver rubber pads (RP101) on the 290 inflatable RIB?

Thank you!

 

[scross]

Went through the same process when we bought our 2017 C-28 that had never had a dinghy. Bought a Zodiac Cadet Aluminum 270 RIB weighing 82 pounds.
Mounted the davits on the swim platform slightly offset so the high nose of the dinghy was more to the starboard side than being symmetric. This minimizes the aft end lower lube of the dinghy being swamped by the wake of the C-28 at speed.
As to placement of the four pads on the dinghy, I got a LOT of advice from Weaver. I strongly recommend using their adhesives. And following their directions exactly.
The bottom two pads/davit brackets are placed just a shade above the rub rail of the dinghy adjacent the swim platform davit positions. The aft standoff goes to a mounting bracket on the aluminum stern. Then the front standoff pad goes to a location where it will work with the starboard standoff arm.

 

[Martin610]

Definitely Weaver two part adhesive. I had boat and dinghy in the water and penciled in mounting locations. Best way to do it IMHO.

-martin610

 

[summer wind]

I agree with martin610, you really need to do it with the dingy floating behind the boat. Use common sense, try to center the dingy as best as you can, avoid uneven surfaces on the dingy surface, look out for oars and handles. The dingy should float when attached to the davits. You may need to move the existing receiver plates if there not located where you need them. Good luck.

 

[fishheadbarandgrill]

My davit pads are installed, as said earlier, just above the rub rail on my zodiac PVC dinghy. I installed the aft stand off bracket directly to the transom. I definitely recommend that approach if it fits with the configuration of your install. I wouldn't worry about the dingy oars. You shouldn't run with them on the dinghy in my opinion. Do if they present a problem with the install, you can plan without the oars mounted on the dinghy.

 

[STS]

Thank you! I’m planning to buy Weaver two parts PVC glue (WEA 3001). I wonder if 8 oz would be enough for two pads and swivels/standoffs?

Having the dinghy floating by the swimming platform for measurements is exactly the thing I’m trying to avoid.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

ive done this twice

get the dinghy in the water and mark the dinghy where the pads should be at the center of the hook ;lengthwise. measure this multiple times as its quite a small margin of error. 🙂 - I used a sharpie directly on the dinghy
The tricky part is measuring the how far vertically to set the pads at. As the dinghy is raised if you get the vertical position wrong the dinghy will be too close to the stern rail and you will need to have your standoffs set further out. This also needs to take into account that the pads wont glue well onto the seam or highfield branding on the dinghy - Ive had to remove this before for one of the pads.

Other things to consider.
1. the dinghy weight is not even - more at stern so think about how that might effect how it sits on the davits and which way around you want the dinghy therefore with the current davits
2. the bow of the dinghy sits higher in the water and represents less of a problem with docks: you might want to consider moving the dinghy athwartship to get the weight balance correct. mine is slightly offset -especially as water will leave the transom under way and enter the dinghy on the stern end.
3. even though you have davits installed make sure they are wide enough to stop the dinghy from bouncing from side to side. some of this can be tuned out with good solid placement of the standoffs. - on my Highfield, both standoffs go to the metal hull and transom, and this helps a lot.
4. glueing is an art. You need the correct temp and humidity for the glue to set properly. make sure you have the space for this. - this for me is why in the end, I had freshair dinghy in Anacortes glue mine as I didn't have a suitable location to glue.

 

[STS]

I'm still working on it... I’ve seen online photos of R31s with the same inflatable dinghy mounted using the “Raised and Extended Out” setup, but I couldn’t determine whether they used the 4" x 4" or 4" up and 6" out configuration. During my initial attempt to mark where I should glue the rubber pads on the dinghy, I ran into some issues.

The main challenge is this: when I position the inflatable’s bow to the rubber pad with the yoke mounted on the Weaver Raised and Extended Out, the stern of the inflatable moves of the swim platform. Alternatively, when I try to mark another pad at the stern, the bow shifts out of position. Essentially, the curved swim platform with factory black fenders prevents both rubber pads from making proper contact with the inflatable’s tubes.

I called Weaver, and they suggested moving one of the receiver plates closer to the center of the swim platform. However, all the pictures I’ve seen online show the inflatable using the default factory receiver plate positions.

Do any R31 or R29 owners have experience successfully installing rubber pads on a Highfield CL290? Could you share specific details or tips on how to do this?

What I have:

• 2019 Ranger Tug R31S
• 2024 Inflatable Highfield CL 290 PVC dinghy
• Weaver receiver plates installed symmetrically on the swim platform, 49.75 inches apart (I believe these are factory-installed)
• Weaver Davit Heads (Raised and Extended Out) ordered per Weaver’s recommendation: "4" Up and 4" Out for Ranger Tugs with inflatable dinghies"
• Pair of gray rubber pads for PVC dinghies
• Pair of stainless-steel yokes for pads
• Weaver’s 2-part PVC glue, but at this point, I’m looking for advice on how to position and mark the rubber pads on the inflatable tubes, not how to glue.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[AGLyme]

I did this last year. I bought a used R31cb with pre installed weaver davits.

I had to move one of the davits. The previous boat was larger than my west marine 8.5’ inflatable.

What was important to me was making darned sure the inflatable “drafted” evenly while underway. Meaning that both ends of the inflatable were evenly spaced on the swim platform and each end (of the inflatable) was not sticking out beyond the port or starboard side of the RTug.