If you are finding it hard for various reasons to move your gear about when on the water, some of these 10 suggestions may help you decide which is an easier alternative to employ.
1 Needless Injuries - Loading or unloading equipment from a motor or sailing yacht when conditions are difficult can be dangerous.
Working on a wet slippery platform can create all kinds of problems that result in frustration, accidents and injuries.
With a decent Lift installed on your vessel and the use of a nearby winch you can go a long way in preventing injuries, especially if you are far from home or worse still, in a foreign country.
2 Get The Outboard On Board - Hoisting or lowering the heavy outboard is not an easy operation.
You need a simple, specially designed strap for fitting snuggly around the outboard housing which includes a stainless steel eye to clip on the lifting line.
This will make managing the outboard from a bouncing dinghy a whole lot easier.
A lift with winch mounted on your boat you can easily and with full control get the outboard quickly into its required position.
3 Manage Cargo Easily - There are many good hoists available that are designed to help boaters lift or lower their small cargo from the water without hassle.
With the aid of a small deck winch, it makes the chore of lifting items like outboards, water toys, scuba tanks, water and fuel containers becomes a very manageable operation.
These robust, marine quality lifts may not be pretty but will certainly help make light work of getting your cargo on board.
4 Best Security - The most secure place for any of your boating equipment and dinghy is when they are safely stowed back on board.
Unfortunately, nothing can be left lying around anymore - especially at night.
There are so many opportunists around and, if the occasion presents itself to them, your stuff will disappear.
The sad part is that some of your boating peers fall into this category.
Therefore the old saying of you" lift it or lose it" is still very true today.
5 Efficient Loading - When loading the dinghy or other equipment back on board you want the operation to look trouble free and efficient.
There is nothing worse than hearing people shouting out loud orders, or watch them panicking and even swearing as things go wrong with their loading operation in quiet anchorages.
Employing marine quality lifts and davits with their smooth operating systems will keep you in good stead with your fellow boaters..
6 Good Seamanship - When first getting involved with boating the phrase "Good Seamanship" is often heard.
This phrase applies to all aspects of boating and is employed to ensure the safety of you and your crew/ passengers when on the water.
Therefore, when loading or unloading equipment from your vessel, you need to make sure the equipment you are using is in good working order and up to the job you are doing.
7 Easy Installation - It can become very annoying having lifting gear constantly lying around and in the way, on deck.
Often home- made jury rigs are a lot more complicated and difficult to install than they ought to be.
When tired or in a hurry, boaters may find unnecessary new problems arising with these rigs.
Most production made lifts and davits are very easy to install, with the base plates requiring only about four nuts and bolts.
These base plates must not be installed in areas where they will be an obstacle.
8 Marine Quality - All lifts and davits should be constructed of top quality marine grade materials.
If building your own rig, do not skimp on the materials you intend using.
If you do, corrosion and wear and tear will quickly reduce your hard working lift or davit to being useless and dangerous pieces of equipment.
9 Stow The Dinghy - The best place for the dinghy when not in use is stowed on deck or, if your boats design will allow you, lifted with a set of installed davits.
When these davits are not in use they can generally be removed and stowed elsewhere, leaving the stern free to play on.
Remember: the more you tow the dinghy behind the yacht, the more likely the chance that the painter will wrap itself around the propeller, with the possibly of very expensive consequences.
10 Save On Insurance - Reduce insurance claims and excess payments by stowing your gear properly.
Less lost equipment means less paperwork, more playtime and an ocean floor not littered with your junk.
Wherever you go, on land or sea, you do not have to search very hard to locate someone else's disposed of rubbish.
Help to eradicate this problem that is destroying our boating world by encouraging fellow boaters to dispose of their refuse and other unwanted trash, sensibly.
If an item goes over board, please make every effort to recover it.