We had spent a long time selecting our rib to make sure that we didn’t overload the davits which are 300Kg Simpsons Davits.  We selected a rib that weighted less than 100kg and an engine that meant that all-in we were at less than 50% of the maximum load of the davits.

It was therefore somewhat of a surprise then, when one of the first times that we lifted the new dinghy, the davits started to slip and wouldn’t lift the rib.  On inspection, we found that the gears inside the davits were sheared.  This was clearly something that had happened at some stage in the past since there was very little fresh damage on the gears.  As for the cause of the problem, we suspect that the davits had been overwound and this had caused the damage on the gears.  We were able to get these replaced but need to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistake by continuing to wind in the cable when it is already at the top.