Hi all,
Well I purchased a used 7’ fatty knees for Shanti. It has required a bit of restoration as it was built in 83.
Down here in the Caribbean as with many places dinghy theft is a concern. So I had planned on hauling our dink up by the halyard and rest against the main chains overnight. But then I realized there is no drain in the boat. If we received a heavy rain overnight that would be an unacceptable amount of weight in the dinghy.
I am looking for solutions to the drainage problem. I am figuring installing a drain that leads through the aft seat at this point. Anyone just use a cover?
TIA
Hi Gary,
I also hoist our 7’FK up so that the gunnel lies a bit above the chain plates, against the shrouds, using a bridle that is always rigged. Our cruising is in the summer in BC and theft isn’t a problem. I raise it when the anchorage gets too bouncy for the FK to lie alongside the starboard quarter, tied fore and aft. I don’t like to trail it behind at anchor, because inevitably, the wind dies in the night and the dink starts to bang along the hull, or it attacks the Aries wind vane.
We do occasionally get downpours that add a lot of weight to the dink, but not often while it raised up. I have bailed it out a few times while it was raised, always in the middle of the night, of course! I never thought of installing a drain, I guess because for us the problem is so rare.
If you raise your FK routinely, I can see that a drain would be very handy. All the dinks I see in davits have a drain setup.
We bought our FK in 1982, so it’s probably very similar to yours, and a bit different from newer ones. Ours has that keel groove glassed over, while I think newer FK’s leave that open. I’ve bolted a copper strip on the keel as we have worn away the gelcoat dragging it over sand, rocks, barnacles etc. over the years.
Dan Shaula
Thanks Dan,
Got the restoration done. Here is Nauti in her slings. As soon as I put her there and left a nasty little squall came roaring thru and filled her up. Everything held, so good to know.
Ahoy Gary , I installed an inflatable transom brass drain plug just aft of centerboard trunk , someone said no one would thief a row boat with a hole in the bottom , if you get my drift ,
The reason Dan doesn’t need a drain plug is because he can spin his F/K in that bridle he mentioned , and dump the rain water out .
Now in process to make a bridle for Calliste , Thanks Dan .
