Davit is a type of structure that is made of steel. It is commonly used to lower things over the edge of a long drop off which includes when launching a lifeboat over the ship or scaffolding down a building exterior.
The original davit is when A.O Schat patented the davits systems in 1926 that can allowed the lifeboat to glide along without any obstructions on a ship’s hull and is also known as ‘Schat Skate’. This was followed by using a self-braking winch system that allowed the lifeboat to be lower down evenly.
Davit is a metal structure and it is normally found on boats with an arm that can extends over to the side of the craft so that they can lower the items to the deck. It can also be used in the building construction for lifting or lowering heavy items. The term is used to describe a metal arm with a winch that can mechanically raise and lower items from one place to another.
The most common davits are used to move boats although they can lift cargo and anchors furthermore they can be sued to lower a maintenance trapeze over the side of the ship or boat. There are four common types of davit such as single pivot gravity, free fall, mechanical quadrant and gravity roller track.
The most popular types of davit are the single pivot gravity. They are simple and have a few parts which make them easier to adapt to different tasks. This type of davit can also accommodate a wide array of sizes and deck types.
Gravity roller track davit is the most frequently used with the promenade deck which consists of the port-to-stern is open both side of the walkways in the ship. Usually, they have two arms and tend to be lighter than the other types of davits.
The oldest style of davit is the mechanical quadrants. They are cranked by hand and can be depended on balance and pulleys to function properly though they are no longer the dominant davit type. However, mechanical quadrants are still used in modern times.
Free fall davits are the newest designs and they have fast acting mechanisms that can allow items to fall into the water while staying clear of the boat sides. They are used exclusively to drop lifeboats into the water. The similar purpose is served by ramps which can extend the end of the boat and may occasionally replace the davits on a craft.
Additionally, there are other varieties of more specialized davits. Its stored power style has an independent energy source that can be useful in areas where power outages which may commonly occur. The A-frame styles have a metal structure that can extend around the sides of the item being moved.
As for the cantilever davits, they have simple and boxy shapes which can extent from the deck of the ship and the dock whereas the overhead style looks similar as the cantilever but works in a more complex telescopic mechanism besides there are crane davits that has an extended reach that can works well with craft and larger loads.
The most popular ones are the single pivot gravity davits as they tend to have a simple design and have few parts which make it easier to adapt to the different tasks. Furthermore, this type of davit can accommodate a wider array of deck sizes and types.