Ep56 We Built Our Own Dinghy Davit and Saved $3800
We needed a dinghy davit on the Mystic. New ones cost thousands of dollars. So Tim did what Tim does — he dug through our scrap metal pile and built one himself. In this episode, we walk you through exactly how he did it, what it cost us, and whether it was worth the effort. Spoiler: it absolutely was.
We recently returned to the water in Ensenada, Mexico, and now it's time for some serious boat projects. This episode covers the construction of our dingy davit, including crucial steps like how to weld aluminum. Our goal was to achieve this affordably, fitting within our budget travel plans, ensuring the Mystic is ready for the rest of our sail around the Baja Peninsula.
This week on the Sink or Sail scale: Did building our own davit save us real money, or did the time and effort sink the budget anyway? We break it all down.
🔩 What We Cover:
The scrap metal Tim used and how he sourced it
Step-by-step build walkthrough
What tools you actually need (hint: not many)
Final cost vs. what we would have paid retail
Whether it held up — honest assessment
Chapters
0:00 Intro: Building a Dinghy Davit from Scrap
0:53 Two Design Options for the Davit
1:46 Deconstructing the Old Solar Arch
5:59 Test Fitting on the Boat
8:26 Building the Jig & Welding It Up
12:07 Homemade vs Store-Bought Hinges
15:12 Designing the Transom Bracket
16:57 Tool Casualties Mid-Build 😅
18:26 Side Excursion: The Strangest Roadside Stop Ever
20:34 Installation Day at Baja Naval
22:24 The Great Bolt Hunt (8 Stores!)
25:23 Pulley System: Dream Shopping vs Reality
26:15 Threading the Lines (Round 4!)
28:11 Before vs After: Raising the Dinghy
29:10 Sink or Sail Scale: The $1,285 Budget Breakdown
⛵ We're Tim & Jess — Sailing Into the Mystic. A retired couple doing a real-time experiment in affordable blue water sailing. We're currently cruising Baja California, Mexico, and we share every dollar we spend getting here. No trust fund. No sponsors covering our bills. Just real liveaboard life on a budget.
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to participate in the real time experiment in affordable blue water sailing!
▸Our boat (1988 43’ Irwin MKIII) https://youtu.be/hGK0_Cwz1vY
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All music is from Epidemic Sound!
https://www.epidemicsound.com
Tracks used in this episode:
Coming Home Blues by Bo the Drifter
Another Spring Will Come by Sight of Wonders
Charcoal Blues by Will Harrison
Monsieur Cat Walk by Speedy the Spider
Tread Lightly by Eric Fernholm
The Haunted by Luella Gren
A Vision of Nothingness by Luba Hilman
#liveaboardsailing #sailingcouple #sailboatlife #budgetsailing #liveaboard
Sailing Into the Mystic
Welcome aboard Sailing Into the Mystic, a real time experiment in affordable blue water sailing. We’re a sailing couple documenting our journey of bluewater cruising, liveaboard sailboat life, and budget sailing along the coast of Mexico and beyond. Right now we’re cruising Baja California, Mexico, learning as we go, doing DIY sailboat repairs, boatyard projects, and figuring out the real cost of living and traveling on a sailboat. This channel is about real sailing, not the fantasy—including sailboat maintenance, cruising costs, boat repair expenses, and what it actually takes to liveaboard on a budget. Along the way we also share: ⚓ Practical tips for budget sailing and cruising 💸 Honest breakdowns of what things actually cost 🔧 DIY repairs, upgrades, and lessons learned 🌊 Life at sea and along the coast of Baja California and beyond Subscribe and join the Mystic Crew! #liveaboardsailing #sailingcouple #sailboatlife #budgetsailing #liveaboard
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Ep56 We Built Our Own Dinghy Davit and Saved $3800 Location
- Ensenada (31.8557021,-116.6057392)
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