Definition
An A-frame davit is an A-shaped overhead launching crane built across the boat-deck or transom of a yacht, used to lift larger tenders and chase boats over the side. Its twin-leg geometry spans a wider load than a single-arm davit, which is why it shows up on flag-ship motoryachts where the toy programme runs to 7 metres and above.
Background and use
The A-frame is the heavyweight of the davit family. Where a knuckle-boom or telescopic single-arm crane handles tenders up to roughly five tonnes, an A-frame routinely lifts 8 to 12 tonnes and on the largest yachts more. The two legs share the load through the deck structure, which keeps deflection low and avoids the cantilever stresses a single arm imposes on a single hard point. Most installations are hydraulic, with proportional controls at a wing station so the deck crew can watch the tender come off the chocks.
You see them on yachts where the chase boat is too large to garage. Lurssen, Feadship, and Oceanco builds in the 80m-plus class will often spec an A-frame on the foredeck or aft platform for a 9-10m chase boat, sometimes paired with a separate stern garage for a smaller guest limousine. The structure is usually integrated into the superstructure aesthetic so it reads as part of the architecture rather than industrial kit bolted on.
Related considerations
- Specify the safe working load with a margin above your heaviest current and likely future tender; retrofitting a higher-rated davit means deck reinforcement.
- A-frames need clear airspace; check that boom travel does not foul radar arches, antennas, or tender stowage chocks.
- Crew training matters: an A-frame swinging a four-tonne tender in any swell is the most dangerous routine evolution on a yacht. Two-operator protocols are standard.
- Check classification society approval for the davit type and SWL; Lloyd's, RINA, and DNV all certify lifting appliances under separate scopes.
- Storm stowage: chocks must restrain the tender against pitch and roll loads, not just gravity. Confirm with the builder.