I was lifting the stern of the Century boat when there was a slight shift in the piling followed by a crunching sound and the davit fell onto the stern of the boat. It missed the engine by less than an inch. The motor is round and cannot be seen in this picture. It is very heavy, over 50 pounds, but it is round and did not damage the engine. Notice that the backing plate has been removed and the two through bolts to the davit are exposed. Moving toward the dock you can see a piece of broken wood with a bolt through it. This was part of a supporting 2X6 that snapped like kindling. The piling is hinged on the next through bolt down. Once I removed the nuts holding the davit I realized that I would have to cut the piling and then lift it up onto the dock using the second pole davit.
The orange handle of the sazeall can be seen on the left. This was used to transect the piling. Note the electrical box with its two wires in conduit. The power has been cut off to this outlet. The piling is held in place by a 1/2" bolt that goes through a 2X8 on either side of the piling and through the piling. You can see the round motor with a paint can over it to protect it from the elements.
The square sheet metal box over the aluminum plate protects the chain drive and cogged wheel from the elements. Had this hit the boat instead of the electric motor it would have caused serious damage.
The weight of the davit is so great that the swim platform is almost in the water. The davit hit with such force that it activated the bilge pump which ran for 3 minutes.
