A davit is a small crane-like arm mechanism, mounted at the deck edge, used to lower and hoist lifeboats, rescue boats, or other equipment over a ship’s side.
How Davits Work
A pair of davits (one at each end of the boat) support the lifeboat in its stowed position and swing outward, allowing the boat to be lowered on wires via a winch mechanism, clear of the ship’s side, down to the water.
Common Davit Types
- Gravity davits — the most common type on merchant ships; once released, the lifeboat’s own weight causes it to swing out and lower under controlled gravity-driven descent, requiring minimal powered mechanism
- Radial davits — an older design where the boat swings out on an arc
- Single-arm davits — used on some smaller rescue boats, a single mechanism rather than paired davits
Davit vs Free-Fall Launch
Not all lifeboats use davits — some vessels, particularly certain bulk carriers and tankers, use free-fall lifeboats that release directly into the water without a davit lowering mechanism, designed for rapid evacuation. Rescue boats, by contrast, virtually always use a davit system since they need to be launched and recovered repeatedly, not just once in an emergency.
Maintenance and Testing
Davit winches, wires, and release mechanisms require regular inspection and testing as part of mandatory lifeboat drills — a failure in the davit system during an actual emergency defeats the entire purpose of the lifeboat itself, making this genuinely safety-critical maintenance.
Exam Relevance
Davit types, operation, and maintenance requirements are core Safety and Lifesaving Appliance topics in deck and engine officer competency exams.