Ebb,
I used a Garhauer lifting davit on my Honda 7.5 four-stroke motor with an alternator, but a pull start. I left a West Marine issue standard lifting harness in place. My harness is made of one-inch webbing and fits around and under the motor head, rather than clipping onto the motor in any way. The harness attaches only to itself. I slipped the harness around the motor and adjusted it securely with some effort. The harness made removing the motor cover a pain, and more so because I had to augment the harness with a couple of additional lines to make it more secure. These added lines would not have been necessary, if I had not needed to lay the motor down into a horizontal position in the lazarette locker. In moving the motor from a vertical to a horizontal position, there was initially some harness slippage, and that is why I added lines. My motor weighed 70 plus lbs.
I once had to remove the motor from the well to deal with a prop issue at sea. I used the Garhauer davit with a certain degree of risk. I was able to lift it under light wind conditions while my ninety-year-old helmsman steered a true and steady course so that the boom would stay on the lee (starboard) side of the boat while I worked with my trusty davit on the windward (port) side.
A photo of the davit and motor is attached. In the next post you will see the augmented harness on the stored motor.
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