Walking the Plank

[Bill.Secure]

I was recently assigned to a much wider slip (the old one had two inches of clearance on either side of boat at the outer pilings). Since I had to redo my docking lines, this seemed an appropriate time to examine how I wanted the boat to be positioned in the new slip. Our dock is fixed (not floating) and there is no finger pier. I was positioned "bow in" in the old slip and wanted to see if there was a good way to be positioned "stern in" in the new slip. The difficulty would be getting on and off the boat given I wanted the motor to be in a raised position.

Searching around marine sites, I found something called the Petsmart II ramp. It's designed for dogs, is 17 inches wide, weighs 18 pounds, can be folded in the middle, and will support 500 pounds.

I use it with the "low end" on the swim ladder and the "high end" on the dock between two smallish cleats I mounted on the dock, When using the ramp for other than a brief entrance or exit, I tie the sides of both ends off loosely (to the cleats and to the boat) so the ramp doesn't end up in the drink. When we're in the slip and away from the boat, I stick it in the trunk of the car and bring it home. When underway it fits across the cockpit by the splashwell bulkhead with plenty of room to spare. I'm planning on making a bracket so it sits on it's edge and is attached to the vertical bulkhead between the cockpit and the splashwell.

We're extremely pleased with our new slip and the ramp. Previously, getting on and off the bow, particularly during a high tide was a cumbersome gymnastic exercise. If we had much we wanted to take into or out of the cabin, that too was not our idea of a recreational opportunity.

So despite the fact that we haven't been captured by pirates, and even though we have no canine genes, we eagerly look forward to "walking the plank" and the ensuing marine adventures on the Barnacle Bill.

Bill
Edgewater, MD