I just had lessons over the summer and I am looking for a boat.My concern is my wife uses a wheelchair to get around when we go out and she would have trouble getting on the boat.She would not need the chair once she is on the boat.Is there anything that can be rigged up to get her on the boat?
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R.W.Landau
Creative thinking
Jim, I think with some creative thinking you could use your boom and a bosuns chair to boom her aboard. Seriously, if your topping lift is of a good size, with a mast winch you can raise the boom with a substantial load. Swing the boom into the cockpit and vice versa. I know that there are some people here with physically challenged kids that have done some mods to their boat to make life better and easier. Hopefully some one will chime in here...... r.w.landau
Jim, I think with some creative thinking you could use your boom and a bosuns chair to boom her aboard. Seriously, if your topping lift is of a good size, with a mast winch you can raise the boom with a substantial load. Swing the boom into the cockpit and vice versa. I know that there are some people here with physically challenged kids that have done some mods to their boat to make life better and easier. Hopefully some one will chime in here...... r.w.landau
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Don Evans
My Experience...
It's not easy Jim, most docks are hard enough for able-bodied sailors. I have a daughter with CP who is walker/wheelchair bound. What I do is to move her down to a sitting on the dock position on a beach towel and swing her legs into the cockpit then pull her across the boat edge. Its not graceful but it works for us. You may want to check out any disability sailing program, usually most large waterfront cities have them, and see what equipment or techniques they may have. Good luck with it all. Don
It's not easy Jim, most docks are hard enough for able-bodied sailors. I have a daughter with CP who is walker/wheelchair bound. What I do is to move her down to a sitting on the dock position on a beach towel and swing her legs into the cockpit then pull her across the boat edge. Its not graceful but it works for us. You may want to check out any disability sailing program, usually most large waterfront cities have them, and see what equipment or techniques they may have. Good luck with it all. Don
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Clyde
Handicap Sailboats.
If you are looking for a new sailboat that has been designed to be handicap friendly, there are two sailboat manufacturers that I know of that has them. Catalina has the "Independence 20" and Martin Yachts Ltd. has the Martin 16. The Martin 16 is built in Canada. The Independence 20 has swivel chairs mounted in the cockpit allowing the crew to use their upper body only to move from one side of the boat to the other. The Martin 16 is a sailboat allowing an almost totally disable person to sail, it uses small electric motors to handle the lines and sheets as an option. The Catalina web site is www.catalinayachts.com/i20.phtml The Martin web site is. www.martin16.com Fair Winds. Clyde
If you are looking for a new sailboat that has been designed to be handicap friendly, there are two sailboat manufacturers that I know of that has them. Catalina has the "Independence 20" and Martin Yachts Ltd. has the Martin 16. The Martin 16 is built in Canada. The Independence 20 has swivel chairs mounted in the cockpit allowing the crew to use their upper body only to move from one side of the boat to the other. The Martin 16 is a sailboat allowing an almost totally disable person to sail, it uses small electric motors to handle the lines and sheets as an option. The Catalina web site is www.catalinayachts.com/i20.phtml The Martin web site is. www.martin16.com Fair Winds. Clyde
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Mike I.
Lift
While at Catalina Island last summer, I saw a family on a boat that rigged a lift from the end of the boom. It appeared to be made of nylon webbing, simular to a "hammock chair". It looked like a block and tackle was attached to the end of the boom and the boom was supported with a boom lift. A young man would get in the basket, someone would swing the boom over the side, and lower him into the water for a swim. When he was ready he would swim back to the chair and get hoisted back on board. I have no other info about the man's condition other than he seemed chair bound. Great idea.
While at Catalina Island last summer, I saw a family on a boat that rigged a lift from the end of the boom. It appeared to be made of nylon webbing, simular to a "hammock chair". It looked like a block and tackle was attached to the end of the boom and the boom was supported with a boom lift. A young man would get in the basket, someone would swing the boom over the side, and lower him into the water for a swim. When he was ready he would swim back to the chair and get hoisted back on board. I have no other info about the man's condition other than he seemed chair bound. Great idea.
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R.W.Landau
Search
Jim, I did a search for "handicapped sailing" and found a large number of sites. I looked through some but came up with nothing as to the transfer from the dock. I do think that if you contact some of these people, they may be able to give you info. There is a place in Miami that rents boat to the handicapped. They must deal with this all the time. Good luck in your search. r.w.landau
Jim, I did a search for "handicapped sailing" and found a large number of sites. I looked through some but came up with nothing as to the transfer from the dock. I do think that if you contact some of these people, they may be able to give you info. There is a place in Miami that rents boat to the handicapped. They must deal with this all the time. Good luck in your search. r.w.landau
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Paul
handicap access
Met a fellow who made a nylon web harness that attached to a kitchen type chair with arm rests. the harness attached in four places so when lifted it wanted to lean back just a bit. He had placed a pad eye on the bottom side of his boom to hold a small block and tackle. he'd swing the boom out board, attach block and tackle to the pad eye then clip that to his harness. Friend would get into the chair, he'd take up on the block and tackle swing right in over the dropped life lines and lower the chair to the cockpit sole just forward of the wheel. Proper pad eye placement was important to land chair in the right place. the lift introduced some heel initially but nothing significant. Worked great for them!! Happy sailing
Met a fellow who made a nylon web harness that attached to a kitchen type chair with arm rests. the harness attached in four places so when lifted it wanted to lean back just a bit. He had placed a pad eye on the bottom side of his boom to hold a small block and tackle. he'd swing the boom out board, attach block and tackle to the pad eye then clip that to his harness. Friend would get into the chair, he'd take up on the block and tackle swing right in over the dropped life lines and lower the chair to the cockpit sole just forward of the wheel. Proper pad eye placement was important to land chair in the right place. the lift introduced some heel initially but nothing significant. Worked great for them!! Happy sailing
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Geof Tillotson
Hammock chair
About 15 years ago, my wife and I were honeymooning on Virgin Gorda. We were at the crawl and a 35 footer or so came in and dropped the lunch hook. After awhile they rigged a hammock chair to the boom, dropped the lifelines and swung a young man over the side, letting him down into the water. They placed him in an inflatable pool float like thing to let him check out the reef etc. As I recall it was clear plastic and acted like a lens, or a glass bottom boat. I never got close enough to see how the tackle was rigged on the boat, but my guess is that the young man wieghed about 140 or so. It seemed like a great idea. I've seen similar hammock chairs for sale in homegood stores and also hiking stores. Oh yeah, my memory is faded, but I think he was attached to the boom somewhere near 80% out from the mast, about a body width outside the traveler. He used the mainsheet apparatus as a handle. Just my $.02. Geof
About 15 years ago, my wife and I were honeymooning on Virgin Gorda. We were at the crawl and a 35 footer or so came in and dropped the lunch hook. After awhile they rigged a hammock chair to the boom, dropped the lifelines and swung a young man over the side, letting him down into the water. They placed him in an inflatable pool float like thing to let him check out the reef etc. As I recall it was clear plastic and acted like a lens, or a glass bottom boat. I never got close enough to see how the tackle was rigged on the boat, but my guess is that the young man wieghed about 140 or so. It seemed like a great idea. I've seen similar hammock chairs for sale in homegood stores and also hiking stores. Oh yeah, my memory is faded, but I think he was attached to the boom somewhere near 80% out from the mast, about a body width outside the traveler. He used the mainsheet apparatus as a handle. Just my $.02. Geof
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