Making it easier to Board

Upon arrival at home base in Port Deposit, my wife Carol met us at the slip. Her first comment was that she was "unable to board" as the distance from the floating dock to the boat's deck was too far and too high.

I had anticipated that boarding might be an issue and had purchased a small but sturdy aluminum two step ladder, but it did not really meet the need. The orientation parallel to the boat made it clumsy to reach the ladder as the "A" frame placed the steps too far away, and placing the ladder perpendicular did not seem stable enough.

First response was to change from a ladder to a sturdy 17" stool. 

The stool solved the height issue, but not the reach. Even with the boat pulled to within 6-8 inches from dock (thickness of fender) it was still a long step from the stool over the gunwale onto the deck. Clearly some form of "stepover" step was required that provided a step attached to the boat outside of the gunwale. 

The example above is one solution--beautifully made. Principle is using the rub rail to support the weight.  I did not however care for the small metal attaching hooks.  

Using the rub rail as a step was a possibility--like the picture below. I had used this "method" of boarding (without the teak tread) as my personal boarding step. But it seemed to small (not deep enough).

It seemed to me that I could make a step that hooked over the gunwale with weight carried by the rub rail and the gunwale railing. I made a pattern using cardboard, using scissors and duct tape to create the shape and fit.  Then I constructed the step from 3/4" select pine 1x12 board. The only wood available at Home Depot was pine, poplar or oak. Pine was a bit weaker, but easier to work with--important since I would be using "amateur" level woodworking tools.

I considered aluminum, but the material was just too expensive and I would need to hire a professional to TIG weld it.

I cut the pieces with a circular saw and a jig saw. Used a 4 inch grinder, a Dremel grinder and oribital sander to shape and finish. I used a router to cut grooves for the joints and assembled with screws and epoxy. Since it was pine, I added reinforcement to the sides and the tread, making them 1 1/2 inches thick. 

To fit the unit to the boat, I actually whittled with a knife to get a precise fit--the goal being for the weight to be shared by the gunwale and the rub rail...and "torque" to be shared by the gunwale and the hull below the rub rail. 

I then painted with white automotive lacquer and caulked the joints/cracks.  Finally, added two aluminum strips to the step tread for traction. Below is a pic with a t-square adjacent to allow a sense of dimensions.

The unit should be reasonably weather resistant and easier to store, place and remove.

For some, a  one or two step stool will be a welcome addition. For more agile passengers and crew, this step should be enough. One foot on dock, the other on step, left hand on boat railing, right hand on flybridge step bar as you step over gunwale.  Below is a pic of the final setup.

Protecting the boat from Floating Docks

The Grand Banks 36 Classic was clearly designed for the typical fixed dock with pilings to rub against. It has a sturdy perimeter rub rail with an additional lower rail on the rear section.

This additional lower rail on the rear section is about the same height above the water as a typical floating dock, presenting a risk of interference with the boat moving up and down in wave action. (Boats move considerably more up/down than the floating dock finger from wave action.)

Two precautionary items were added. First a round buoy fender is hung to be just below the rail--almost touching the water. This prevents the rail from contacting the dock structure.

In addition, using 3" PVC Sch 40 pipe, I made "L" shaped "bridge" fenders or "PVC Boat Guards" to prevent the dock edge surface from entering the space between the lower rub rail and the hull. These "bridge" fenders or PVC Boat Guards can also be helpful when docking as they prevent contact with the dock surface and slide easily as the boat enters the slip. 

Many claim that you can rely on the padding on the dock edge to protect the hull, but my experience is that this padding is often missing, misplaced, or has protruding staples or nails that can damage a hull. Fenders and PVC Boat Guards can "get in the way" if you enter the slip with the front of the hull sliding against the dock edge, but I believe that even in windy conditions, you should be able to get the boat far enough into the slip, clear of the dock edge, so that if there is contact, it is against a fender or PVC Boat Guard.

As a final extra precaution, I add a fender at the front, just ahead of where the hull tapers, to protect the hull on initial entry--just in case.  So during entry, there are a total of 6 cylindrical fenders, 2 round fenders and 2 PVC Boat Guards. Resting in the slip, I lift the two front fenders as they are not needed once the bow is secured by lines. 

Grand Day Out's hull has no scratches in 36 years of operation. I hope to maintain that record with an abundance of caution and care.