"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Oct 26, 7:06 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
Hi! Looking to pick your brains a little. I am making some major
changes
to my boat this year. Some of you think I'm nuts & that alot of these
changes are not necessary. I remind you that my wife is eager to go back
cruising for a year or two at a time and lots of your wives are not.
:-).

One of the additions we are looking for is the addition of a swim
platform.
Our boat is a Gulfstar 41' Auxillary (the sailboat hull & not the trawler
hull). This vessel is a centre cockpit. We are looking to build a swim
platform on the stern as well as a fairly substantial boarding ladder
from
the platform to deck level. I'd like the platform to be fairly sturdy.

Please post your advise, observations & experience. I need to have some
ideas on design, construction methods & pitfalls I've not yet imagined.

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing.

Hi, Glenn, and group,

I put a platform on our boat in the course of our refit, and if you'd
like a link to the pictures agonizingly/excruciatingly documenting
that in my gallery, I'll send it along.

However, a couple of my design thoughts as I built it we

Not at the sea level, as it will take a beating in following seas.
Ours is halfway, which in our case is 2' up.

The form of the platform follows the hull line so at heel, it's not in
the water.

There's a ladder which can be lowered from in the water for safety to
board if accidentally overboard.

We have yet to put in a transom step, but we may, as it's a big step
up.

We extended and beefed up the standard West Marine platform in order
to provide a 30" base. With our reverse, we lost ~8" tucked under.

We used both tension and compression in the mount, with brackets at
the transom and tubing from the sides with a very substantial SS L for
the stern support. If you don't have both, you'll need huge brackets
and put the transom under enormous load. You'll want to allow for the
seas whacking on it either from above or below. For all that, our
stern sags, and the L was apparently inadequate, even at 1/8x1.5. If
you do that support design, I'd recommend 1/4"

HTH...

FWIW, yours is one of the boats we considered; I believe it will take
this mod very well. And, you're very right about the wife wanting to
go cruising. I can't tell you how many folks we've encountered -
including here in Cambridge, where I've got another Morganite giving
me a ride to West and other provisioning today - where the dream is
stillborn, or, worse, orphaned, where the wife leaves...

Good on you, and enjoy every moment, including the refit.

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
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"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to
make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
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hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)


Thanks Skip. Appreciated for sure. Glad to hear from someone who's thought
through the issues. I would appreciate pictures and other information
regarding the construction and installation of a swim platform. You can
post links or email to me. My hotmail address is globaltek2000...sorry,
just encrypting a little to prevent spam.

Yes, it's becoming clearer about the wife & cruising. If all it takes to
have a happy wife, eager to go cruising is a few boat comfort additions, I'm
in. I'm happy to to live pretty spartan, but sure like having my wife
along. We're planning to go for a year and a half this time, maybe longer
next...or maybe we'll never go 'home'. :-)

Thanks Skip!

Glenn.