swim platform grab handle

[craw_daddy]

I got the boat out this weekend & we had a great afternoon & evening out on the water. We anchored near a spoil island off the ICW & grilled hamburgers, swam, watched the sunset, enjoyed some cold drinks -a great summer day in FL. My kids & I swam around & I noticed that there should be a handle a little higher up near the stern light to make it more comfortable to board the platform from the swim ladder. I was thinking a rope grab or some fixed handle near the light. My kids just left the transom cooler hatch open -which works, but partially blocks the transom door opening. Has anyone else notice this & come up with a 'clean' solution?

Thanks, --Dave

[DougSea]

When I was looking for my 28 one of the boats I checked out had this handle:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... ssNum=null

Which was mounted just under the stern light. I've considered mounting something like it but I find I'm able to grab the hand holds in the swim platform and haul myself out of the water so I may not bother. On one of my earlier boats I tied off a knoted line from a stern cleat to help climbing out.

[jgolm]

I purchased a stainless handle and mounted it dead center on the transom about one foot above the platform. It works great in getting this old body out of the water

[mhanna]

I just put one on my boat a few weeks ago, it makes getting up on the swim platform sooo much easier.
Be careful on what model, I wanted to use the one in the link above but with that one you need to get washers and nuts on from the back. There is very little room in between the fishbox and the transom to get your hands in. I even took out the stern light to try to get tools in there but could not. I ended up putting one that was able to be done from the outside.
I will take a picture of it and post.

Matt

[mhanna]

Sorry it took a bit, here is the picture of the grab handle. I mounted it above the rub rail,,, it just seemed to work best for me and so far everyone likes it. It should be standard on the boat, oh well...
I tried to use another one with the nuts on the back, I could not get to the back of it to tighten them.

[img][img]http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u40/ ... handle.jpg[/img]

Matt

[craw_daddy]

Thanks Matt -did you fasten it with wood screws? That's what I was thinking about. It looks really good!

[mhanna]

I picked up some Stainless screws when I got the handle. 1.5 inch long I think and got the biggest ones they had that would fit through the holes in the handle (was looking for as much thread as possible). It turns out that below the rubrail there is a fair amount of transom to screw to (if you take out the stern light you can see its about 1.5" thick). But above the rail its more like 1/4-3/8" of fiberglass. I would have liked to back it up, but by using the proper drill bit size there is a nice fit and it holds strong.
You usually can tell if something is not going to stay, I think this will.

I got the handle from boaters world

Matt

[fairtide]

Luckily, I never needed to deploy the swim ladder for an unexpected re-entry to the boat, but when I had the boat hauled, I took a look at how the swim ladder was secured. My '06 28 has a nylon strap just like one on a PFD, with the plastic fittings on either side of the strap ends. From onboard, it would be next to impossible to reach under the platform, locate the plastic lock and, with two hands, unfasten it. The ladder still would need to be wiggled into position so that it could be lowered.
From the water, one would need to tread water while using two hands to undo the clasp and then try to lower the ladder. In the meantime, the platform might be bobbing up and down as if to want to come upside of your head.
Clearly, this installation leaves lots to be desired. Do any of you have any suggestions for making the use of the swim ladder safer and possible?

[Denis]

I made a very small bungee, maybe 3/16" thick, with SS ends on it. I made two loops around the edge of the swim platform and around the ladder. You can hold on with one hand and undo the bungee with the other or you could make a nylon strap with a snap and put the male end of the snap on the platform and the female end with the strap attached to the ladder. Fairtide, where are you located if you don't mind me asking? Denis

[fairtide]

Our 28TE, "Fair Tide" is berthed at Shattemuc Yacht Club in Ossining, NY, on the Hudson River about 25 miles north of lower Manhattan. If you have a road map of the area, look on the east side of the Hudson just below Peekskill which is about the largest city nearby. Lat 41deg' 09N; 073deg 52min.W.

[Denis]

Thanks, Fairtide. I thought I met you this summer in RI, the boat had a similar name. I used Marinas.com to get a view of your marina, it's a cool program, try it. You can zoom in on an individual boat if you want.
Denis