has anyone installed a side gate on their boat, the girl I sail with is very short, and when coming to a dock she can't step over the life line to secure the boat with the dock lines, she was requesting a gate about midship, anyone ever do this?
Mine has pelican clips on the two lifelines that span the cockpit. Just unclip and easy access to cockpit.
Bob,
YES on C30, because his wife was feeble, but concept is the same. Isn't it crazy how unsafe manufacturers locate their gates? Obviously they all sail off a ball and not from a slip!!!
Actually PO moved the gate to midship (I wish he had left both and it's on my "Z List" to restore the cockpit gate.) He reversed the gate stanchion and added another gate stanchion forward (the gate width is about 2'?, guessing.)
But you could do it w/o out doing either -- leave the gate stanchion as is, modify lines to terminate in eyes on fwd side. Install pelican hooks on the lines forward of the gate stanchion. The remaining stanchion will be a little dicey when the gate is open, but if it's only for a crew member to reach the dock and not used to grab onto when boarding/disembarking, then it may be ok. Otherwise might need to add the 2nd set of gate stanchions.
Difficult to see the reversed and added stanchions, but if you zoom in on the ladder that's where where my gates are.
-kk
Bob,
I have changed my gates to mid ship. Also have a first mate with short legs. Would be glad to take a pic and post it. Will not be back to the boat until Tuesday of this week.
Paul
Hi Bob,
I have boarding gates on both sides at the end of the cockpit. They both open and close with pelican clips on the lifeline. Works very well. Attached some photo's of my boat and one of my neighbors C36 who has the boarding gate further forward to midship.
My mid ship gates are similar to Jon W. A little further to mid ship.
Paul
Bob : I thought that if I ever wanted side boarding - I'd get another "double legged" stanchion and replace it where the vented stanchion is.
Then do some life line work and vent the holding tank out the side.
A thought
My 1990 has one big gate as pictured, between gate stanchion and push pit. Lifelines disconnected via pelican hooks and I double them back and hook them to the lifelines forward when boarding/unboarding/at the dock.
Bob, I did the very think that Ron Hill is suggesting. Also, vented my holding tank and water tank out the side. I think that you can find this discussion about 3 or 4 years back. I will take a few pics tomorrow and post them.
Paul
Quotethe girl I sail with is very short, and when coming to a dock she can't step over the life line to secure the boat with the dock lines,
Bob,
I rarely need some one to step off the boat for dock lines. I dock with a spring line and use a bit of power and rudder to hold the boat to the dock. I single hand a lot. Home dock is real easy with a spring line on a hook that I just grab. Visiting a dock I can usually toss a line over a cleat or piling and spring to that. I got the technic from a guy "Captain Klang", that I saw at a boat show, was a video online showing that. I couldn't find it may be some one here know where it is. I'm not saying a midship gate wouldn't be a good idea. Especially if your girl friend wants it. I'm just saying that it's possible to dock and get all the dock lines set before stepping off the boat. Try searching this site for "spring line" and "single handing". Or google "single handing + docking".
FWIW. My Lady Friend is a few inches shorter than me, I'm 5'6", and a few years younger, I'm 69. Haven't had any problems docking yet.
Good luck with your docking and your girl friend.
Jim
Here is the pic of my mid ship gate. Use it for getting on and off the boat. My mid ship gate has nothing to do with docking. Just the convenience of getting on and off the boat at dock.
Paul
I find that the midship springline docking technique (while can be elegant) greatly depends on the configuration (length and width) of the slip. In my case, where my slip is slightly shorter than my boat, arrowhead shaped at the bow, with a dock box on the angle corner, and only a fender width between me and my neighbor--it doesn't give me much time or "runway/wiggle room" to be looping/lassoing/and stopping--before crunching.
Noah the trick is to have the line preset and waiting for you at the dock. As you approach, drop the looped spring line over your midship cleat and the rest is easy.
Ken- i have started a new midship spring line thread.
Bob, I'd put pelican clips at the lifeline segment adjacent to the shrouds. This will give her a nice handhold until she steps off.
Hi,
My lifeline does open the cockpit length like Noah's picture.
But sure doesn't help docking.
But just a question, lifeline height is about 22" high.
My spouse is not a tall women either, she hold the shroud with one hand, step over the lifeline to step on the toerail facing boat.
With her other hand will grabe the dockline that was on the deck, or still have it with same hand holding shroud.
When we are at proper distance to the dock, she will step down to the dock backward holding herself to the shroud/lifeline.
The rule is not to jump on the dock, if we are not in a good position, we get away and do it over. Worst case, I prefer a scratch on the boat than a broken ankle.
Thank you all for your advice, I like how the post morphed into spring line docking, I will use some of those ideas as well, the side gate I want really isn't all about docking, I sailed a 42 catalina the last two days with a midship gate, really liked it as it was always close to the dock. my current oem gate is usually away from the dock a bit, when I get new people on board they hesitate to step over onto the boat. Also I like boat projects. Thanks everyone. Now, how do I get those new pelican hooks swaged onto my existing life lines. Gotta research that as well
Stepping onto the boat from the dock is an issue for my admiral too.
Solution was to add a grab rail on the Dodger. The additional confidence of having something solid to grab makes all the difference.
Paul
Quotethe side gate I want really isn't all about docking, I sailed a 42 catalina the last two days with a midship gate, really liked it as it was always close to the dock. my current oem gate is usually away from the dock a bit
Bob,
For that reason I tie up my boat at an angle to put the cockpit (aft) closer to the dock. The distance to the dock is just over 1 fender diameter wide.
Jim
We have a FenderStep http://www.fenderstep.com that we use at the shrouds to let my shorter Significant Other step off onto the dock from my C30. We just have a couple 5/16" lines with brass clips that we loop around the stanchion bases. Clipped together, we loop it over one of the primary winches for getting out of the dinghy alongside the boat. Sorry, I don't have a picture. My C30 actually appears to be about three to four inches higher at the toerail than a C34 that's across the dock from us. That can make a significant difference for us altitudinally challenged sailors. (Although cabin height and vberth length becomes less of an issue). :D
Craig