wheelchair friendly models

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bansil
Posts: 1103
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 4:10 pm
Location: Watâ'gi lake...Beautiful Waters

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#16 Post by bansil » Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:21 pm

Maybe 3-1/2" total if I had to guess, about 3inches into hole and maybe 1/4 in bottom :donno

The flexing from deck will be fixed with a nice big rigid backing plate.

Wish you were close this could be a fun project
Check out "Dudes" site www.whereisdude.com

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#17 Post by Flanker » Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:05 am

I am a para L2, been boating from a wheelchair for the last 34 years. I have a 09 Crestliner Bataba Bay model. The port door is wide enough for my chair to get through and I transfer to the Captains seat. My house is on the Ohio River, but there is a boat ramp 2 doors down. I built a platform that sticks out from my deck and we pull the boat and trailer up next to that and I roll right on the boat and my wife launches the boat with me in it. As far as ramps I have a piece of plywood that I can slide out from the ramp but most times we don't use it because the wife has gotten good at pulling up within 6 inches of the deck. I use 26" tires on my chair so bumping over a 6" gap is no biggie.
Hope this helps being in a chair you learn to figure out things quickly.
Welcome to the Gimp Navy!
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

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bansil
Posts: 1103
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Location: Watâ'gi lake...Beautiful Waters

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#18 Post by bansil » Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:55 pm

Flanker :drunks
Thanks for chiming in,, I was shooting from the hips with no knowledge, other than wanting him to enjoy the water
Check out "Dudes" site www.whereisdude.com

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#19 Post by Flanker » Fri Jun 18, 2021 1:26 pm

Bansil, that's what it all about!
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

JerryTx
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas area

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#20 Post by JerryTx » Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:36 am

Bansil - would be nice if I had someone like you to help flesh this thing out. Hopefully I'll find someone similar on our water.

Flanker - Dude, you are a water freak, 34 years is quite an accomplishment. I'm 17yrs in, but have done my best to keep things interesting. I have a TomCo motorcycle, it has a wheelchair sidecar, and the handlebars are moved over to the sidecar. Freaks people out when they see me and there's no one on the bike. I also took a seat lift, that is designed for motorhome entry, and had a welder put it on the trailer of a bass boat. I would get in and my wife would back the boat in, worked really well, but the rough ride got to be too much for her(I got it up to 53 gps), so we sold it. Depending on how smooth a pontoon ride is, I may have to putt around when we get her out for fishing(her passion), and hike it up when she's not in it.

I'm hoping that by having a ramp on the boat will allow me to stop at other docks, to have more options while out. My sister and b-i-l have a boat on the lake and I have asked them to go around and measure dock to water space at restaurants and bars on the water, see if my thinking will play out. I have 25" wheels so could probably do that gap you mention, not sure I want to though. :) How wide is your chair? I'm in an 18x18 seat, and have a friend with a 28" bathroom door frame(I got him to get offset hinges for the door), and I have to paddle on top of the tire to squeak thru, so really want a 30" gate at least.

I appreciate y'all giving input and putting out ideas for me, I'm at the "sponge" level of dealing with pontoons, so everything helps.

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#21 Post by Flanker » Sat Jul 03, 2021 10:30 am

Sorry it took so long to reply. My chair is just under 24" it is a Ti-Lite Sports chair. The port side door is the only door wide enough to let me through. You just have to figure it out as you go which it sounds like you have with your bike. I did have a Bentley before this boat and it seemed like all the doors on that one were big enough. Hang in there buddy!
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

Steiner
Posts: 390
Joined: Thu Aug 01, 2019 7:51 am
Location: Lyman, SC

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#22 Post by Steiner » Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:04 pm

Godfrey makes a few models specifically labelled as handicap accessible. Here's a few, but you can download their brochure and any model that ends in "H" is handicap accessible.

https://www.godfreypontoonboats.com/en- ... sbh/specs/

https://www.godfreypontoonboats.com/en- ... rlh/specs/

https://www.godfreypontoonboats.com/en- ... sbh/specs/

https://www.godfreypontoonboats.com/en- ... c4h/specs/
2019 G3 SunCatcher V322 SS tritoon, Yamaha F200
2019 F-150 XLT SuperCrew FX4, 3.5L EcoBoost Max Trailer Tow Package

JerryTx
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas area

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#23 Post by JerryTx » Tue Jul 06, 2021 1:16 pm

Flanker - no worries about delay, I definitely am in no rush. Still working on getting bulkhead built, and house design. You're in a 24" wide chair, dang you're one of those "fit dudes" :biggrin2 Do you have any slack room coming thru the port gate, or is it tight? Yeah you're right, we have to figure everything out along the way, our life is a matter of inches. Just trying to make sure that my plan makes it a breeze to want to go boating. I've had some halfass ideas, that "almost" fit the bill, but not good enough to want to keep on doing it.

Question for all, having to build house and pier/boathouse; if the house uses up most of the width of the lot, should I build the boathouse first for easier access of whatever the builder needs to get down to work area? We haven't really thought out the water structures yet, I was thinking of them being last, but have heard otherwise too.

Steiner - That just makes too much sense, "h" for handicap, somebody did their job right. Man, I am drooling at the amount of open deck space in the models you posted, I am going to scour their site, see if they have some H fishing models. Thank you very much.

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#24 Post by Flanker » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:30 pm

Yes it is tight but there is a little wiggle room. I like the Godfrey's and I like that they have thought it out. If I ever buy another toon you can bet I will check them out.
Regarding the boathouse. If your going to have space issues getting equipment and materials in and out then by all means build it first.
Think outside the box and you will figure it out, Trial and error is a way of life for us.
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#25 Post by Flanker » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:43 pm

Jerry there is a whole discussion regarding Pontoons and Wheelchairs on Facebook called Spinal Cord Injury USA Group
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

JerryTx
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas area

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#26 Post by JerryTx » Sat Jul 10, 2021 2:48 pm

Hey Flanker,

I'm an old curmudgeon, no FB for me, have my wife trying to check it out, thanks. My whole career was layout design of integrated circuits, but have no need to social media. It's funny, my best friend "just" retired, and he has been an I.T. grunt up thru manager level, Cisco is where he retired from, and he still uses a flip-phone, absolutely refuses a smart phone. He just bought another flip, because his was 3G only and AT&T told him it was retiring 3G, his new one will do 4G. :rofl

edit: my wife tried, and I tried searching for pontoons(and combinations of your post) and we don't get anything relating to pontoons. Do you have a direct link to it? There's a couple groups with very similar names and maybe she joined the wrong one? thanks

Godfrey looks really nice in their setups, only problem, I can't find any fishing layouts that are accessible. When I get serious, and if I can't find anything on the used market, I'll hit them up to see if I can mix&match some fishing seats into their h/c layouts. Not really particular front or back, but she'd prefer front.

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Rick McC.
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Location: Weeki Wachee, Fl

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#27 Post by Rick McC. » Tue Jul 13, 2021 8:01 pm

Qwest makes some pretty nice fishing models.

https://qwestpontoons.com/Qwest-Pontoon ... ction=view

We absolutely love our Qwest; by far the best pontoon we ever had.

99C998A0-11CD-4A74-BFCB-D95870C7D077.jpeg
99C998A0-11CD-4A74-BFCB-D95870C7D077.jpeg (422.27 KiB) Viewed 11226 times
Rick

Sights are for the unenlightened.

JerryTx
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas area

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#28 Post by JerryTx » Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:50 pm

Rick, that is definitely one fine looking boat. I like the looks of that floorplan you linked. I will have to find out how wide the aisle and gate is. Future nearest dealer is 2 hrs away, kind of a bummer.

Have I asked you before... how wide is your port gate?

For the ugly look of the ramp, I got an idea, if I can "de-skin" the gate I replace, I hope to mount the skin on the underside of the ramp. That way most of the outside will look pretty stock when the ramp is up. Will have to see how the ramp lands to see how far up I can go, no sense in scraping up the skin by hitting the dock all the time. Could paint the underside the same....

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Rick McC.
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Re: wheelchair friendly model

#29 Post by Rick McC. » Thu Jul 15, 2021 8:32 am

Port gate is 22 1/2”, bow gate is 28 1/2”, stern gate is 14 1/2”. Ours is a Luxury Series with Lanai seating, a small bar, and three Captain’s chairs, plus bench seating, so it’s not a fishing model.

The guy where we bought ours gave me a Quest brochure (more of a book really) on my first stop there. Itmhas a bunch of pictures, specs, and floor plans for all their models. I’m guessing that they may have that online as well.
Rick

Sights are for the unenlightened.

Flanker
Posts: 86
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:11 am
Location: Prospect KY

Re: wheelchair friendly models

#30 Post by Flanker » Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:50 am

Try this: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2014869075503756
I'm not much better with social media, only got on FB because I was bored during Covid.
Retired Electrical Contractor here.
Westport KY
Ohio River/McAlpine Pool
2009 Crestliner Bataba Bay
150 Merc

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