Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Two people over the weekend trashed their under-deck-ladders by leaving them down and hitting ground with them and then talking to my brother last night , oh I did that, he just didn't hit anything

So I guess I need to make it idiot proof some way, I could just hook it into the safety lock out so it wouldn't start with ladder down, but I think some kind of flag that pops up so you can see it would be the way to go.

They don't make replacement parts but Jay from PS gave me a discount codes for these guys to use to replace it at half cost, I love the customer service at Pontoon Stuff, they didn't have to do that, but did it anyway

Or clip the boat keys to the ladder.

Tlowry wrote:

Or clip the boat keys to the ladder.

They would have to remember to do it, I think I'll want one that pops up and folds away with the ladder

HandymanHerb wrote:Two people over the weekend trashed their under-deck-ladders by leaving them down and hitting ground with them and then talking to my brother last night , oh I did that, he just didn't hit anything

So I guess I need to make it idiot proof some way, I could just hook it into the safety lock out so it wouldn't start with ladder down, but I think some kind of flag that pops up so you can see it would be the way to go.

They don't make replacement parts but Jay from PS gave me a discount codes for these guys to use to replace it at half cost, I love the customer service at Pontoon Stuff, they didn't have to do that, but did it anyway

Why not tie it to a buzzer that is mounted under the helm? even tie in a LED light mounted on the helm that is labeled "LADDER". Wiring would be fairly simple, just make sure your connections are soldered and water proof. You would need a switch (Cherry Switch), LED light, tie the connections in to the console switch so it works only when the switch is in the run position. Only way to stop the buzzing would be close the switch, or in this case put the ladder back in.

Attach it to the top rung?

You could get as elaborate as you want but I like the simple approach.

I have water proof micro switches so I can make it alarm or make it not start, hook it into the safety switch, I just hate adding another something else to fail and no let it start, so the alarm that fires when the key is turned on if the ladder is down

How about a mercury tilt switch scavenged from an old thermostat. Mount it on or even in the ladder frame. Down, it closes a circuit, up it open. Should be waterproof and last forever. I have a rule, last person in gets the ladder. Anyone who forgets, gets held under till the bubbles stop.

Tim

That would only work if your on the boat every time, right now my boats sitting at Hurricane's on the Harris Chain, Brother and Sister n Law decided to see what it looked like mid week, and they are loving it, SIL riding around topless and the Brother doesn't seem to mind either

SIL riding around topless and the Brother doesn't seem to mind either

Ok Herb, post it on NHB or it never happened.

margaritaman wrote:

SIL riding around topless and the Brother doesn't seem to mind either

Ok Herb, post it on NHB or it never happened.

Yep.

Never thought I'd see such a liberal posting on here. What happened to personal responsibility? After all it's the captains job to either have a mate or personally clear the boat for underway. Unfortunately the best way to learn responsibility is often through ones pocketbook who failed to be responsible.

Yep I just don't want to be one who has to pay extra for stupid, and my brother is still a pontoon newbee and refuses to read to learn, so I don't want to help pay for him to learn, anymore than I have too

same sop for years for me. whenever ladder or anchor go down, beer coozie goes over my shift arm. It's worked well for me because I need things simple. it's pretty easy to remember. yeah I
had to learn the hard way.

I going to have several people operating our toon, I know it won't be long till the nephew will be taking it out with his friends, so something you don't have to remember to do is the way to go for me.

Dad uses clothes pins on the Bus for the TV antenna and a few things easy to forget, when he set them he takes the pins and it goes on the wheel, writes on the pins is what it is for, but then he is the only one driving it and he has paid for mistakes already, besides he has sons who can do things for him