Ideas needed for making side mounting boarding ramp.

[Silver Eagle]

I want to build a ramp that I can use to get into the boat from the ground level in the water. I can't get in the boat once I'm in the water. My legs aren't working like they used too. I was thinking about getting an Alumn. ramp like they use for loading 4 wheelers on to a trailer but I haven't figured how to mount it.I want it to go along the side of the boat then when I want to get into the water I could unfold the ramp and just walk up or down. The mounting is the problem. any Ideas. I was thinking of getting a chair lift and just swinging it over the side and lowering it up or down. Then just using a step at the bottom of the cable.

[MH Hawker]

I have thought about that sort of thing to A close friend is in a wheel chair. I have thought about making some sort of a ramp on one of the side gates I can drop to the dock and make it a permanent attachment instead of a gate.

[Bamby]

I can't see any know ramp to me at least working for your needs or situation. In most cases a ramp long enough to reach bottom would haft to be either extremely long in length or very steep and therefor unsafe. Then there is the twist factor being that river and lake bottoms are rarely flat in bottom contour. I saved a few photos from a thread on here sometime back of a lift a member designed that could maybe work for your needs. I'll attach the photo's below...

Lift Hoist1.JPG (897.16 KiB) Viewed 2362 times

Lift hoist2.JPG (889.99 KiB) Viewed 2361 times

lift hoist3.JPG (841.84 KiB) Viewed 2360 times

My files say I copied the 5/11/11 so the thread was probably active about that time if you want to look for it.

[JohnO]

I don't know the weight restrictions but there is a company that makes inflatable dog boarding ramps that float semi-submerged. The dog swims between the two floats and walks onto a sloping net that lets him walk up to just short of deck level. perhaps something like this would work?

[JohnO]

http://www.petclassics.com/Water-Ramps- ... mp.29.html Dog-on boat ramp.

http://www.petclassics.com/Water-Ramps- ... gs.46.html Aqua Stairs

[Silver Eagle]

I liike the Griffin lift idea. I've been using a 6 ft fiber glass ladder.

[STEVEBRENDA]

Silver Eagle, that is my lift in the picture. I sent you a PM on 2-15-2013.

[lakerunner]

That's a great set up but the cost of the lift is way up there. Would this work using a small winch?

[STEVEBRENDA]

It might work with a small winch. Anything can be fabricated. Alot of it just matter how slick and clean you want it.

If you were like me, I was at the point of not being able to get in the water (well not back out anyway). It was either do something like this or give up swimming. If I can't swim, I have no desire to boat in the heat.

I see on ebay (link below) where you can buy a used lift for $1,172. It probably will cost you less than $500 for the frame with sturdy new material. So for under $1,700 I am able to continue to boating. I think that is a bargain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waverley-Glen-G ... 3a7d968ed5

[lakerunner]

Thanks for the link. I know what you mean by having no desire to go if you can't enjoy what you like

[lakerunner]

It might work with a small winch. Anything can be fabricated. Alot of it just matter how slick and clean you want it.

If you were like me, I was at the point of not being able to get in the water (well not back out anyway). It was either do something like this or give up swimming. If I can't swim, I have no desire to boat in the heat.

I see on ebay (link below) where you can buy a used lift for $1,172. It probably will cost you less than $500 for the frame with sturdy new material. So for under $1,700 I am able to continue to boating. I think that that is a bargain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waverley-Glen-G ... 3a7d968ed5

I got the lift for $900.00, new was $2300

[curtiscapk]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!11

Thats a steal!

You deserve whatever makes you enjoyment easier!!!1


Thanks Loyd!

[lakerunner]

Thanks Craig, Been looking for something to help get in and out of boat for a while. We didn't go last year hardly at all because of shot knees. Ladders are killers for fat guys with bad joints.

[STEVEBRENDA]

Thru pms Loyd expressed interest in how I built my lift. To make it easier for him to have the information in one place and to share with anyone else interested in building a similiar lift, I have opted to post information how I came about my lift.
____________________________________________________

I used all 1” x 4” aluminum; I do not remember what thickness.
I believe the aluminum totaled about $185.
I bought it at Shapiro. They are out of St Louis, but I had my delivered to the lake. Just cost a few bucks more. It was very easy to order thru them on the internet, offering the metal in various lengths and thicknesses, etc.. I believe I bought two 8' and a 4', but not sure.

[u]What I have: [/u]
The Frame- basically what you saw in the picture is what it is. 1”x 4”, riveted together. It has two angle braces on each side to keep in square and strong.
Attaching: Looking at the 1st picture, by the man’s foot we attached and angle with a bolt that rests in a hole on the pontoon’s aluminum angle. This keeps it from sliding back and forth, etc. In the second picture, just below his hand, you can see where a plate was riveted onto the frame. This overlaps onto the pontoon’s frame. We then put a pin in that runs thru the plate and then thru the pontoon’s frame. We did this on both sides.

The frame can be taken down in two minutes by pulling the pins on both sides. We usually leave it up except in winter when we seal the boat up pretty tight.

We put a SS eyebolt in the top for the lift to hook to.

I will edit post as I remember things in more detail.