Adding Kid Safety To The 240SD Platform

[denwatson]

One of our favorite times in the boating day on the California Delta is to drop the hook in one of our favorite anchorages for lunch. We throw a large tube out with a line, put the kid's jackets on, pop a cork and let them paddle around while we eat, chat, listen to some music and keep an eye on the rugrats. I was curious why the kids didn't spend more time at the stern platform but preferred the tube instead. After asking my oldest grandkid why she answered " there's nothing to hang onto Gramps". Sure enough, the platform is off the water, wet and there is only the ladder to grab. Being a boat junkie I check a lot of manufacturer's web sites. Cobalt, whose boats I do admire installs a nifty SS rail all the way around their platform. So, at the recommendation of our mechanic I visited a local boatyard in Ventura, CA. They hooked me up with their SS fabricator, a great guy who spent an hour with me designing a one inch SS rail. Then he dropped the price tag a cool $1000 to $1500 depending on labor costs. Well, just too much money for the time the kids spend hanging on. I started investigating SS grab rails/bars. There is a radius involved on that platform that must be accommodated and the longer the rail the more difficult for the radius. While puzzeling over this I noticed what Sea Ray has used all over the boat. A highly polished 8 inch bar. So I ordered four of the grab bars from Sea Ray at $32 per bar. The short bar made the radius easier to deal with. We mounted the four bars where the radius was less pronounced. Either side of the ladder and close to the transom. I worried about sealant and gaskets but investigating the ladder showed no evidence of either just SS thru bolted. The bars from Sea Ray have the bolt welded into the bar so it's just a matter of nylon lock nuts and washers. They don't fit perfectly as you can see in the photos and I hope they won't cause any long term water damage to the platform integrity but they are damn handy to hang onto. They also match the grab bars in the rest of the boat which gives a little factory look. Cinch the nuts down securely but beware of gel coat gracks if you go too far. The grandkids spend more time at the platform now and that's a good thing.

 

[JediJD]

Good work and a great idea!

Just musing about how to get them to square up (although they look fine as is). I recently bought some nylon plastic door hinge shims...about an inch or so square. Wonder if one of them on each side could fit between the handle and the deck to allow tightening without stressing the gelcoat and give you a perfect fit?

 

[denwatson]

Thanks JD, could work. I'll check my local Do It Center for the shims to see if they will work.

 

[Jdr01930]

Those kids have an awesome grandfather!

 

[denwatson]

Hey thanks JDR, that's what it's all about. I suspect you are a family guy or gal too!!! De

 

[dpmulvey]

Great mod. In fact I think you did better than the "Cobalt" style mod. That Cobalt rail scares me. All I can think is catching a toe or jamming a finger in there. OWEEEE. Your style appears to give a lot more holding room.

If the hinge shims don;t do the trick, you could look at poly bushings from an auto zone type store. They are pretty much impervious to the elements and you could sand them to mate the curve.

Great job!

 

[denwatson]

Good point about toes. There is not much room between the SS rail and the edge of the platform on the Cobalt. Now the poly idea is better if they can be sanded to fit. They would need to be kinda wedge shaped that is skinny on the tight fitting end and fatter on the end with the gap. Good idea! Dennis

 

[tcason]

It appears that crack between the stainless handle and swim platform could easily be caulked.
A neat caulk job would not be noticable.