How to take my Husky onboard ...

[Tony E]

Hello all. I just had a great season with my 26X but now its getting down to just above freezing at night here and its time to start to get my X ready for storage for the winter. I learned lots this year and added up the total nights I spent on my X and it added up to 34! One of the last things I want to figure out is how I can take my dog with me on week trips. He's perfect in the boat but it's getting him to shore several times a day for walks and to do his business. I bought a small dingy which I am sure will work ok but has anyone ever put a plank out of the front for a person or dog to walk from? I have learned over the year to gentle park the nose of the X on shore but usually I have to jump down the 5 feet and then miraculously pull myself back into the X. Its not fun at all and very hard to do. There is no way I could lift my dog up that high to put him in. What I was thinking is a portable plank of some kind that is approx. 6 to 8 feet long that when once connected to the front will allow my dog to walk down and up into the boat at will. Has anyone ever heard of this before or has any ideas on this? Thanx for the help again!!!!

[Tomfoolery]

I've seen boat ramps for pets of various types, some that float at the water end, which may work for you. But from the bow would take a very long ramp, and storage is going to be a problem, especially since you'll probably have to make one that long.

[JohnCFI]

It would be better if you could get the boat stern-on rather than bow-on to the beach/landing, kind of Mediterranean mooring style. Then you could do a mod to the boarding ladder/stern. I have never beached the boat though so cannot comment on how hard that is to achieve.

At anchor our Labrador, will if I put the nose of the dinghy, against the ladder (in the down position) go over the front tubes and on/off happily.
Mind you if she goes for a swim, it is always tricky getting her back on board, she weighs about 70 lbs, We lift with her PLB handle, but she does not like it. It must be a real issue with a Husky..

[tlgibson97]

I've wanted to take my dog on the boat too but the logistics of potty breaks for him have always deterred me. He's a basset hound so I would have to lift him in and out of the cabin and try and get him to shore somehow. The lake I sail on usually has either rocks or deep mud around the shore so I would have to investigate possible locations where I could get him off the boat. I'm sure he would be a great sailor. He sleeps all the time. I would at least take some puppy pads to put on the sole for him to use and just deal with those.

[K9Kampers]

I fabricated a transom plank for the pups to board the dinghy & to be able to climb out of the water from swimming. Only use it at anchor and it stows easily below...

[JohnCFI]

I fabricated a transom plank for the pups to board the dinghy & to be able to climb out of the water from swimming. Only use it at anchor and it stows easily below...

I love that, how does it fix and how does it float?? please...

[K9Kampers]

A pair of oarlock sockets are mounted to a length of angle iron that is attached to the swim ladder standoffs...



The oarlocks are mounted to the 'plank'...



Flotation is from two fenders secured to the underside...

[K9Kampers]

You'll notice that the pics show a port and a stbd version. The first mount location was to the stbd side of the motor using snap hooks attached to the steering gear. While this system was convenient and allowed for the unit to swing up to vertical when not in use, it was a bit wobbly that the pups didn't like so much.



The oarlock mounts on the port side, as described, provide a more solid feel but are limited to raise a bit above horizontal. The frame of the dog ramp is constructed of PVC pipe, foam kickboard material and cutting board. The blue underside is a salvaged sheet of plastic. Size & location of the flotation fenders are adequate for a single 20+ lb. dog when using as a swim ramp. When underway, the dog ramp transports in the dinghy, otherwise it is stowed below the cockpit.

Tony E- consider using a transom ramp with the boat parallel to the beach...

[JohnCFI]

Thank you for that, very detailed and clear.... certainly feeding my idea machine

[Tony E]

K so now that I got all of your brains going....lol......K9 the floating ladder thing is pure genius. I think if I use my dingy out the back my dog is big enough to just walk from the X to the dingy and back again. It should almost be perfect. Up in the rocky shield I usually go nose in to land if possible and its a lot easier on me and the boat. I figure I need about a 8 to 10 foot long ramp but if I hinge it in the middle then that will cut the length in half. If I use aluminum then the weight should be manageable and for storage it has to stay up front some how. I was at a lake this weekend that had lots of sandy beaches so I parked for the night nose in. I went to tie up and I jumped out of my X and then after I hit the ground I turned and I was looking at the front rail and I thought......" that was stupid and now how am I going to get back in?" I managed to climb my old and larger frame size body back into the boat but with a lot of effort , pain and grunts....lol. I would never park sideways on a shore because if the waves come up even a bit it could wash you up on shore and the X is one heavy vessel to push out. Has anyone ever seen any pictures of a gang plank? What about a aluminum sliding ladder? think people think....lol....my dog's family fun time trips is counting on you . Thanx for your help:)

[RobertB]

I made a ladder similar to the one shown - used to tie it near the bow when beached and the dogs could climb aboard. Drawback was all the sand tracked on deck and the scratches it caused. Also, the ladder was a pain to store. We now just get them to the stern and pull them on board - sometimes with help from the water. This can be a chore since the transom area is a bit narrow and my dogs are on the small size - 85 and 95 pound Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.

[JohnCFI]

Tony E. If you went stern to the beach, you would drop an anchor some way off the beach, and that should stop you going up the beach, and even help you to pull out.

As for the ladder idea, I am thinking that I will start with one of those really light DIY aluminium ladders about 10-12 feet long, and look for a way to fix it (I do like the rowlocks idea), and then hinge it, somehow, with similar plastic lining/treadway, and a way to quickly fix on/off some fenders for flotation....

God, I have more mods planned than I have time on the water!!

[Tony E]

So here's what I came up with so far. I bought a 12 foot aluminum telescopic ladder. When I have to get out of the front of the boat onto shore I just drop it down and climb down. From there I'll open it up to the full 12 feet and put on a rug center piece ( secured by Velcro) that will give the dog a plank to walk down. I can keep the carpet rolled up and its pretty light if it 10 feet by 1 foot, and the ladder collapses down to 2.5 feet. The whole system can be stored under neath until it has to be used. I think this will work and work well for both us ( the humans ) and the dog. Have you guys ever tried to climb into a MacX from the front when it is up on shore? Sometimes are easier than others but most of the time its a struggle.Last week I went to shore and I jumped down off the front and when I looked at my boat I was eye height with the rail in the front and I thought to my self "oops that was stupid!" I managed to climb back in but not without pulling a muscle here and and ripping something there and a few good swear words!!! I got the ladder from ebay already and now have to work on the carpet part? Do you think that will work? Any other ideas? Also where do I go to learn how to put pictures on my responses on the forum? I tried to figure it out but every site is different.

[yukonbob]

PM'd you how to post pics

[Tony E]

And I thank you for your help Bob:)