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Originally Posted by Lakewinniboater
Hi everyone,
I have a slight dilemma. We just bought a new house and it comes with a slip. However, the slip is limited to a boat that is no longer than 22'8''.
I will be keeping my boat for this year since I have the slip and what not paid for... my boat is 2003 28 ft. cruiser.
My question is..... we went to the boat show and I HATE everything under 24ft. However, I had an idea.... most of the 24 ft boats i like (because they have a head and better seating...like the Cobalt bow rider). My idea is.... if I can find a 24 ft that doesn't have an integrated swim platform and the hull is no more than 22'8'' (which most work out to be) CAN I find a REMOVABLE swimplatform?? Or one that will fold UP when docked? I know it sounds silly but I saw the Malibu ski boats have a removable swim platform and it got me to thinking!
Any ideas and who would i see for it?????? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy |
In a direct answer to your question above, the good news is that I'm sure that you can find one (swim platform) or have one custom made. There are pre-made platforms in the West Marine catalog as well as phone #'s for a company that'll make you a custom platform from dimensions you supply. The trick is to make it removable (or fold-able ?). Most of the "add on" type of platforms have either L brackets or strut running from the outer edge of the platform to a point low on the transom (for support). I can envision brackets on the transom that would allow the L brackets on a removable platform to slide in from above and then lock in place. I can't direct you to someone who could make something like this for you but perhaps a marina could.
Alternately perhaps you could have one custom made that folds. The first few to 6 inches would be rigidly attached to the transom. The remainder would be hinged across the platform and fold up when not in use. When dropped into place you'd need some added support which could be done either wire cables from above (arrg, trip hazard) or swinging arms from under the platform. The arms would pivot from under the rigid section and swing out to support the extended section (think of an old drop leaf table). This might be easier to do than a removable and answers the storage issue.
In both cases above I suspect it'll be expensive. I recall looking at swim platforms made from
Starboard in the W.M. catalog and they were around $800. Customizing one of these to be removable of fold-able might double the cost easily. How badly do you need a swim platform, might a front loading deck boat suffice ?
On a related note I'm note sure about what you're looking for in a boat. I was thinking about boats that don't have an integrated swim platform (moulded into the hull). Cobalt, Four Winns and Monterey came to mind. Looking at the Cobalt 240 and 226 I found that the former is listed as 24' w/o the added platform. The 226 meets your 22'8" requirement but is a "22' boat" which I assume you don't want. Similar situations exist for the other 2 manufacturers I mentioned. So I'm not sure how easy it'll be to find a 24' boat w/o a swim platform that really is < 22'8" hull length. Have a look at the websites for the above and perhaps you could clarify what you'd be looking for in a boat. How "hard" is your 22'8" requirement, would a few extra inches be OK ?
Hope this helps ....