Beaching?

[DianneB]

I have a 24' Lonestar I use on Lake of the Woods. I like to go out for the weekend, pull in to some secluded bay, and spend the time with my large dog.

If I come in to the beach bow first, I need to provide a ladder for the dog to get from the cabin to the fore-deck and another (longer ladder) to get from the fore-deck to the beach. If I come in stern first, it is a small step from the main deck to the transom and then another couple of steps down to the beach but it means getting the stern drive into the sand.

There are certain advantages to both stern-in and bow-in. Stern-in makes for less bounce when there are waves and I could add a swim platform to make it easier for the dog to get in and out but sand in the out-drive is a major concern, particularly with the gritty sand of Lake of the Woods. Bow in is easiest to pull in and out but puts the square stern to the waves and means two ladders for the dog to get in and out.

Anybody else go island camping with a large dog? How do you manage embarking/disembarking the pooch?

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Beaching?

look at a DoggyDock

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Beaching?

davit and sling?

 

[rallyart]

Re: Beaching?

You could use two 50' bungie lines to a shore spike and anchor out from shore. Pull the boat's stern in when you want to get on or off and let the bungie pull it back out between the two points. No wear on the stern drive and it's still easy to get on and off. Just a thought.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Beaching?

Try this:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=boat+dog+ladder

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Beaching?

sooo to the question you asked the answer is simple.... don't put your drive in the sand....

a doggy ramp that lets the dog swim to the transom and climb in solves your problem

the question of beaching stern in or out or beaching at all has been debated here for years and will continue for many more.

 

[Lowe170]

Re: Beaching?

Try this:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=boat+dog+ladder

This just in: Nuke dropped on Manitoba. U.S. Intel sources predict retaliatory strike on DeBary shortly... I hope I'm safe in the mid-Atlantic region

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Beaching?

You could use two 50' bungie lines to a shore spike and anchor out from shore. Pull the boat's stern in when you want to get on or off and let the bungie pull it back out between the two points. No wear on the stern drive and it's still easy to get on and off. Just a thought.

Try this: http://www.tuggyproducts.com/anchorbuddy.html

 

[Philster]

Re: Beaching?

I think this is beyond Google-Fu; it comes down to helpful advice beyond a search engine's results.

OP, Would your large dog mind floating in on something?

 

[JB]

Re: Beaching?

When we fish LOTW with a guide (who has better experience than a guide?) we most commonly use a system like the Anchor Buddy, but we are debarking from a fishing boat, not a cabin boat, and we are usually debarking onto rock, not sand.

One guide's Lab prefers to swim ashore and back to the boat, but he tends to transport, then spray, a lot of water. You need foul weather gear in any weather.

Sorry I can't offer anything better, Dianne. Hang in. Someone will offer a perfect solution.

 

[mr 88]

Re: Beaching?

I use the fetch method,throw stick and watch dog jump out of boat.Not as easy getting them back in for some people.I pick the dog up and drop over the gunwale.Get a big boyfriend to go with the big dog and let him deal with it.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Beaching?


Is your boat Aluminum or FiberGlass?
My old Aluminum LoneStar had a high bow but a OB on a factory Transom brackett that was 20" & easy to step into.
The boat was very light . If It were me I would drop a anchor with a good 7 to 1 scope off the bow and push/pull/paddle the rear into the shore, drive all the way up & tie it up to something.
When it is time to leave load up and pull the anchor line to get in deeper water ,then lower outdrive & fire it up!.
What model LoneStar do you have?

 

[oldsub86]

Re: Beaching?

I should think some form of ramp mounted either on the front or back would serve the purpose. It could be made to fold so that it did not need to stick out too far. Maybe start out with the aluminum ramps they sell to load an atv - 4wheeler - onto a pickup truck. Lightweight and not too expensive and then modify to fit onto the boat. Princess Auto often has that sort of thing on sale if my memory serves to be correct.

Had a look at your website and was amazed at the amount of work that you have accomplished. Makes me feel like a real slacker!

Randy in Winnipeg

 

[sschefer]

Re: Beaching?

You guys are making this way to complicated. Just come into the beach bow first and drop a bow anchor while the boat is still moving. Kick the helm to one side or the other to start the swing and then shut off the engine and raise the drive. I learned the trick by accident and have used it several times since. You can either drop the bow anchor with a lot of slack or slack it as you swing. The extra slack will let you pull the boat forward to deeper water by hand so you don't have to put the drive down in the sand. Trust me, this actually does work.

 

[oldsub86]

Re: Beaching?

Well maybe, but you have to understand that most of the boats running around on Lake of the Woods likely do not have any anchor on board.

We normally just pull into a beach head on and pull the bow up on the sand.

However, with the size of the 24 foot Lonestar it is a bit of a leap to get off of the boat onto the beach. That was why I suggested some form of folding ramp.

Not too bad in mid summer when the water is warm but if you are going to do it in the spring and the fall when the water is colder, it would be nice not to get wet.

If it was an old OMC, she might be able to lift the leg to the point where it was not in the sand. I have no experience with Volvo legs so no idea how much it will tilt. So, if it will not tilt enough to clear the sand, one is going to get wet if one turns the stern into the shore and tries to get off of the boat withhout digging the leg into the beach . I think that is what she was trying to avoid.

We have done the beach thing for years with outboard powered boats and it is not much of a problem esp when the water is warm. Pull in, lift the motor and drift onto the beach. Climb out over the side and pull the boat further up on the sand. When leaving, push the boat in and turn it bow out and climb on from the stern. So long as the waves are not too high, you can get the motor down and the engine started before drifting back into the shallow beach. But, you are going to get wet to the waist so that is not a happy option when the water is cold and it will be difficult for a dog to get on unless you can lift him or her. My dog is small and I can lift him aboard but a big dog needs to get on under its own power.

Ramp!

Our boats have been 18 foot aluminum Starcrafts and 14 or 16 foot Alumacrafts so not a problem to pull up on the sand. Not so sure I could do that with a 24 foot Lonestar Cruiseliner.

Randy

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Beaching?

my 20ft LoneStar was 780lbs bare hull- and the stern would float in 6inches of water-but I had an OB and could lift it out of the water.

 

[DianneB]

Re: Beaching?

That's exactly the problem oldsub86 - the drive doesn't tilt up far enough to clear the beach and a BIG dog carries enough water in their fur to soak the entire interior and I'd rather avoid that.

I searched all the commercially made dog ladders before and find most of them bulky and expensive so I think my best option is to add a swim platform (good idea anyway - I couldn't get back into that boat without climbing the outdrive LOL!) and a fold-down ramp off the swim platform. That should get me far enough off the beach to keep the drive out of the sand.

Thanks guys!

P.S. I always carry at least ONE anchor, usually two.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Beaching?

If you are willing to spend a little money (ok a lot of money) check into this.
http://www.stcroixmarineproducts.com/Home_Page.html
They are the same as the old Wesbar Stoway ladders. There used to be a set of doggy steps that you could add. They were extra wide steps that would clip on over the built in steps.

Edit: Here's a page with some pics of the ladder in action including the doggy steps.
https://picasaweb.google.com/ImBoatingBuddy/BowToBeachLadder

I had a Wesbar 5 step ladder on my old boat and loved it.

 

[IslandManMitch]

Re: Beaching?

Bekosh I was looking for a picture of that ladder to post and you posted it for me. I use that ladder on my boat and it works great for people and my Lad mix has no problem using it without the dog steps.