boat safety seats for kids

[Rob MBM Editor]

Has anyone had experience of a specific child safety seat for yachts to keep young children safe in the cockpit, or elsewhere, when you need all hands on deck?

Many people simply use car seats - if so where/how did you attach them?

Thanks for all advice.

 

[lustyd]

Don't you have sufficient rope on board to tie the blighters down?

 

[Malish]

depends a bit on the boat, we wedge a car seat in the saloon so that nipper can see us in the cockpit. Never seen a specific yottie one.

 

[robmurray]

It is still early days for us - we are on our first sailing holiday and it is not involving much sailing (but lovely nonetheless). Isabella is 16months old and our solution is a car seat down below tied to the mast facing the cockpit. In the cockpit we have a plastic chair - it is like a high chair but designed to sit on a chair. It has a table. It has the brand name "Safety first". This serves as a high chair down below but then sits on a cockpit seat when we are sailing. It is loosely tied to a winch but more importantly Isabella wears a harness and is tied on. This table was given to us by brother in law who did a lot of sailing in Scotland with 2 small kids. We dont plan to sail in more than F4 not least because another on the way. Hope this helps. Rob

 

[DavyMac]

I've not seen anything specific either.

When our daughter was very young she stayed in her carry cor wedged behind the saloon table and with towels down the aides inside to stop her rolling too much when we tacked.

The following season we constructed a removable net to turn the berth formed by the saloon settee and table into a large play pen. We also had the safety first chair described above which has proved excellent. We loosely tie this to a winch or cleat in the cockpit. Another option which may be more secure is a chair which clamps on to the saloon table - e.g. from Phil and Ted and available in John Lewis. this has shoulder straps so should be completely secure for an older child (say between 1 and 3). We got one this year as we wanted somewhere secure if we both had to deal with a problem on deck and didn't want the hassle of the playpen.

 

[DavyMac]

Sorry, I would add that a dedicated harness separate from a lifejacket is great as bulky childrens' life jackets make eating etc on deck hard. We ensure that our daughter is clipped on on deck all the time as I am sure most do. The book Kids in the Cockpit is worth finding, though it's and others suggestions for clamping a car seat on deck probably pre-date modern all in one plastic seats which don't lend themselves to being tied down except perhaps with webbing.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

When very little and in a forward facing seat, we wedged the seat under the spray-hood and tied it to the frame to keep it secure.

As they got older, we tried various arrangements, attaching car seats to winches, cleats, biminis etc. nothing was particularly satisfactory apart from wrapping a ratchet strap round a cockpit locker lid to hold the seat using its seat belt attachments (don't over-tighten ).

Once they were out of seats with integral harnesses, it was lifejackets and lifelines when on deck.

As soon as they could swim, we encouraged them to jump off the boat alot - it gets them used to landing in the water and getting back out again un-aided.

As they got older, doing man overboard with one of them jumping off (in suitably benign conditions) also teaches them what it is like to fall off, it all helps make any eventual unexpected dunking less of a traumatising experience.

Also remove the boarding ladder and see if they can get aboard - this is an exercise which helps teach them not to muck around when under way

 

[BIG.SMOKE]

when you need all hands on deck?

I haven't even picked my boat up yet, but im now not looking forward to it as much, as I am now looking more forward to shouting that out ha ha.

 

[Rob MBM Editor]

I haven't even picked my boat up yet, but im now not looking forward to it as much, as I am now looking more forward to shouting that out ha ha.

haha! Remember the Marx brothers sketch?

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[Csail]

Can't really comment without seeing cockpit but hydrostatic release might be a good idea and buoyancy on the seat.

 

[Rob_A39]

When our kids were small we used a clamp on high chair (the kind which is designed to attach to a table) clamped in the hatchway. It worked a treat.

 

[Boat44]

When our daughter was very small we use to just put here moses basket in the cockpit, as she got older we used one of those plastic folding "high chairs" that are for the dinning room seats. (Sorry cant remember what they are called). Clipped it to a spare winch and that was fine.

We also use to pile the cockpit cushions in the cockpit, put the washboard in and all good! Or sit on the hatch cover under the spray hood is still a favourite spot.

Now she is 7 she is either below with her DS, or up to asking "are we there yet!"

Baggywrinkle has sound ideas.

Sailing with kids is great, just remember to involve them. (Is sending your, 6 at the time, year old up the mast to clean the bottom of the spreaders considered child labour?)

Have fun
A

 

[MoodySabre]

Bolt the car seat to a plank of wood that fits in the washboard slot.