Extending Swim Platform

[rubberduck]

We have an Absolute 41 & are considering making it 18" longer by extending the swim platform. Two reasons for this, 1/ It will make getting on & off from the side easier,particularly for Gizmo the cavalier king Charles, 2/ We need a new teak deck anyway & despite the boat being within warranty period, Absolute have made it clear they are not interested.
Is it possible to extend & can anyone recommend someone, preferably on the east coast, who could do it.

 

[runner911]

Can't help you with the East Coast bit, but I did see an Aquastar fitted with an extended dive platform here in Plymouth earlier this year. Seemed a pretty good job

Work was carried out by a company called All Boat Services.

See here www.allboatservices.co.uk

Hope this helps.

 

[jfm]

Yuo gotta decide how to do it:

(a) up/down hydraulic. Tricky with outdrives, but might be possible. Several boats have had these retrofitted and you can find pics on the net. There are two ways to do this - one is to make the platform look separate from the boat, which makes for easier fitting, and the other is to make it look factory integrated which requires moulding a platform to match the boat. Pictures of various installations are on these sites:
http://www.sealiftusa.com/dualcyl.html
http://tntlifts.com/
http://www.precisemarine.com.au/hydraulic-swim-platforms-and-tender-lifts.html

(b) a fixed, non hydraulic, extension. To look good this needs expert GRP work, to match the Abs41 transom shape and make it look factory original.

This is perfectly possible, but you need a very good GRP firm and I would start with Osmotech in the Hamble. You need a firm with their level of skills to get this right. There might be one on E coast but I don't know who. you could ask Nick at Essex Boatyards. With this solution you have to make sure you can still launch the dinghy

(c) something much simpler, not OEM looking, like a teak grating mounted on s/s brackets. This is easy and a firm like Watssons, Teak Decking plymouth, moodys, kjhowells could just make the wood part to a template or good sketch, and any local s/s fabricator could make the brackets. £2500 all in for this solution

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

If you go GRP extension look for the Absolute 43 or 40 for tips how to do it.
Both are extension of the 41 (43) and 39 (40) but have also the hard top.

 

[rubberduck]

Thanks all. Think I will go for a fixed extension, have a guy called Rob Crowhurst who works closely with osmotech but on a mobile basis looking at it, does lots of work for EBY.I will post pics of results if we go for it.

 

[MapisM]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I wouldn't do anything.
Extending swim platforms has been fashionable for years, on all boats where builders did not fit a decent one.
But I've yet to see a job well done AND which doesn't spoil the hull behaviours.
On a fast(ish) boat, adding weight aft of the existing platform is the worse thing you can do in terms of weight distribution. Otoh, some weight is a necessary evil to make it strong and stiff enough to support not only yourself and your guests while anchored, but also (and this can be much worse) the dynamic load - also upward - of sea waves.
In a nutshell, if you fit a solid and well done extension, you're likely to spoil the hull attitude. And if you fit a very light extension, it probably won't last.
I would suggest, when talking to that guy, to ask him an estimate of the finished weight of his job. Then secure some ballast on the existing platform, for that weight plus at least another 50kg or so (because the finished job will be further aft), and go try the boat. If you're happy with her behaviour, fine.

As an aside, personally I don't like teak covered GRP swim platforms, so if your teak already must be redone, I would suggest to strip it completely and use some antiskid material instead, waving goodbye to a pointless bit of maintenance.

All the best anyway, whatever you'll decide to do.

 

[rubberduck]

Interesting points, I will bare them in mind before deciding. Absolute have now extended the 41 to a 43 hard top, but with IPS 600 engines, anyone know what the difference is in power between these & my 330 stern drives ?