Lifting big dog onboard from tender using boom?

[wragges]

Hi All,

Having just changed from a MOTOR cruiser to YACHT (yes they do sometimes defect in that direction too)...I now have a little problem.

Our boat is a Westerly Seahawk with high a freeboard. We want to use swinging moorings for the summer and therefore face the prospect of getting a 4 stone over-energetic labrador onboard from the Tender. She is too heavy to lift/carry up the boarding ladder.

I have the idea of using the end of the boom as a crane arm and attaching it to her via a strong harness whilst still in the tender and then hoisting here up and then swinging in over the guard rails....

Any thoughs on this, will it work?...will I break the boom?

...also do I need to put netting around the rails in order to keep her onboard?...she does like to swim (as all Labs do), but getting her back onboard from the water would be a real nightmare. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[alahol2]

We certainly used to use our boom to lift a large outboard on and off the transom and swing it outboard to the dinghy. We used a snap shackle on the bottom of the mainsheet to make it easy (no, it never undid itself). Also a snatch block half way along the boom to enable us to pull downward rather than upward on the mainsheet when lifting. The sheet automatically fed itself into the cam cleat on the lower block which made it safer when lifting and swinging, but slightly more awkward when lowering. The main halyard was used to back up the topping lift. When used like this the boom is in compression and there is virtually no bending moment so I don't think there's any possibility of damage.
We have also trusted our kids in a bosuns chair on the end of this tackle (dunking them in the sea) we never lost any of them.

 

[snowleopard]

We can lift our boxer using the handle on the back of her lifejacket. Mechanically I see no reason why you couldn't lift a few stone using the boom. I suggest the most important issue is to keep the dog calm during the process. She is less likely to panic if you can keep close to her while lifting. The consequences don't bear thinking about if she is dangling 6 feet from you and starts to panic.

 

[Talbot]

There is a doggy ladder available here which illustrates a means of getting a labrador back onto a boat. That may be suitable for your task.

I had no difficulty getting my lab onboard my cat, and he never concerned himself with going for an unauthorised swim. He did love going in the tender, and didnt really mind whose tender he jumped in!

 

[howardclark]

Spent hours sewing a harness with my own fair hands for our overweight lab. No problem with boom ropes harness etc. Dog only let us do it once! Now she knows whats coming she runs a mile.

 

[supermalc]

If I have to move to a tidal mooring in April, which is looking very likely at the moment, I will have to devise some way of getting Barney (my dog) on and off up the keyside.

Other than teach him to climb virtical ladder (joking) to lift him in a harness will work.

In 1991 when I first had to stop work and got a dog, I had to go to training classes, something I now appreciate, and should be MANDATORY for all dog owners, without exception.

I was brought up in the countryside in a dog owning household, spending much of my free time on farms. I went through life telling people how to manage dogs until mine at 43. I WAS TOTALLY WRONG; definatly the hardest thing I have done, however I did learn, and 2 years later changed when I learnt of kinder, more motivational methods.

To teach them something new only takes minutes, as long as it's done correctly. As an example, the sea-saw. We held the dog either side and guided her over, making sure it did not bang down. As quickly as possible we repeated, and this time she walked over, and the third time walked over, standing to wait in the centre on a slack lead. To ask a dog to do this is difficult, because you are asking them to walk into the air. They do not realize the sea-saw will tip.

See stories of Jessie http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/malcsworld/jessie/jess1.html

And Barney http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/malcsworld/barnmain/barney1.htm

Who I'm proud to say has won every class at the different types of shows he's allowed to enter, plus a race, obedience, and Best In Show. I only go to shows to socalise, and only a handful a year. What an achievment.

Also I only got a boat as an excuse for somewhere he is allowed to be in the countryside.

 

[gianenrico]

Some years ago I was aboard my J24, high aground in its steel frame, discussing with a friend of mine some equiment change; we got in the boat via a steel ladder with round steel steps: much to our surprise my friend's labrador did soon show up, having climbed the 2,5 meters of the ladder to rejoin her owner.
I don't know if this behaviour is common to all Labs, but could that be a hint to solve your problem?
Cheers, Gianenrico