DIVE PLATFORM on GB 42 - Part 2

Any GB owners out there replaced their swim platforms with an alternate material, i.e.. non teak? I realize it would degrade from the pure Classic look but I'm thinking fiberglass would hold up better and be more suitable as a dive platform than teak. Pls weigh in on this!

I've been involved with both ones made out of wood incapsulated in fiberglass ones and ones made out of Starboard.

I'd go with Starboard.

Not a GB but to cut down on maintenance I bought 3/4 and 1 inch Starboard this winter and changed the boarding ladder steps as well as the swim platform and I love it. Sorry wood lovers!!

LaBomba said:

Not a GB but to cut down on maintenance I bought 3/4 and 1 inch Starboard this winter and changed the boarding ladder steps as well as the swim platform and I love it. Sorry wood lovers!!

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I like the maintenance free idea I'm curious what did it cost you for the conversion?
Bill

Billylll said:

I like the maintenance free idea I'm curious what did it cost you for the conversion?
Bill

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The one piece of 3/4 did all the steps inside and outside the boat and I have a piece left. It was $128 Canadian. The 1" was about double that put I still have half of it left for future projects. Teak is certainly not cheap either!

I was looking at the Starboard site they make a non skid version I believe it's called the AS. I didn't see any pieces available over 96" long. That wouldn't do my swim platform. I'll contact them to see if they have longer lengths of 1" thick StarboardAS.
Bill

I had a neighbor that used faux teak. Her swimstep always looked new, even after a few years. I didn't find it slippery but I dout it has the same traction as teak.
Synthetic Teak Boat Yacht Dive Swim Platforms | PlasTEAK Inc.

A slatted, phoney-wood swim platform makes sense to me. .. GBs seem to be always graceful underway.

I'm thinking of replacing my swim platform with the Starboard AS this winter. Since it doesn't come in sheets longer than 96" and my beam is 11'-11", I was thinking that I would have to piece it together with one or two joints. Since my transom door is in the middle of the stern, I don't think I want a joint in the middle of the platform. Possibly thought of working the joints into a design element/pattern of the new platform. Anyone have any other ideas?

If you were using slatted pieces, like a teak platform would have, maybe you could make each length of Starboard 8' plus 4' with the joints staggered port and starboard. Every other 8' piece would make two of the 4' sections. You'd need to be sure the brackets were positioned to support the joints.

just had one built for my boat. I went with Starboard (1" nonskid). The material came in 54x96, and as I needed 27" it was perfect with one joint. I found someone locally with a CNC machine for the shaping. He used my old teak step for template and positioned the joint perfectly over the bracket. Then it was off to the plastic shop to have the joint welded. I believe it is heavier than the old platform, but it looks great and should be maintenance free. It does have some flex to it, will have to wait and see how the joint holds up to an alaskan winter, but so far it is great.

Alaska Steve,
How does does the joint look after using it? Is it more visible after use and traffic? Does the joint occur centered in front of your transom door? I was thinking of a second layer underneath to eliminate or lessen the deflection. A picture would be great!

Just glue the joint closed.

Joint looks good, maybe 1/4" smooth line after welding. Joint is set to port side as ladder is starboard and less foot traffic to port. Picture shows joint prior to welding.

Wow, that joint looks great. I read that no glue sticks to Star Board but it can be welded. Good to know. What did you do with the edges? Did you use a router to eliminate the pattern on the edges? What kind of bit did you use? Sorry for all the questions....
I'm also considering using it for the treads on the ladder to the flybridge.

The CNC machine routered all the edges. They look amazing. The old Stainless Steel corner trim/protectors fit perfectly back in place. Very happy with the fit and finish of the project. Would recommend it. What really helped the whole project was the use of the old rotting step as a template. Like I said earlier, he was able to see the placement of the brackets, and line up the joint directly atop the bracket just left of center. Finished project was $1K............
So yes they really do stand for
B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand

But it sure is fun!

JESSEDIVER49 said:

Any GB owners out there replaced their swim platforms with an alternate material, i.e.. non teak?

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You might try posing your question to the Grand Banks Owners forum if you haven't already. (I haven't seen your question there but I don't look at the forum every day.) The URL is http://www.grandbanksowners.com/ You need to join to post but it's free.

I've seen a few GBs in the yard over the years and at the dealer dock with non-teak swimsteps. As I recall, they were solid platforms with freeing slots cut/molded in them. I have always assumed these platforms were fiberglass.

I cannot think of any reason a "normal" slatted platform couldn't be made of Starboard or some other synthetic material as long as it was strong enough for the job and very UV-resistant.

If done in an aesthetic and professional manner, I don't think a white solid or slatted swimstep would detract from the look of the boat. The ones I've seen didn't, in my opinion.

One thing to be aware of is the length of the support brackets. The stock swimstep, like the one on our GB, is not that wide (fore and aft). American Marine/Grand Banks offered an optional extended swimstep that is about twice as wide (if not more) as the stock step. However, the extended swimstep requires different brackets.

There have been numerous discussions over the years on the GB owners forum about extending the stock step. The accepted method is to bolt longer, silicone-bronze support bars on top of the stock bronze support bars, and then build or buy a new, wider teak platform to mount on them.

But..... there is a limit to how long these bars can be. IIRC, the collective wisdom of the experienced shipwright/former yard owners on the forum says that the stock brackets should be extended by no more than half their original width using the longer-bar-on-top method.

Joining the GB forum will let you search its archives for the discussions on this topic.

aksteve said:

The CNC machine routered all the edges. They look amazing. The old Stainless Steel corner trim/protectors fit perfectly back in place. Very happy with the fit and finish of the project. Would recommend it. What really helped the whole project was the use of the old rotting step as a template. Like I said earlier, he was able to see the placement of the brackets, and line up the joint directly atop the bracket just left of center. Finished project was $1K............
So yes they really do stand for
B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand

But it sure is fun!

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I'd prefer another foot's width if wanting a swim step. Mine was free as I didn't want/order one, and still not used.

It's settled then....it's on my off season list of projects. Since my platform is only hanging on by two of the four brackets, I better attach a safety line so I don't lose it in Narragansett Bay and lose my only pattern!

starboard

where do you buy starboard??

55chev said:

where do you buy starboard??

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Industrial Plastics has it..........Starboard

I made a platform out of Plasteak a couple of years back. Easy to build, easy to clean and the wetter it gets the better the traction. Not slippery. Quite happy with it.