Large Dogs

I tried searching on this and was surprised to not find any threads. I am somewhat stuck. As an owner of a large dog (70-75 pounds), has anyone come up with ways to board a dog on an aft cabin? I know stairs at the dock but I want to be able to get him in and out of a dingy and swim with him.

I'd love to hear from people who overcame this issue.

I feel very limited in my search for a boat due to my best friend.

I don't have to have an aft cabin, I just don't want to limit my options if I don't need too.

Thanks

Big dogs and boats are a difficult combination. We began our live aboard life with a GSD, but once we lost him to a sudden stroke we decided to be pet less for the first time in over 30 years. We had a large cockpit and stairs, but he struggled constantly. Not climbing, but descending the stairs and short ladders, he was a big boy and he had trouble stopping on the bottom step. We never did find a way to make things easier for him.....

Water access has been a very big search criteria for me. My 120 lb German Shepherd loves the water and I take him with me wherever we go. There are many nice FDMY's and aft cabin boats that have VERY steep and many steps on the transom. My thinking is this. 1. Look for a boat with a cockpit or some other easier form of water entry. 2. Consider the removal of the transom mounted steps and install a circular staircase or a molded fiberglass custom staircase onto the swim platform. I have seen circular staircases made by a company called "pipe fitters?" or pipe something. You might also consider some kind of Marquipt? staircase that retracts or folds back into or onto the deck somewhere. If I should have to compromise into an aft cabin, my plan is to install a stair system in place of the ladder system. My dog, while large, is quite agile and he might even handle the ladder better than I could, but like me he will age and need some help. Good luck. Bill

My 70-75 dog wears a life jacket with a handle and I pick him up with handle and lower him to swim grid. Getting out he threads the needle and jumps on board under hand rail.
Must plan for when we are both older.

I know I could do that with moparham 120 lb shepard

Older motoryacht uses to have stairs on the side that dropped down parallel with the hull and a small landing at base and on top. Somehow they would fold up against the lifelines.

These are aftermarket companies that I'm sure could set you up...... For a cost (gulp....looks like nice work)

https://gmtcomposites.com/boarding/sea-stairs

http://www.boardingramp.com/

Cockpit boat, have door created in side. Dog would be able to easily get into the boat through the door....

I would think that an act door to allow access from the swim platform would allow easy on/off. Then depending on the boat the dog could enter through the main or side door. If stairs to v-berth are an issue then have him sleep in the salon area

Maybe install a doggie door in the transom?

To my way of thinking, I agree with Sue (Spinner). A cockpit boat with a swim platform would greatly simplify getting a larger dog in and out of a dinghy. If the dinghy was mounted on the swim grid (eg. Roskelly Olsen, Seawise, Weaver davits, etc.) it would all be very easy. For swimming, just launch the dinghy (takes about 2 minutes), tie it to the boat, and use the swim platform as normal.

It does limit your boat choice somewhat, but there are many makes and models that could work.

The search on TF can be frustrating and miss lots of good threads. Have a look at this rather lengthy thread getting an 80 pound dog aboard that may give you some useful ideas.

If you must take pup with you then my advice is to buy a boat that makes it easy. You'll be doing this a lot.

One of our boxes to check when purchasing was an aft cockpit with a transom door that made an easy transition cockpit to swim step. I would even go so far if purchasing again to buy with the saloon, where we spend most our time, on the same level as the cockpit. We didn't buy that boat and have struggled with that bad decision every day of use.

We have a life jacket for our 85 pound Lab. He loves wearing it since he gets a treat when he gets into it. It has 2 handles so it is easy to pick him up. When he swims off the swim platform i put his front feet on the top step of the ladder and say “OK” and he jumps up as I give him a boost. When either one of us can no longer do this we have a crane for the dinghy motor that will likely work to lift him up to the sundeck level. This is the PFD that we got on Amazon. Here is a photo of the crane on the port side.


This is the PFD.
Outward Hound Dog Life

Second Portage Bay's input on buying a dog friendly boat. Our recent boat search parameters included stairs to the fly bridge, transom door onto large swim deck, deep walk around sides and no ladders. Yes, restricted options also along with price. Was also for our own aging concern, as plan to keep boat 10-15 years if health allows. Our 2 dogs, #40 and #80 require no lifting and only minimal help to use dingy. Dogs will be part of our boating adventure, along with grandkids who benefit from same allowances.

With no cockpit and side / aft decks about 4 feet off the water, our 55 lb standard poodle has no trouble jumping up/down to/from docks. Fortunately, he's a very good jumper. Haven't gotten a dinghy or quite figured out how to get him in one yet, but we've taken him swimming a few times. With a PFD on, we've just lifted him the 3.5 feet from the deck to the swim platform. It's a bit awkward to do, but manageable.



We've been trying to figure out some kind of ramp setup to get him from the side deck directly to the water or a dinghy, but haven't got a definite answer yet.

If you go the swim step route, beware changing dinghies part way into your dogs life.

I won't go too deep into the details, but when technique and communications get changed and your 130+ pound dog is hanging from the swim step by his forelegs, the only way to get him aboard is to grab onto the rail with one hand, reach down between his back legs with the other hand, and haul him up.

Make sure to make eye contact first to gain approval, Dude to Dude, before you go messing around down there!

Great to know there are lots of dog lovers out there.

Portage Bay, thanks for the other thread. It had lots of great ideas.

So I feel a lot more confident in getting the dog up an aft cabin but now I need to do a search for getting the dog on the swim platform from the water. Especially if it is my wife or kids that need to do it.

Here you go.
https://topdogtips.com/best-dog-boat-ladders/

I've had a series of black labs. I built a aluminum ramp/stairs that attaches to my swim platform. Originally for getting out of the water when diving with tanks, my labs figured out quickly how to get themselves out. Each one in their time learned they could go swimming on their own or swam to shore in unpopulated areas.

Here is what we have found with our 40lbs spider monkey.

1) she can get up things easier than going down... Doggo front flips horrify the misses.

2) Cockpits are great - I like to fish, but it's also a great place to wash down the dog before letting loose. Especially after one rolls in dead seal carcass. So our preference is sedan style or cockpit aft cabins. With a cockpit you can give up some space for stairs. I also like to fish/crab/shrimp so being able to do things at the water level from the big boat is a plus.

Our 10 year old, 90lb lab/pit mix pretty much grew up on our boats, she loves fishing/boating/paddle boarding with an irrational fever. For a long time the stairs from our cockpit to the FB presented no issues for her, but lately she is getting a little afraid of them. She also sometimes has issues getting out of the cockpit up onto a fixed dock. One tip I learned on here is that dogs don't have great control over their aft legs, they just sort of follow their forelegs, so it helps to line them up on the steps for them.



I second what was said above about a life jacket with a sturdy handle in the middle of the back. Even on our flats boat, which has about 10" of freeboard, it can be a challenge to get her out of the water up on to boat without it.



We are very glad that the big boat has a cockpit with a transom door and direct access to the swim platform. I understand that sometimes people have an aft cabin boat first and end up with a big dog later. That would mean needing to find a work around to the access problem. But since you don't have a boat yet, and a big dog is an important part of your life, I wouldn't even consider an aft cabin boat without a cockpit, or worse yet a sundeck.



When we go into marinas we usually go in bow first so that we can launch the dink, put the dog in it, then take her to a beach or floating dock. It makes life so much easier.

moparharn said:

Here you go.
https://topdogtips.com/best-dog-boat-ladders/

Click to expand...

of those, we have the "pet loader'. It was pricey, but when mounted on the swim step, the bottom step is down in the water far enough that our mutts can just walk up. Works fine for all three. large poodle, small blue healer, and overweight, old girl Aussie.
toni

Wanna Be said:

I tried searching on this and was surprised to not find any threads. I am somewhat stuck. As an owner of a large dog (70-75 pounds), has anyone come up with ways to board a dog on an aft cabin? I know stairs at the dock but I want to be able to get him in and out of a dingy and swim with him.

I'd love to hear from people who overcame this issue.

I feel very limited in my search for a boat due to my best friend.

I don't have to have an aft cabin, I just don't want to limit my options if I don't need too.

Click to expand...

We found this to definitely be a problem best solved during the shopping phase.

Our largest boat dogs have been a Great (well, Pretty Good) Pyrenees, approx 120-lbs... and then we've had a Golden Receivers, one on the large-ish (90-lbs) side.

So we went in focused only on boats with swim platforms (or where one could be added), transom doors, a cockpit... and now we've evolved to add stairs (not a ladder) to the bridge (if there's a flybridge).

And there are lots of boats like that. Not exactly a boatload of "trawlers" and certainly not as many "aft cabin" models... but there are plenty to choose from. Search YW for any Sea Ray bridge boat from approx '98 and newer... then you can look at other brands that are much the same. (Cruisers, Magnum, Meridian, Carver, Silverton, Mainship, etc.)

The one consistent "aft cabin" design that will usually work -- that I know of -- is a "cockpit motor yacht". Carver and a few others offered some of those. (Example, Carver 568 I think...)

There are a few with a master stateroom located amidships, too. Not exactly aft, but not in the bow. (Example, Carver Voyager 530/52 or 570/560.)

Anyway, to make it into a "trawler" -- go slow.

-Chris

On the slipping and confidence thing, our poodle (and the golden retriever I grew up with, once she was older) gained a ton of confidence in jumping, etc. from a pair of sneakers. The extra grip on fiberglass decks makes a huge difference.

Maybe we over-think things but we both tailored the boat to the dog and the dog to the boat. When adopting our current golden we very specifically went for a female. I can hoist her 55 lbs under my arm; couldn't do so with the 90 lb males we've previously had.

danderer said:

Maybe we over-think things but we both tailored the boat to the dog and the dog to the boat. When adopting our current golden we very specifically went for a female. I can hoist her 55 lbs under my arm; couldn't do so with the 90 lb males we've previously had.

Click to expand...

That was our plan as well. We rescued our current dog, Water, when she was still a young pup. The rescue people swore to us that she was 100% lab and came from two smaller parents, the mother being only 50 lbs. Well, turns out now 10 years later that she is 90 lbs (not overweight, she's just a big, powerful girl) has short ears, a huge blocky head with wide set eyes and more obvious musculature than any of the many labs I have known in my life. Clearly part pit or some other sort of bull terrier type. She also has clear personality traits of both breeds. Not the dog we ordered. No matter though, she's the best dog we have ever had and we love her.


But sometimes those type of dog plans don't always work out the way you intended, LOL.

About a year ago we chose our current dog specifically with the boat in mind. This being the only dog we've ever actually chosen, we were determined to get it right. In the past we've boated with everything from a pair of miniature dachshunds to a giant black lab mix and up to four at one time. After tons of research we chose the breed, the breeder and the breeding pair. Our dog of choice was a miniature golden doodle. This thing was supposed to be easy to train, eager to please, max weight of 35lbs, agile, a good guard dog and loving to the family.

Well, she is a sweetheart at least.

I love her to death but she's dumb as a stick, never barks (except when she got scared by her own reflection), clumsy as a drunkard and still growing at 52lbs. sheesh.

We're now boat shopping and the dog is dictating the choices. No ladders at all, no stair cases higher than four steps, cockpit, swim platform and transom gate. Again, sheesh.

I have two Labs that cruise with us each summer. I built some steps to go from the swim platform to the cockpit. In my boat its is six feet from platform to top of gunwale so it is challenging.

A few years ago I built the steps shown below. These have worked well but a copule of issues led me to design some new steps which I am currently building. The problems were that the steps were getting a bit steep for my older Lab, now 12 years old, and the steps took a lot of room in the platform.

So, using a CAD program I designed the curving steps below. I had a local lumber supplier cut 5 mm marine plywood using a CNC router. I now plan to assemble the steps using the stitch-and-glue technique.

We'll see how it goes ...

We searched for a boat that our German shepherd would be able to maneuver on her own. We ended up with a Heritage East 36. It has no ladders, only molded steps, other than 2 molded steps, then 2 ladder steps from the sundeck to the swim platform. My husband, with the help of a friend, put steps, one smaller, then a large bottom step, over the two ladder steps and she can now go anywhere on the boat by herself. We have friends who had a Monk 36 and I believe they put in some kind of modification for their lab - possibly cutting a passageway from the swim platform to the back. We got two different sized ramps for her so that she could get on and off the boat no matter what type of docking situation we have. We also put nonskid on our steps so she won't slip. So far it has worked well for her.

Ours is 85lbs, and while I still lift him up and down, we have had pretty good luck with this item:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LGK3M8P/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is an Accordion Metal Frame Folding Pet Ramp. I trained the dog on our porch initially, then moved to the boat.
The stairs fold up well for storage. For $73 it was worth trying.

I live aboard my Bayliner 4788 with my 140lb Newfoundland. There is no way I can lift my dog in/out of the boat or the water. If she falls in, I would need the help of several strong guys to help me do that. or I would hook up her to my dinghy davit and haul her out that way.


That being said, I've always loved the design of the 4788, and when I had the opportunity to buy one, I made sure my dog could easily get on/off the boat in normal situations. It has a 3 ft wide swim step, and a transom door to the aft cockpit. I bought an adjustable ramp from Petco that worked for us initially to get from the dock to the swim step. I then added 3 large stainless steel staples for the swim step. I added handrails onto the boat for my security. then I bought a custom cargo net that wraps around the swim step with removeable clips on each side depending on whether I need port or starboard access to the swim step. That netting prevents me or my dog from slipping off the swim step into the water.



My adjustable ramp took a swim one day in a storm, so I made a wider ramp from 2 2x10's strapped together. I added cleats and lines to secure it both to the dock and the boat. Finally, I found a railing at Home Depot that I added to the water side of the ramp for added security for me, my dog, and my grandkids.



You might think this is a lot of safety/security measures for a dog.... but it's also for me and my grandkids. A few years ago, I fell off a dock into the water. Puget Sound water is about 53 degrees, so hypothermia can quickly set in, and did. I nearly drowned and faced a difficult recovery. After all that I still wanted to buy and live on a boat. And I fulfilled that dream nearly two years ago.



All of my safety and security measures allow me to live safely with peace of mind without the fear of falling in again!

I have a hydraulic swim platform...meant for easily loading and unloading the dink. Works great for dogs and people too.