I noticed a certain hesitancy among guests last summer when it came to boarding from the inflatable while at a mooring. The E38 has relatively low freeboard compared to newer boats, but still, it can require confidence to make the step from quivering inflatable thwart to the gate in the lifelines.
The answer seemed to be a small platform to halve the stretch, easily dangled from the stanchions. I set out to make one, and discovered this, the Edson Boarding Step.
x
And it works. It's $350 worth of powder-coated aluminum, appropriately heavy, easy to store, and with all design issues solved. Such a step, although small, provides just the assist to make climbing aboard more natural and comfortable, rather more a luxury than necessity.
I confess that I bought it figuring to try it and if not impressed, to send it back and make my own. After a few days, however, given the shiny new quality and successful design, that began to feel mercenary--or something. To buy a product with the cold-hearted calculus of copying it? True, the offense doesn't rise to the level of the Alex Murdaugh case, but it is kinda icky. Yet the thing would be so easy to make! Especially if somebody else, namedly Edson, had already proven that the curvature of the hull is not an issue, but easy handled by two rubber standoffs, and the cant of the step not very important and can simply be a right angle.
I decided to keep the Edson step. Even so, I might as well innocently provide certain facts and observations for those who, without blame, might choose to construct such a step out of their own devices and imagination, associating certain proven dimensions without guile or guilt, in the furtherance of comfort in boarding vessels like ours. And besides, you can't patent an idea.
Some mahogany (OK, plywood), a few dados, attention to how the hanger line is affixed, varnish, voila!.
..
.
The answer seemed to be a small platform to halve the stretch, easily dangled from the stanchions. I set out to make one, and discovered this, the Edson Boarding Step.
x
And it works. It's $350 worth of powder-coated aluminum, appropriately heavy, easy to store, and with all design issues solved. Such a step, although small, provides just the assist to make climbing aboard more natural and comfortable, rather more a luxury than necessity.
I confess that I bought it figuring to try it and if not impressed, to send it back and make my own. After a few days, however, given the shiny new quality and successful design, that began to feel mercenary--or something. To buy a product with the cold-hearted calculus of copying it? True, the offense doesn't rise to the level of the Alex Murdaugh case, but it is kinda icky. Yet the thing would be so easy to make! Especially if somebody else, namedly Edson, had already proven that the curvature of the hull is not an issue, but easy handled by two rubber standoffs, and the cant of the step not very important and can simply be a right angle.
I decided to keep the Edson step. Even so, I might as well innocently provide certain facts and observations for those who, without blame, might choose to construct such a step out of their own devices and imagination, associating certain proven dimensions without guile or guilt, in the furtherance of comfort in boarding vessels like ours. And besides, you can't patent an idea.
Some mahogany (OK, plywood), a few dados, attention to how the hanger line is affixed, varnish, voila!.
...
