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Modifying our boarding ladder....

BigKahuna

BigKahuna

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Here you go Potomacbassin.....I am scheduled to have my left knee replaced on February 26th. In anticipation of boating season we are having our boarding ladder modified by adding another step to make it easier for me to board. A local aluminum tig welder will fabricate and weld 1 full step for a total of 5 steps. Yes I priced replacement ladders and even inquired about extensions for our particular ladder brand but there were none available.
 
Vikingstaff said:
Sending my best for a smooth knee replacement and recovery to you Daril!
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Thanks! It's kind of weird. I go to the gym and play pickleball 3 times a week and get around just fine. But it's been bone on bone for years and it's not going to get better by itself. So I might as well have it done before It really hurts on a day-to-day basis! I've heard both horror stories and
good stories about knee surgery recovery. We'll see .....
 
Wait Daril - how does this impact you getting your anode relocated away from your transducer??? . That's gonna be the big hallelujah!

I'm guessing even if there was a plug and play ladder replacement having the welder modify might still be cheaper. But from my understanding of physics, the part that makes boarding a boat the hardest is actually wet swim trunks, so if you want a free solution it's there for the taking. Just make sure the prudes in the cove aren't hosing down their docks at the same time!

What's the forecast for Norman this year, even more boats and crazier traffic or has it leveled off in recent years?
 
Good Luck Daril. Hoping for a speedy recovery!
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Wait Daril - how does this impact you getting your anode relocated away from your transducer??? . That's gonna be the big hallelujah!

I'm guessing even if there was a plug and play ladder replacement having the welder modify might still be cheaper. But from my understanding of physics, the part that makes boarding a boat the hardest is actually wet swim trunks, so if you want a free solution it's there for the taking. Just make sure the prudes in the cove aren't hosing down their docks at the same time!

What's the forecast for Norman this year, even more boats and crazier traffic or has it leveled off in recent years?
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We actually took our boat out of the storage building and moved it to a brand new undercover storage yard. So I have easy access to taking that sacrificial anode off. I'll remove that when I reinstall the ladder! Don't have any trouble with wet swim trunks! Ha! But adding another full step will make it a lot easier for me to get on that ladder without having to bend this knee as much! The more people that move here the more crowded and crazier this lake gets! We don't go on the weekends if we don't have to!
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Wait Daril - how does this impact you getting your anode relocated away from your transducer??? . That's gonna be the big hallelujah!

I'm guessing even if there was a plug and play ladder replacement having the welder modify might still be cheaper. But from my understanding of physics, the part that makes boarding a boat the hardest is actually wet swim trunks, so if you want a free solution it's there for the taking. Just make sure the prudes in the cove aren't hosing down their docks at the same time!

What's the forecast for Norman this year, even more boats and crazier traffic or has it leveled off in recent years?
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All right you sitting down Potomacbassin?!? Finally removed the sacrificial anode that was located in front of my Simrad transducer! So it should have clean water! Shocked? My question is do I have to relocate it or just leave it off. There are other anodes on the other pontoons and on the engine. Your advice?!?
 
Well after reading this I collapsed onto the floor, hitting my head on my desk on the way down and now have a throbbing bruise! But it's completely worth it, because.... well, I forgot why we were even doing this. Must have hit my head recently or something.

I would keep any anodes you have, even though you're in fresh water if there's any kind of situation at the dock or marina where it can turn your hull into a battery that anode will take the brunt of it. Honestly I don't think it matters where you mount it as long as it's connected to your hull and is out of the main path of water so it doesn't get knocked off or create drag. Normally the current location would be fine except for your transducer is right there.

Didn't we at one point talk about reversing it to the inside of the bracket? Again I can't recall, sudden case of amnesia I guess!

OR take it off and see if you get a better return on your transducer - if nothing changed for the better, just put it back where it was! No harm no foul!

OK too much thinking for now, I'm going to ice this shiner down and take some ginko pills.
 
Potomacbassin’ said:
Well after reading this I collapsed onto the floor, hitting my head on my desk on the way down and now have a throbbing bruise! But it's completely worth it, because.... well, I forgot why we were even doing this. Must have hit my head recently or something.

I would keep any anodes you have, even though you're in fresh water if there's any kind of situation at the dock or marina where it can turn your hull into a battery that anode will take the brunt of it. Honestly I don't think it matters where you mount it as long as it's connected to your hull and is out of the main path of water so it doesn't get knocked off or create drag. Normally the current location would be fine except for your transducer is right there.

Didn't we at one point talk about reversing it to the inside of the bracket? Again I can't recall, sudden case of amnesia I guess!

OR take it off and see if you get a better return on your transducer - if nothing changed for the better, just put it back where it was! No harm no foul!

OK too much thinking for now, I'm going to ice this shiner down and take some ginko pills.
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Haha! Sorry about the shiner! I guess I can put it on top of the bracket, but we'll see how it runs first! Thx!
 
Definitely reinstall IMO. Need to make sure you have clean bare metal. Rumor has it that something similar caused my pontoon disfigurement…1738796834147.png
 
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