JaccFrost

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My wife and I bought a 21slx last year (but a 2014 model) and late last year a close friend and fiance to my sister-in-law was in an accident leaving him in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. Has anyone had experience or suggestions to getting someone in a wheelchair on board so he can still enjoy boating with us?
 
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So sorry to hear the news about your friend 

There are ramp options for pontoons 

Handi-Ramp’s Aqua Ramp – Pontoon Boarding Ramp

aquaramp2_01.jpg
The AquaRamp by Handi-Ramp is the perfect solution to loading and unloading your pontoon boat. Featuring a600 pound weight capacity, the ramp provides a safe and easy way to board your boat. Handi-Ramp® has put durability and safety first with the Aqua Ramp’s exclusive non-slip design, allowing easy access for everyone, especially children, seniors and pets. Load and unload your coolers, water sport equipment and fishing supplies with ease.

Handi-Ramp’s Aqua Ramp
Custom Order
800-876-RAMP (7267)

There are ramps which run from dock to boat as well

AAPD_Logo.jpg


AAPD is a great source of information 

Good Luck

EZ-Access Aluminum Suitcase Single Fold Wheelchair Ramp - 800 lb Capacity

 

1 Reviews |  Write a Review56 

freeshippingproduct.png


Gain instant access up stairs, in vehicles or on raised landings with the suitcase wheelchair ramp from EZ-Access. Manufactured from lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum and weighing no more than 30 lbs, carry this wheelchair ramp like a suitcase wherever you go. The self-adjusting transition plate provides solid footing, and the skid-resistant surface grips your wheels for excellent traction. The suitcase wheelchair ramp has an 800 lb weight capacity and is available in lengths up to 6'.

  • Made from lightweight aircraft aluminum
  • Carry ramp like a suitcase with handles
  • 800 lb weight capacity
  • Self-adjusting ramp feet
  • Skid-resistant traction surface
  • Available in 2' to 6' lengths
SUITCASE-AS2 24" 6 lbs (each) SUITCASE AS2In Stock

$116.99

 

Width of wheel chair may cause a need for modification of entry point to boat

 

 

Get your wheelchair on a boat 



 `I had a great time the 4th of July weekend up at my aunt and uncle’s cottage in northern WI. Although their cottage was not particularly accessible (30+ steps down to the lake!) they did make arrangements for me to board their pontoon boat at a neighbor’s shoreline. The door off the front of their boat was much more than 30 inches wide so they just pulled straight up to the shore and we used the 7 footfolding wheelchair ramp that I carry in my car just for these occasions. The ramp bridged the gap from the land to the boat very easily and sturdily. It took less than 2 minutes and I was on board.

This is just one way to get yourself onto a boat. There are also many other options. In the past I have abandoned my wheelchair on the shoreline and been lifted via a fork lift onto a boat. I have also been carried onto a deep sea fishing boat as well as another family member’s pontoon boat one time when we didn’t have ramps available. My point is that if you would like to get on a boat but can’t physically climb on the boat yourself, you can still do it with a little help.

If you would like to own a boat, maybe you would want to get a custom ramp built. There are several companies out there who make custom wheelchair ramps for boats. Just search google and you can easily find them. I haven’t ever bought one so I can’t endorse one particular company over another. But anything is possible!

The time spent on the lake was relaxing, fun, and a great change of scenery. I could have easily said “No” to the extra steps they were proposing to get me on the boat but it turned out to be very, very easy.

Please note I have no personal experience with this and only offer these articles as suggestions
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow, thanks, awesome community here. You guys gave me fast replies and I am looking into all of them.
 
Sorry for your friends accident. Does he have to stay in the chair or can he get close and be carried to a seat?
 
Cwag911, he doesn't have to really stay in his chair, but he is a bigger guy. Our hopes were to get him on the boat in his chair then transfer to a seat. We use a public launch so accommodations aren't really possible at the launch itself. I looked up a side mount ramp that appears to be a good idea (idea from previous poster). My boat is currently covered and we will have to determine the width of his chair and the gate.
 
The 2014 S (depending on when it was built) should still have the wider bow gate. Might not be wide enough for a chair but it is a lot wider than the 2015- models.
 
The 2014 S (depending on when it was built) should still have the wider bow gate. Might not be wide enough for a chair but it is a lot wider than the 2015- models.
I didn't know they made a change in the width of the bow gate

I am happy to have bought the 2014 

The extra width is an advantage for people with disabilities and seniors needing assistance, both which are concerns for me and others.

I hope Bennington reconsiders the width of the bow gate for these reasons

pittsburghsklyine.jpg
 
Minimum wheelchair width is between 24 to 27 inches. Does anybody have the dimension of the entry gates on our boats?!?
 
Just guessing at the width of the side door on mine since I'm not home, but I think the door on my 20slx is around 20 - 24". It's narrower than the front gate. Also guessing that the front gate is around 32".
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Also please note that your dealer can also contact Bennington and inquire about special customization
 
I didn't know they made a change in the width of the bow gate

I am happy to have bought the 2014 

The extra width is an advantage for people with disabilities and seniors needing assistance, both which are concerns for me and others.

I hope Bennington reconsiders the width of the bow gate for these reasons

They narrowed up the front gate to accommodate the wrap around front seating.

I believe that you can still get the "old" style front gate with the base "S" (not "SX")?
 
These are awesome videos!! Thank you for sharing!!

We are currently trying to solve this problem better with our new (to us) boat a 2017 21SSRX. I had previously cut a thick piece of plywood to fit around the door/fencing and padded with rubber on the cut outs, placed 360 degree roller casters on the underside where it would sit on our dock. Side door access as we park parallel to our dock. But, our daughter has had orthopedic surgeries and is less stable walking across the ramp (we wheel her out in a lightweight wheelchair and then one in front, one in back, walker her onboard). This boat has a slightly narrower door than our side door on our 20SLI and our daughter has grown.

I have a metal shop that is willing to work with us to make something more sturdy as the commercially available ramp for the side door is too wide for our application. I love the flip down side rail door/ramp idea! Have some measuring to do to see if we can make that work for us. Exciting to see! Thanks again for the ideas, crew! xoxo
 
So sorry to hear the news about your friend

There are ramp options for pontoons


Handi-Ramp’s Aqua Ramp – Pontoon Boarding Ramp

aquaramp2_01.jpg
The AquaRamp by Handi-Ramp is the perfect solution to loading and unloading your pontoon boat. Featuring a600 pound weight capacity, the ramp provides a safe and easy way to board your boat. Handi-Ramp® has put durability and safety first with the Aqua Ramp’s exclusive non-slip design, allowing easy access for everyone, especially children, seniors and pets. Load and unload your coolers, water sport equipment and fishing supplies with ease.

Handi-Ramp’s Aqua Ramp
Custom Order
800-876-RAMP (7267)

There are ramps which run from dock to boat as well

AAPD_Logo.jpg


AAPD is a great source of information

Good Luck


EZ-Access Aluminum Suitcase Single Fold Wheelchair Ramp - 800 lb Capacity



1 Reviews | Write a Review56

freeshippingproduct.png


Gain instant access up stairs, in vehicles or on raised landings with the suitcase wheelchair ramp from EZ-Access. Manufactured from lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum and weighing no more than 30 lbs, carry this wheelchair ramp like a suitcase wherever you go. The self-adjusting transition plate provides solid footing, and the skid-resistant surface grips your wheels for excellent traction. The suitcase wheelchair ramp has an 800 lb weight capacity and is available in lengths up to 6'.

  • Made from lightweight aircraft aluminum
  • Carry ramp like a suitcase with handles
  • 800 lb weight capacity
  • Self-adjusting ramp feet
  • Skid-resistant traction surface
  • Available in 2' to 6' lengths
SUITCASE-AS2 24" 6 lbs (each) SUITCASE AS2In Stock

$116.99



Width of wheel chair may cause a need for modification of entry point to boat





Get your wheelchair on a boat



`I had a great time the 4th of July weekend up at my aunt and uncle’s cottage in northern WI. Although their cottage was not particularly accessible (30+ steps down to the lake!) they did make arrangements for me to board their pontoon boat at a neighbor’s shoreline. The door off the front of their boat was much more than 30 inches wide so they just pulled straight up to the shore and we used the 7 footfolding wheelchair ramp that I carry in my car just for these occasions. The ramp bridged the gap from the land to the boat very easily and sturdily. It took less than 2 minutes and I was on board.

This is just one way to get yourself onto a boat. There are also many other options. In the past I have abandoned my wheelchair on the shoreline and been lifted via a fork lift onto a boat. I have also been carried onto a deep sea fishing boat as well as another family member’s pontoon boat one time when we didn’t have ramps available. My point is that if you would like to get on a boat but can’t physically climb on the boat yourself, you can still do it with a little help.

If you would like to own a boat, maybe you would want to get a custom ramp built. There are several companies out there who make custom wheelchair ramps for boats. Just search google and you can easily find them. I haven’t ever bought one so I can’t endorse one particular company over another. But anything is possible!

The time spent on the lake was relaxing, fun, and a great change of scenery. I could have easily said “No” to the extra steps they were proposing to get me on the boat but it turned out to be very, very easy.

Please note I have no personal experience with this and only offer these articles as suggestions
We use a suitcase ramp to get our daughter down our very rocky beach to the dock (it's a community access point, so we don't have control over the shoreline like we would if we were lakefront instead of second tier). We roll her on, roll her across, roll her off, move the ramp ahead and keep going until we reach the dock. :D

I found a ramp with handrails on FB Marketplace cheap and one of our awesome dock mates added wheels, framing underneath to make it sturdy and attached it to our dock string as our gangway instead of the small, slippery one we had before.

Like you said, whatever it takes! :D Our daughter LOVES being out on the boat.
 
Looks like a Bennington 10 ft. beam. See how wide that front gate is?
 
You sir, have a good eye! He says it is a 40" gate on a 10' beam.

We don't need all of that, but easier access on would be lovely. And, we are not able to swing that custom build. We are a buy-used family. ;)

In the older video shared (
) they created a drop down ramp out of a reinforced side door. We don't expect to get a wheelchair through our side door, but a drop down gate we could walk across rather than the plywood we are using which tilts up and down as we walk on it would be a much safer setup. Plus after all these years, that piece of plywood is feeling a bit sketchy. Yikes. I guess I cold have added a hinge to our plywood piece but with our full grown bodies going across, metal would feel more secure.

Great catch on the size of that boat! :)
 
The 'S' series boats still have the wider gate. Aught to be some deals on those!
 
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