How do you get fido back on board

[NYharleyrider]

My new Mac comes in a few weeks and I was wondering about pet boarding.

I have a large dog, 110 lbs, who loves to swim.

When away from shore has anyone come up with a creative way of getting a large dog back on board after he's been swimming.

[norbert]

as people dogs should wear a livewest! this not only helps them swimming but also provides a handle to help them boarding. for such a big puppy some kind of step would be helpful. managed several times to board mine from the dinghy but he did not go swimming from the boat.

[Chip]

Isn't the water too cold to swim in up there? Do a search on this board on "vest" and you will see threads on dog vests. You need one for the dog's safety. I think that you will have a serious problem loading and even unloading a dog of that size (although I tossed mine over the side with towels on the side to avoid scratching the boat). The space between the transom walls and the motor is tight, at best, and my 75 pound dogs BARELY fit through. I stood on the swim ladder and pushed mightily on their rear ends and they did the rest. But, again, they barely fit. Your dog, even if he can fit, will scratch the hull out of your boat or motor on his way in and it won't be easy, step or no step. Furthermore, the cockpit is not very roomy for a dog of that size. It may be time to get a second dog to add to your family - a small, Mac sailing dog under 40 pounds. The other problem with taking any dog on board is that you have to dock several times a day. It's a significant burden to keep in mind on a weekend outing.

[Sloop John B]

Yeah, and now he weighs 130 lbs. wet. There will be suggestions about rigging up some kind of davit and four/six purchase line. This works pretty good with the big fat guests because they can 'help out'.

Unless you're on the beach, you'll have to have a harness around the dog's shoulders and get in the water to hook him up. With that much weight it'll take two of you to hoist him in. Have your raincoat on and cover up your drinks for the inevitable 'shake'.

Best way is to chain that Chesapeake Bay Retriever to a tree on your property when you go sailing. If hes gotta come along, keep him in the boat until youre in very shallow water. Also spend three days a week at the gym getting in shape for this adventure.

[NYharleyrider]

A doggie Life vest is with out question.
But even with a handle my pup weighs 110 lbs when dry.
I won't have a dingy available that's why I wondering if anyone has come up with a creative method for getting their pooch back on board.

[SPC Paul]

If your dog has a life vest with a handle on it, you may be able to use your main halyard/boom as a makeshift crane to haul him back onboard. I read an article in Sail or Cruising World about a technique like this for retrieving a MOB. I don't remeber all the details, but if I remember correctly you first secure your boom with a topping lift. Then run your main halyard thru a cleat or block near the end of the boom. Connect the shackle to the dog (may want to purchase a carabiner of some type to make this easier), then winch in your halyard.

I'm not entirely sure if this will work or not, but it sounds like it has possibilities. Anyone have any further ideas?

Jared
"Bandit"
1991 Mac 26S

[Chip]

Sure, and once you've done that, the sun will be down and you won't have had any time to sail, eat, drink, nap, fish, socialize, etc. Maybe your question was aimed at an emergency rescue situation? I may have missed that. If your goal is to allow your dog to swim, I really would pass on it. Way too much work. Trust me.

[SPC Paul]

I agree that any method of getting a 110 pound dog back onboard is going to be a lot of work. But using the boom/halyard as a crane would only take about a minute. Two at most. I did forget to mention that my method requires you to have your halyard led aft so you can use the winch. Unless you want to try and haul in 110 pounds with no mechanical advantage.

I suppose the real question is not "How much work is too much?", but "How much do you like your dog?"

Jared

[Lorne Colish]

I know a boat that uses a ramp fastened to the cockpit side rail,hinged in the centre,with a bumper attached to the bottom for floatation.His dog weighs about 50-60 lbs.,but he uses it himself at the dock,and he's over200lbs.So these are manufactured for the purpose.I just don't know where.

[Tripp Gal]

As for PFD's for dogs. They are excellent and a must have even for dogs who are swimmers. But the one thing I have noticed is that they are not designed well for dogs needs.

2 little 1" straps hold the PFD with "handle" on the boat. Hello!?! You can't lift the dog safely with 1" straps. Yes they will be strong enough but they will hurt the dog when you try and lift them via the "handle" for any dog over 5 lbs.

The desisgns don't fit all dogs comfortably if they have really deep chests or very high cut withers. The straps are too short or double block depending on the dog. And if you get one big enough for a deep chested dog then the aft strap hits them right where you wouldn't want to be chafed.

The only one I was comfortable with was from a dog gear company that started because they couldn't find good gear for their sporting dogs. Ruffwear

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I can't speak to such a large dog, ours only weighed 15 lbs and was easy to just pick up when needed. She did however find it pretty easy to make the step from the transom into the dinghy even though this was a bit of an intimidating step for a small dog. After 14 years she is no longer with us and it was nice to cruise last summer without the mandatory trips to the beach.

I wouldn't cruise with a dog without a dinghy. There's no way I'd want to have to find and stop at a dock all the time. You need a way to get to shore when anchored out at the really nice spots rather than being stuck with stopping at marinas.

Also plan on having some way to rinse. Not only does salt water take a lot longer to dry, but a wet dog always collects sand, dirt, and mud. Luckily ours wasn't into swimming. There was that evening my wife left her on the beach and started to row back to the boat. Not wanting to be left alone in the dark she plunged in trying to return.

You might be able to make a doggie swim ladder of sorts. Our boat has a large transom ladder not the normal mini one found on most Macs (might be hard to put on a M due to the rudders). When we got it the previous owner has a flat board attached to it. He would lower the ladder so it stuck out parallel to the water and use it as a swim step. Maybe something like that with slats on it to make treads. You could lower it further so it is at a angle in the water making a ramp of sorts.

Other than that you probably have to treat it like a MOB and rig up some sort of multi part tackle from the boom supported by a topping lift. Pretty much the same thing you would do with a life sling to get a person back on board. The key will be a good comfortable lifting harness on the dog that is either separate of integrated into a life vest.

[Frank C]

I truly doubt the dog, or you, would find practical a full dead-lift over the coaming. You'd have trouble with the lift, the dog would have even MORE trouble with the lift, and the vest or harness might injure him as TG observed. Since you're getting a "new boat" in a few weeks I guess it will be a 26M.

I don't know how much "swim platform" is left after you mount that 70 TLDI, but you'll definitely need to use that swim platform, and sounds as if at least one rudder needs to be down for clearance. Sorry if I missed something, but this seems a small problem.

Remember that the dog isn't completely helpless. If he's wearing a vest, he just needs an extra 30 pounds of boost at his stern. His front legs will be working the problem whether you like it or not. If you just shackle a lift-line from your mast arch to his vest with even a fairly light tackle, you'll be able to give him the boost he needs. But, IMO, without a davit (i.e. the arch) at the swim platform - he'll be swimmin' for shore, for sure!

Do him a favor .... leave him home until you're familiar w/ handling your new boat. Once you're ready to anchor within 50 yards of a beach, give him some lessons. If you're really accomplished at handling the boat, get it even closer to shore. Best of luck!

[Richard O'Brien]

I'm working on the same problem. There is a new device made by a sailor called diving dog or something like that? It is recommended by Sail magazine, I believe? I'm at the wrong computer now, so can't send you a /url. I'm having a cousin weld up a folding stainless two step transom dock this summer. It will be 14" wide at the transom but needs to fold out wider beyond the outboard, and 12" below the waterline. Cabela's has one that looks interesting? I'm also making a ramp for the companionway. This one is esier since I have a 2004 model, and I only need to get to the table, about 3-1/2'. Another problem is getting my dog to stay on the cockpit cushions. I covered my cockpit floor with a rubber mat to keep dogs from sliding. I haven't made it in the water yet, but dry dock experiments, are going well so far. I will share any success with it later this summer.

[Tripp Gal]

It's called a Dive-N-Dog (god save us all from bad marketing) and they come in 2,3,4,5,or 6 step sizes and it supports up to 250 lbs when you put a properly sized backing plate on the boat.

I have seen them in use at Poulsbo this last summer. A couple of power boaters had them and were hoisting their Newfies in and out with them. They seemed to work well. They run about 180-300 depending on the # of steps.

[kmclemore]

I'm sorry, and maybe it's just me, but I'm envisioning the overpowering scent of being below on a hot day with a 110lb. wet dog.... mmmmmmm......