Wheelchair-bound and living-aboard, is it possible?

[bjn68]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, Bernard,

I'll take a stab at your question about stowing the land wheelchair. I was thinking you could modify a car top carrier and have it on the cabin top with its opening facing outboard. Then you could get out of the chair, and put it in. The cartop carrier would have to be secured permanently to the cabin top (through bolted), and you would want to make sure the opening was waterproof (perhaps a tarp over all), as well. If it has batteries, you'd probably want to stow them below, low in the boat, but in a dry location. [Boats sometimes discover new ways to leak on you -- we had an under-the-hatch-frame leak open on a mid hatch mid passage, once.]

Something you may not yet have thought of is something like a seatbelt or a net, to keep you in your berth when/if your boat suffers a knockdown or a rolldown or even (we hope not) a rollover. Not only yourself, but all your stores and all your batteries should should be protected against such events, to prevent your getting beaned by a toolbox's contents, or some such.

Good luck with your efforts. It isn't going to be easy, but I think you knew that already; and some parts of the journey will be most rewarding. Just keep on top of the 6 P's.

Ann

Hi Ann!

Thank you very much for your message. A car roof cargo box, Thule-style, is a great idea to stow my folding wheelchair! Thanks. I am going to see if I can find one big enough for my wheelchair and water/weather resistant enough to be left on the weather deck. With good bolts going through the boat fiberglass and some water-resistant sealants arounds each bolts, I think that might actually work.

i know to keep everything secured when sailing... I always think "safety first", with risk management in mind, because if you think ONLY safety, you will never leave your land-based bed... I already plan to install higher railing (taller stanchions and guard-wires) and railing nets, for safety, to always wear a PFD and have a lifeline when sailing, and even a helmet to protect my head in case of accidental falls (even on land, I fall a lot...).

Thank you!
V/r,

Bernard

PS: what are your 6 Ps?...

[rslifkin]

The 6 Ps are Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

[bjn68]

Roger that!

[Jebtrois]

Bernard, two lightweight aluminum ramps such as the Haul Master at Harbor Freight might work as the ramp you envision. Or, you could use the boom of the boat to lift yourself and the chair (not seated in it) over from the boat to the dock. A block and tackle would allow you to hoist yourself etc.
JEB

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Jebtrois

Bernard, two lightweight aluminum ramps such as the Haul Master at Harbor Freight might work as the ramp you envision. Or, you could use the boom of the boat to lift yourself and the chair (not seated in it) over from the boat to the dock. A block and tackle would allow you to hoist yourself etc.
JEB

Yep, a 6 part tackle should do it, and be useful at other times, as well.

Ann

[Rimica]

20 years ago or so, Outre-mer built a cat for a wheelchair bound client. It was mentioned in a French sailing magazine. Outre-mer has changed owner since but they may still have some info.

[Kiwicrew]

Good on you Bernard, I admire your guts. I’ve seen a sailor paralysed waist down and who seemed to be able to do most things, for one main reason: the upper body strength he developed.
Regarding catamarans, I’ve recently changed to a cat and I do think it would be a whole lot easier for you to manage a cat and to make modifications.
My boat is a small cat at 36 ft, and that’s a whole lot less boat to manage than say a 42ft.
Speaking if adding things, I’d be tempted to think of one of those dinghy cranes that big launches have, mounted mid ships on thf stern of a cat. That could give you access to the tender, the dock, and j to the engine bays.
Good luck and great adventures mate .

[wesevans]

Years ago I met a man who had lost legs at the thy and he sailed. It can be done with enough planing and boat modification. Marinas are another issue but ones with wheel chair friendly do exist.

[requiem]

Boarding will be somewhat dependent on marinas; we've typically used the boom to hoist people aboard if they don't have sufficient mobility to for us to assist them over the side.

Modern designs with swim platforms and dual helms make this a bit simpler; if the situation permits you can simply use a ramp as if for a med moor and roll yourself aboard. The two cabin layouts of production Jeanneaus/Beneteaus and I suspect others often mean the space for a third becomes a storage locker accessible from the cockpit as well as from below; I think it would be rather simple to lower a chair into this space from above. Certainly it's easier than trying to manhandle them down the companionway!

More handholds all around is rarely a bad thing, even for those with all their original parts. The marinas I've been to are generally wheelchair-friendly, but part of that may be due to the need for ramps in a tidal area. Some become less friendly with tides at extreme lows.

If you have one working leg, I'm guessing a fender-step or ladder at the shrouds along with better handholds (a few rungs perpendicular to the shrouds?) might allow you to descend somewhat easily in the more traditional manner. If you've already put the chair ashore, then some sort of crutch/cane/pegleg might let you reach it. (I imagine most fuel and pump-out docks would require a side-tie.)

[Fore and Aft]

Bernard I walked past a Sun Odyssey today and just can't see her being wheelchair friendly.
Personally I would like to take a diamond blade on a grinder to one of those cats below and make it wheelchair friendly. I would seriously cut one side of the cabin away and provide a ramp to the bow, anchor winch and mast base. Who cares about access to that hull. This is about you sailing comfortably. Install a dinghy crane near the mast with a remote so you and your wheelchair can be hoisted over the side and onto the dock or dinghy. Install a toilet on the bridge deck and possibly a galley as well along with a bed. I would also install a bow thruster to help with docking.
I am not sure what you know about fiberglass but it's fairly easy to modify if you want.
Cheers
https://fortmyers.craigslist.org/lee...497874734.html
https://m.sailboatlistings.com/view/72638

[bjn68]

Hi "Fore and Aft",

Thanks for your message. I know once aboard the boat (such as the SO), I won't be able to use my wheelchair. But I think I can hop on one leg a little bit and move around on my rear while on the boat. The only boat I have found really wheelchair-friendly is a Neel trimaran (https://www.neel-trimarans.com/range/neel-43/). Problems with that boat is that they don't have a furling mast (which I need to be able to sail solo), it's more expensive to buy (over my budget) and way more expensive and hard to dock in a marina since she is so wide... For the ramp to access the shore/dock in my wheelchair, I found these rolling ramps: https://www.rollaramp.com/boat-ramps/ I could roll them up and stow them on the boat when not in use. I think that might work! I am also still looking at a car top carrier to secure on deck somewhere, in which I could stow my folding wheelchair in when under sail. I have been told by several people to stay away from catamarans, because not only of the extra cost to operate and maintain, but also because they said cats are harder to sail solo, especially in my situation where I need all the winches, lines, etc, controlled from the helm.
Thank you.

[dannc]

Welcome to CF.

Regarding ramps, many of the marinas we have been in have floating docks with a ramp to shore. The ramp to shore can get quite steep when the tide is out. The ramps have always been metal and slippery, even when dry.

Does you chair have the power and traction to get up the dock ramps? Not an insurmountable issue but one to think about.

The OP might want to search CF for similar discussions of which there have been several.

Later,
Dan

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by bjn68

Thanks for the information. However, this has nothing to do with my questions... I am not looking for a job nor for training... I already learned how to sail (yes, they were smaller boats), I already got my ASA certification, back when I was stationed in Coronado, CA...

The biggest issue I imagine will be getting on and off the boat. two points to raise regarding this:
1. - if you can't lift the wheelchair, or yourself, getting from the deck to a dinghy could be tricky......but potentially do-able with some fairly minor modifications, especially if the boat you are contemplating has an angled stern/transom.
2. - getting onto a dock is tricky enough for even the able bodied, especially in anything but mild calm conditions, when both boat and dock/pontoon could be moving separately to each other, with a difference in height that varies dock to dock...

One suggestion would be to modifiy the boat so it has two passarelles (one each side) - lowerable gangplanks common in the Mediterranean due to the practice there of stern-to mooring (rather than alongside). You'd probably need a passarelle wide enough for a chair, which would necessarily be heavier and more difficult to manage than a narrower one, but do-able with some re-engineering.
For example, if the passarelle(s) were rigged so they could be raised and lowered using the boom and a tackle system, they could be rigged to locate along the guard rails, being hauled first vertically, then pivoting 90deg so the vertical surface becomes the flat gangplank, and so lowered to the dock.
Not easy, but do-able if you can afford to throw money at the problem.
Similarly you could rig an adjustable gangplank on the transom to enable you to slide down and hop into the dinghy, dragging the chair behind you or after first having lowered the chair into the dinghy. Issue then is getting onto the dock at the other end, or onto a beach, and from there to hard paving with a chair....tricky....but potentially do-able...

Otherwise lots of handrails should make everything else do-able aboard.

Half the time stuff the able-bodied do standing up is even safe doing from a seated position and, if as I think from your comments, you have one leg you can rely on to brace yourself, probably not an issue.

If money is not an issue, then the passarelles could be operated using a combination of hydraulics and electric motors, but my suggestion was for a KISS-principle system with minimal stuff to fail.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Buzzman

The biggest issue I imagine will be getting on and off the boat. two points to raise regarding this:
1. - if you can't lift the wheelchair, or yourself, getting from the deck to a dinghy could be tricky......but potentially do-able with some fairly minor modifications, especially if the boat you are contemplating has an angled stern/transom.
2. - getting onto a dock is tricky enough for even the able bodied, especially in anything but mild calm conditions, when both boat and dock/pontoon could be moving separately to each other, with a difference in height that varies dock to dock...

One suggestion would be to modifiy the boat so it has two passarelles (one each side) - lowerable gangplanks common in the Mediterranean due to the practice there of stern-to mooring (rather than alongside). You'd probably need a passarelle wide enough for a chair, which would necessarily be heavier and more difficult to manage than a narrower one, but do-able with some re-engineering.
For example, if the passarelle(s) were rigged so they could be raised and lowered using the boom and a tackle system, they could be rigged to locate along the guard rails, being hauled first vertically, then pivoting 90deg so the vertical surface becomes the flat gangplank, and so lowered to the dock.
Not easy, but do-able if you can afford to throw money at the problem.
Similarly you could rig an adjustable gangplank on the transom to enable you to slide down and hop into the dinghy, dragging the chair behind you or after first having lowered the chair into the dinghy. Issue then is getting onto the dock at the other end, or onto a beach, and from there to hard paving with a chair....tricky....but potentially do-able...

Otherwise lots of handrails should make everything else do-able aboard.

Half the time stuff the able-bodied do standing up is even safe doing from a seated position and, if as I think from your comments, you have one leg you can rely on to brace yourself, probably not an issue.

If money is not an issue, then the passarelles could be operated using a combination of hydraulics and electric motors, but my suggestion was for a KISS-principle system with minimal stuff to fail.

Actually, the idea of some sort of collapsible slide to get himself & gear of the boat into the dinghy seems clever.

Getting back on board is the hard part.

If he were to consider a cat, it might be worth looking at Wharram solutions for dinghy storage between the hulls on a lower able ramp.

https://i.hizliresim.com/g6d1G5.jpg

If he where to use that sort of ramp with a flat bottom dinghy he could get into the dinghy with his gear lower the ramp, slide down.
Upon return hook up a winch cable to be pulled back up and tilt the ramp up again.

Sitting in the bow for this would perhaps be best.

I'm aware that the OP is considering a mono, but cats seem to offer more options and Wharrams specifically lend themselves to modification being geared towards amateur builders.

[Fore and Aft]

Franziska I remember surveying a Wharram that had a ramp like you are talking about. There was a Targa Bar at the stern with a winch either side to lower it down.
I reckon the bow would be no good as you have the anchor bridle in the way. But the stern could work. Maybe having the dinghy ramp offset on one side of the cockpit. Probably the side where I have cut out the cabin side for the ramp to the bow. I reckon I could cut out that side cockpit seating and make a cradle for a dinghy and winch. Thinking about it more I wonder if you could modify the transom to be a permanent ramp and then a flat section to mount the dinghy on. Then Bernard has just got to get his wheelchair and himself into the dinghy and control his descent into the water with a winch remote. I could see Bernard getting a bit gung ho with this set up and trying to drive his dinghy up the ramp with an outboard.
I love this type of lateral thinking and have been thinking how cool it would be to modify a boat.

Cheers