T&T: Extending Swim Platform

[Robin Roberts]

We added 14" of depth to the stock fiberglass swim platform on our
DeFever 49, after some discussions with Arthur DeFever to assure
ourselves that it was safe to do so.  We ended up having a marine
carpenter and fiberglass guys effectively "copy" the forward side of the
platform and add it on.  It's more important to consider the additional
forces on a bigger platform and how best to support it.  Imagine a dink
full of guests coming to your anchored boat for dinner (downward forces
at the outer edge of the platform), and now imagine a large following or
quartering sea (upward forces).  We worked with a machine shop to have
larger support brackets fabricated, with a larger "foot" to spread the
load against the hull.  We also ended up reinforcing the transom with a
thick piece of marine plywood, kerfed and then epoxied to the inside of
the transom, since the additional weight on the outer edge of the
platform could induce increased flex in the transom.

It was not a cheap project, but we're SO glad that we did it, and that
we did it right.  Step on the platform now and it's rock-solid and
infinitely more useful.

Robin Roberts
MV ADVENTURES - DeFever 49 RPH
lying Cape Breton, Nova Scotia




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