Tower Converts to Hoist

[TOAST]

Stumbled across this in youtube and I hadn't seen it before. The tower converts into a hoist to assist/lift people into the boat. Very clever design imo.

From manufacturer website, "A customer approached DBG with the need to assist a disabled family member into their new boat. With their family member being very active loving to tube and swim, their new boat made it hard to get aboard due to the height that the swim platform sat out of the water."

See the video of how the tower swings out and converts to a hoist

At first I was thinking revenge of the surf sling. Then I realized it had a more serious purpose -- a real game changer for at least one family.

[steemin]

That is awesome.

American ingenuity

Scott

[68Slalom]

I guess you could find use for something like that, but I thought they already had those on rescue boats Not sure that it's an invented idea but maybe the tower in addition to the hoist makes it look better. Pretty cool

[obski]

I remember seeing one that was built onto a custom trailer.

It is great to increase access of boating to more.

[martinarcher]

That certainly is cool.

[Tao of Wake]

That is very cool. My cousin is paralyzed from the waist down, and he loves to ski. He has a wakeboard with a seat attached that he uses to ski (he is VERY good). He is part of the team that teaches paraplegics to ski here in SW Michigan This would be great for him to have! He actually has one of the Malibu Corvette boats, but it doesn't have a tower. He doesn't use this boat for teaching, though. Maybe the boat they do use could be retrofitted with something like this. Great idea!

[MalibuTime]

That reminds me...

One of the items I was considering adding to our safety equipment is a block and tackle set up with harnesses to quickly latch onto the tower and hoist an injured/ unconscious person aboard. This is mostly self-serving, since I am the one person that the rest of my family would have a difficult time retrieving. If I am out with my buddies there would be enough muscle power to hoist someone aboard.

[dhcomp]

Cool idea, but if they had a disabled famly member, why would they buy a boat like that? seems like a goofy watersports boat to put a tower on...

[SmoothWaterMan]

You've never seen handicapped folks waterskiing? Wake up, look around, get involved.

http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/WSDA/main.htm

http://waterski.about.com/library/weekly/aa011098.htm

http://www.sitski.com/waterski.html

http://sports.webshots.com/album/403556547FxCvtD

http://www.adaptiveadventures.org/newsEven...Cal/August.html

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&...0&ct=title#

[Bill_AirJunky]

A few years ago there was a guy in Richmond, VA who had a snowboard accident. He was big in the wakeboard scene too. I know of several handicapped guys who ride SkySki, but can't walk. I figured we could get this guy involved, especially if we did it fairly soon after his accident & his upper body strength was good.

For the right guy who has good upper body strength & can sit up on his own, he can ride a foil pretty easily. Getting himself or his ski in & out of the boat though...... this kind of thing might help him do it all.

[davemac]

You've never seen handicapped folks waterskiing? Wake up, look around, get involved.

http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/WSDA/main.htm

http://waterski.about.com/library/weekly/aa011098.htm

http://www.sitski.com/waterski.html

http://sports.webshots.com/album/403556547FxCvtD

http://www.adaptiveadventures.org/newsEven...Cal/August.html

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&...0&ct=title#

Adaptive Skiing....Awesome stuff to get involved with!!

[Bill_AirJunky]

You've never seen handicapped folks waterskiing? Wake up, look around, get involved.

http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/WSDA/main.htm

http://waterski.about.com/library/weekly/aa011098.htm

http://www.sitski.com/waterski.html

http://sports.webshots.com/album/403556547FxCvtD

http://www.adaptiveadventures.org/newsEven...Cal/August.html

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&...0&ct=title#

Adaptive Skiing....Awesome stuff to get involved with!!

Pretty tough to cope with the few times I've done it.

One time I took 3 guys out. All 3 about my age, all paralyzed from the waist down.

First guy fell from a house, broke his back, big guy, like 350+ lbs. Try fitting a vest on him.

Second guy was thin as a rail. Like 6' tall, maybe 140 lbs. Gunshot victim. Jumpiest guy I ever met. Any slightly loud noise would set him off. Water temps were like 75 or 80 & he got cold in a matter of minutes.

The 3rd guy was pretty cool. Had a motorcycle accident. We thought about trying to get him up on a SkySki, but his injury was so low that he couldn't sit up on his own. Had to prop himself up with his hands. So he decided to go tubin. Made a wise crack about us being cool & not leaving the poor paralyzed kid out on the lake to paddle home. I said, " no problem, Bob". His name was Grant & he busted up laughin about it. We ended up hangin around with him a lot later... used to drink us under the table.