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Dog on the Boat - first time


Murphy8166

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We have an 8 year old yellow lab that we'd like to start taking on boat with us occasionally.  He is 65 lbs and fairly well mannered.

I do have concerns about the vinyl and wanted to see what all can be done to prevent any damage to the boat.  His nails will be trimmed and smoothed out with a Dremmel.  What about some shoes or socks for him?  Any type or brands that i should look at?

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

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Skip the canine shoes/socks (unless it's for protection from hot surfaces) and buy him a life jacket. Yeah, I know he's a lab but accidents happen. Kids and inexperienced guests are more likely than the dog to damage your vinyl.  

 

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We have a 77 lb mutt that LOVES the boat.  Some might question my wisdom for taking a dog on the boat and the inherent risks of doing so, but she is definitely part of the family.   We are on our third season on this boat and so far have no damage other than a lot of dog hair to clean up between outings.

Here she is hanging with friends sharing a story over a cold beer.   We do keep her claws trimmed, and smoothed.   

 NiwAWOYl.jpg

Edited by JeffC
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ahopkins22LSV

Lots of threads out there of hundreds of examples of dogs on the boat with no damage to vinyl. Dogs nails aren't sharp like a cats so they aren't going to cut your seats. I've had my 110lb lab/mastiff mix out on the boat for hundreds of hours and no issues.

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Keep ahold of a leash until you figure out if he is smart enough not to jump off the front of a moving boat after a fish- mine was not ;)   Luckily we were going slow and didn't have an accident.

  • Haha 1
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1 minute ago, oldjeep said:

Keep ahold of a leash until you figure out if he is smart enough not to jump off the front of a moving boat after a fish- mine was not ;)   Luckily we were going slow and didn't have an accident.

Mine was smart enough to not jump off the front, but NOT smart enough to not stand with all four paws together on the bow next to the navigation light while at speed.  The driver (she won’t be named) freaked out and cut the throttle, causing my dog to fly over the bow and then underneath the boat.  Luckily he somehow missed the prop and popped back up behind us in the wake with no visible injury.  Could have easily killed him.

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Just echoing what others say. We currently have 4 dogs. One is 90 pounds and bounds from the front to the back all the time. Wife thinks they belong in the boat. No upholstery problems. 

Jumping out can be a concern. Especially around waterfowl, fish, floating debris....

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I cannot speak for the new vinyl on the 2019.   My experience with our very energetic Golden Retriever who is about 65 lbs in our 2016 has been fine.  We have no damage to the vinyl.  He at times has run laps in the boat up and down the seats to the swim platform.  3+ years with no visible damage.  We also keep his claws trimmed.  When underway keep him tethered with a leash.   

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30 minutes ago, RyanB said:

Just echoing what others say. We currently have 4 dogs. One is 90 pounds and bounds from the front to the back all the time. Wife thinks they belong in the boat. No upholstery problems. 

Jumping out can be a concern. Especially around waterfowl, fish, floating debris....

I use to bring my dog... she loves the boat.. but I don't have to worry about her jumping out as she hates water.. My first dog ever that hates the water.. She also has her seat, and if some sits in it she pushes them out. I should bring her out when the crew is smaller, but with all the gear and peeps and her not liking the water makes it hard.

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20 hours ago, JeffC said:

We have a 77 lb mutt that LOVES the boat.  Some might question my wisdom for taking a dog on the boat and the inherent risks of doing so, but she is definitely part of the family.   We are on our third season on this boat and so far have no damage other than a lot of dog hair to clean up between outings.

Here she is hanging with friends sharing a story over a cold beer.   We do keep her claws trimmed, and smoothed.   

 NiwAWOYl.jpg

Wet vac every week with brush attachment and crevice tool and enjoy , the dogs sure seem to love it

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11 minutes ago, granddaddy55 said:

Wet vac every week with brush attachment and crevice tool and enjoy , the dogs sure seem to love it

All we have to do is say the word boat... and she goes to sit by the door to make sure we dont leave without her.   Her Maslow hierarchy pyramid for squirrel is topped only by boat.... literally.   She will have a squirrel treed, and offers of food, affection etc, are all topped by squirrel.   Say boat, and she comes inside immediately.

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Never a problem with our boxer (75#). He used to lay on the midship sunpad on our XTi and look over my shoulder. Fur was the only thing he left behind on the boat.

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4 hours ago, dreamlifeoc1 said:

anyone had any problems with the dog damaging the seadek or gator step?

I had my parents 2 golden retrievers on my 2017 VLX and their nails damage/scratched the sea deck.  First and last time a dog will go on my boat.

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7 hours ago, SCMike said:

I had my parents 2 golden retrievers on my 2017 VLX and their nails damage/scratched the sea deck.  First and last time a dog will go on my boat.

Difference of opinion, but I wouldn't own a boat that I couldn't take dogs on.

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1 hour ago, malibudog said:

Difference of opinion, but I wouldn't own a boat that I couldn't take dogs on.

I fully understand your position here.  I have 2 dogs myself, and they would likely be fine in the boat.  One is a 13# cavalier King Charles spaniel, and the other is a 50# English bulldog that would likely just sleep the entire day.  The local lake I go to does not allow dogs on the boat, so they stay home. For long trips with the boat (houseboating, camping, etc.), we typically have the dogs stay at the doggy hotel.  So there is never a need to have them on the boat.  My parents dogs are another story.  They go everywhere with my parents.  I try to accommodate them as much as possible, because like you, they always had their dogs on their boats.  About a month after I bought my first boat (2017 21vlx) I invited them on the boat and the dogs came along.  By the end of the day, the seadeck/gatorstep has permanent scratches all over it.  I never said a word to my parents (obviously) buy I was so bummed out.  From that point on, I decided no dogs on the boat.  

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I occasionally take the dogs out on the Malibu but never when we go out skiing.  They always go out on the pontoon.  No damage ever and the pontoon is on its 17th season and the Malibu is on its 19th season.  They love the smells and fresh air.  Had one dog that would bark at the waves bouncing off the side of the pontoons.  That was a bit annoying.  

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On 6/4/2019 at 12:12 PM, Murphy8166 said:

We have an 8 year old yellow lab that we'd like to start taking on boat with us occasionally.  He is 65 lbs and fairly well mannered.

I do have concerns about the vinyl and wanted to see what all can be done to prevent any damage to the boat.  His nails will be trimmed and smoothed out with a Dremmel.  What about some shoes or socks for him?  Any type or brands that i should look at?

Thanks for the suggestions and help.

I use to let my (late) 150 pound great dane in both my echelon and my VLX. I also let my current 50 pound mutt cruise with us. No damage has occurred and as others have said kids and guests have been the only ones to damage vinyl on my boats. We are teaching the new guy to stay in the playpen though, life jacket is probably a good idea.

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1 hour ago, SCMike said:

I fully understand your position here.  I have 2 dogs myself, and they would likely be fine in the boat.  One is a 13# cavalier King Charles spaniel, and the other is a 50# English bulldog that would likely just sleep the entire day.  The local lake I go to does not allow dogs on the boat, so they stay home. For long trips with the boat (houseboating, camping, etc.), we typically have the dogs stay at the doggy hotel.  So there is never a need to have them on the boat.  My parents dogs are another story.  They go everywhere with my parents.  I try to accommodate them as much as possible, because like you, they always had their dogs on their boats.  About a month after I bought my first boat (2017 21vlx) I invited them on the boat and the dogs came along.  By the end of the day, the seadeck/gatorstep has permanent scratches all over it.  I never said a word to my parents (obviously) buy I was so bummed out.  From that point on, I decided no dogs on the boat.  

I never thought of seadeck stuff, that would be a concern.

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I've never had problem with the Gatorstep with mine.  Since this photo, I added Gatorstep across the top deck.  No trouble there or on the swim platform.

fhm2chw.jpg

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8 hours ago, RyanB said:

I've never had problem with the Gatorstep with mine.  Since this photo, I added Gatorstep across the top deck.  No trouble there or on the swim platform.

fhm2chw.jpg

so no damage to gator step flooring?

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10 hours ago, RyanB said:

I've never had problem with the Gatorstep with mine.  

Not sure why mine got so beat up, maybe I had a bad batch. 

Since this photo, I added Gatorstep across the top deck.  No trouble there or on the swim platform.

good call on the gator step for the top deck.  Looks like your guys love it up front!

fhm2chw.jpg

 

 

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13 hours ago, 95echelon said:

I never thought of seadeck stuff, that would be a concern.

Yeah, I’m not sure what was up with mine. Seems like I’m the only one that has had this problem. 

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12 hours ago, dreamlifeoc1 said:

so no damage to gator step flooring?

Still have the OEM flooring. GatorStep on the top deck and swim platform. 

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