swim platforms

[lori]

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN REPLACE THE SWIMPLATFORM ON A 2003 GRADY WHITE 265 EXPRESS. THE ONE I HAVE IS DAMAGED AND I WOULD LIKE A SWIMPLATFORM WITH THESE MEASURERMENTS. IT IS BIGGER THATN THE ONES THAT ARE BEING SOLD ON-LINE OR IT STORES.

APPRECIATE ANY HELP

 

[CJBROWN]

First, welcome to the forum!

Second, turn off your CAPSLOCK- you have a shift key :wink:

Third, try calling these guys: http://www.boatsinc.com or call 860-739-4469 They are a good Grady parts dealer and will give you a fair price for an OEM setup or parts.

 

[jekyl]

Depending on how yours is damaged......you may be able to have it repaired by a glass shop. Mine had broken away at the transom . Poor design really, not enough material there to support the weight of a big guy.
For $350 i had it beefed up underneath and at the transom area where it screws in. Now there is no movement and it looks original.

 

[Enough Already]

Depending on how yours is damaged......you may be able to have it repaired by a glass shop. Mine had broken away at the transom . Poor design really, not enough material there to support the weight of a big guy.
For $350 i had it beefed up underneath and at the transom area where it screws in. Now there is no movement and it looks original.

Hey jekyl - can you explain or provide photos on the beef up? 2 of my 3 bolts have pulled through the bottom edge of the platform and I need the same repair. I was thinking of some sort of metal plate along the bottom edge but would like to see how you did it.

 

[jekyl]

The main modification was to extend (by 1 inch downwards) and thicken (by 1/8 ") the rearmost part of the platform that screws........ onto the transom.
Obviously the thicker and dseeper you can make this section the sturdier the whole fixture will be.
I took it to a local fiberglass repair guy who has a good reputation and let him figure out the how to. It is more complicated to do it properly than I imagined . Making sure that it is an integral part of the base took some removing of exsisting material before he layed up the new glass. But the result is certainly worth it.
I was looking for another platform for the other side but I wouldn't fit another without this modification.
By having more area to work on I was able to get some large flat washers to spread the load under the screws. Most disturbingly there appeared to be no sealant in any of the holes. The exsisting screws are long enough and appear to be strong enough........ with the stainless supports but the 'glass area is just not bulky enough for the load it carries.
Also the platform as it was fitted had a slight slope down to the middle of the transom which i thought looked odd. So I realligned it to be straight which "helps me sleep at night".
Hope this helps If you need more I'll try to post pictures but I'm not good at that.

 

[timmons]

I'm never ceased to be amazed at how boaters help other boaters out. This thread is yet another example. Well done, Australia.

 

[Enough Already]

Thanks jekyl - you've given me a few more ideas. I'm taking the platform off tomorrow and will take it to a local shop and ask them to get "creative".

 

[gradyfish22]

We had a swim platform added after market and was actually the OEM platform for an Edgewater boat, the broker we bought from also sold them and had one in stock to be added to a new boat but installed it on our boat to seal the deal as it was a major issue for us and boarding the boat. See if that will help, but it takes up the whole side and uses one arm above and below, similar to the Grady platform, but I found it also to be sturdier.