Helping marinas make boat boarding more accessible
The owners of La Turballe Marina on the west coast of France were determined to make it easier for those with reduced mobility to get out and enjoy the water safely and comfortably.
The Background
While plenty of marinas and even pontoons are easily accessible to the disabled, the final step of actually helping people get on board boats is generally much more difficult. La Turballe Marina in Quiberon, France approached REID Lifting to help them develop a solution which would overcome all the usual hurdles and have the potential to be rolled out across other marinas around the country.
The Challenge
La Turballe Marina wanted to find a way of enabling people with limited mobility to be lifted into and out of boats, which would optimise their safety without compromising on the efficiency or accessibility of the pontoon for others. The solution needed to comply with BS EN795 2012 Class B certification for temporary anchor devices providing protection against falls from height and had to be durable, affordable and unobtrusive.
The Solution
REID Lifting was able to supply a version of our winched TDAVIT which could be fixed into REID sockets permanently anchored at various points around the marina whenever lifting was required, and then removed or relocated when not in use. This reduced the level of investment required by the marina and meant that the TDAVIT didn’t need to become a permanent, visible fixture.
Capable of lifting up to 550lb under full load, the REID TDAVIT can rotate a full 360° to lift and lower people safely into and out of a boat moored alongside. For La Turballe Marina, it was custom built with 32’ 9” of stainless-steel winch cable and stainless-steel fixings to withstand the harsh coastal environment, alongside the anodized aluminum of the column and beam which are already inherently corrosion resistant.
With a 6’ 6” high column and 6’ 6” beam radius, the TDAVIT can lift people up and over boat safety lines and lower them into the waiting boat with ease. A key advantage is that it can be operated and assembled by one person, making it especially useful for small teams, families and crews.
While the sockets installed at La Turballe Marina are permanent, the portable TDAVIT can be folded away when out of use and protected by a cover or removed completely and stowed away in its carry bag.
Part of the driver for this project was the growing popularity of the Rotary Club’s Handivoile initiative takes place every year in France encouraging volunteers, family and friends to accompany people with disabilities out onto the water. Without a simple and cost-effective way of enabling those with reduced mobility to access the boats, the number of marinas and sailing clubs who could take part in Handivoile was limited. Now, there is no such limit.
The feedback
For La Turballe Marina, the REID TDAVIT solution has enabled it to position itself as a leading European location in terms of accessibility for anyone with reduced mobility – from novices and leisure enthusiasts to sports sailors.