I run the boat all winter long, so as the cold weather was making it's way towards us this winter, I devised something I wanted to share here with you. Climbing on and off the bow of the boat onto the trailer onto the ground in the cold weather can be dangerous. Especially for a larger person like myself. The front deck is smooth aluminum and can get very slick, just like the trailer tongue and even the ramp. I wanted to try and make it a little safer for myself because I usually hit the water alone in winter.
So beings I am a truck dispatcher by trade and have connections I acquired an aluminum truck step. This one in particular is made by Peterbuilt and is supposed to mount on the fuel tank of a truck. You can walk into any heavy truck dealer and buy something similar in the price range of $25 to $45 in my area depending on the size of the step and the make of the manufacturer.
I wanted to place it on the winch mount halfway down from the deck to the tongue of the trailer to help have a safer exit from the boat. It is heavy aluminum and has real nice corrugated treads stamped into it and grips your shoe very well. Luckily for me, the bolts that hold the winch mounting plate were in the perfect position for the step to share the same bolts instead of drilling new holes into the winch mount frame. So I mounted it on the opposite side of the winch handle, drilling the side of the step with the required holes in the right location.
I also took a piece of 2" x 2" x 1/4" aluminum angle and drilled it and cut it to length to fit inside rail of the step to reinforce it and make it sturdier and also for the bolt heads to hold against and not warp the thinner step material. I am very pleased with this mod, it works very well and makes boating life just a little easier and safer.
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