new crew member

[emuboooo]

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Our 6 month old son is the newest crew member on board our folkboat. For coastal cruising we tried a car-seat when it gets rough, but it seems not to work too good.
Do you have experience with small children on board?
How about safety?

[John B]

We did that. the first season carting a car seat around. Then I made a ply chair which hooked either over the cockpit coamings or the companionway. After a small while I made a tray which dropped onto the chair as well . That worked well for all the 3 kids and as each became a bit mobile they went into harnesses. Any resistance to the harness was squashed early and they became acclimatised to them. The next step was life jacket or harness, "thats the choice". Now they dive off the bowsprit and climb the mast.

[Steve O'Connell]

Our son Hayden was sailing with us the day before he was born, then eight days later he was back on the boat. He was strapped into his car seat that was lashed down either in the cockpit or the cabin. Though there was that one day when the knot slipped and the boat heeled and there came a disconcerting sound from down below...The rogher it was the deeper he slept. And the engine sound would also put him to sleep.It was nice having him aboard. He is now nearly two years old and is banned from the boat when we have passengers. Last year as he became more mobile he wanted to explore. He didn't like being strapped in or tethered to his harness/lifejacket and he let the whole world know of his displeasure. He did like ringing the bell non-stop, smashing the coffee cups together from where they hang, pulling out the ignition key (and flinging it) whenever it came in reach, and trying desperately to crawl overboard. No doubt things will get better in a year or two. God I hope so.

[John B]

emu, I found this pic with the wee chair in it. it really was well worth the effort to make it.3 kids went through it.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pa476ab9792469ba147430cd8ca75bb6e/f4177986.jpg
I cheated a bit. Its an old ply office chair sub structure which I cut the pieces out of .Some epoxy later and.....

As you can see , it just hooked over the coaming.

[doorstop]

John B. that picture very definitely is speaking more than a thousand words...... magic stuff!! :D

[David W Pratt]

When our daughter was tiny/little, we had a Bristol 27. Her carry basket could tuck under the counter, where your feet would go if you were an adult using the bunk. it had about an inch of clearance so she wasn't going to tip out. Later, a child's wading pool on the cabin sole provided air cushioned safety. In the cockpit, it was an on board water park for a toddler. It stowed well too.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Bigod, John, you've posted photos as good as any ever posted here.

Thanks again.

Alan

[John B]

I went to a lot of trouble with that one Alan. I took a digital photo of the photo in the album .LOL. scannner schmanner. pishhhh. who needs em.

David.. that reminds me.. we had a sort of moses basket for them when they were babies. One of those flax sort of things and it would sit on a bunk or , if it was rough, on the sole . It never moved.

[Billy Bones]

All well and good, John-o, but I note the chair is empty save for a life jacket. Didja get pooped? tongue.gif

Kidding aside, brilliant idea.

Somewhere I have a few pics of my daughter the day before she was born canoing on the sqaumscott river. Very cool.

[John B]

weeeellll the probability is that its not the boat that got pooped ,if you get my drift.... ;)

[John B]

Its the middle one there Jeff. the boy. nearly 10 now . :rolleyes: He free climbed 25 ft to the spreaders at christmas! and went up the hoops to the throat when we were sailing on another day too. And then the fool of a boy broke 2 arms in 2 successive incidents at school.! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:rolleyes:

[Dan McCosh]

I remember my son when he was about 3 1/2, when he liked to sit by the leeward shrouds. When the rail dipped, he lifted himself out of the water, then let himself back down, feet dangling over the side.