When we first acquired the Dehler we were given the transom cover. Many owners left the covers off to give the open cockpit feel. some left them in to keep incoming waves out and to keep any misplaced objects from washing into the drink. They are thin fiberglass covers with a set of hinges. Supposedly, you could fit a small liferaft in this area which would make for an easy to launch location. That may be the case for the larger versions of our boat( the 34 andDB1 AND DB2) however, probably not the case for our model. Spending some time at boat shows I began to notice more and more boats sporting swim platforms that would fold down allowing for a nice place to dip your feet in the water of unload the contents of your dinghy. Unfortunately, these platforms are huge, they weigh a ton, and in some cases require mechanical assistance just to fold up. Looking at the stern of The Run I thought to myself, ” I can make that”.
I wanted to keep the design small, lightweight, and fall proof. I took the original cover, sanded it down and began by making foam and airex core pieces to fill in a 2″ indentation at the end of the platform. I also pieced together 2 stainless sections that are embedded in the bottom of the entire structure. Once this was completed I laminated a layer of carbon, followed by a foam core and topped with a few more layers of carbon fiber. next, in order to avoid nuts to step on, i laminated in a piece of g10 plate which the hinge bolts are threaded into. voila! nothing to step on! On the outer edges of the walking area I installed angled fiberglass and threw carbon over these as well. These not only give you foot bracing but also give the platform more strength between loading points. I then covered the walking area with Lewmar traction mat. Inside the transom I reinforced the hinge areas with g10 plate and also fit g10 to the areas where the amsteel supports attached.
