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sabray · 25-07-2011, 16:00

Scupper my once chessie got so proficient at climbing ladders she once joined me on an extension ladder. Problem was I was 35' up on a partial built barn. I should not have been on that ladder and damn sure the both of us had no business up there. Took some very slow maneuvers to get us both down

eastendsailor · 25-07-2011, 16:05

Minaret, yes, the hair could be a big issue! Daily vacuuming would be essential. At home, we're used to Newf hair tumbleweeds.

TropEscape, thanks. Yeah, he's the size of two or three dogs, so he's like a walking kennel of sorts!

SkprJon, Sabray, thanks for the anecdotal encouragement!

Artif, thanks for the pic. Always good to see a Newf doing what they're meant to do! And nice to encounter a fellow Newf-lover.

In my quest to get out on the water, I was initially considering a powerboat of some sort, like a Grady-White Offshore 31, which has a good-sized open deck aft of the cockpit. But, I'd rather sail. Wondering whether a box/step on the cabin sole would be enough to allow a big dog to get below? Perhaps some sort of step extension could be hinged to the stairs.

This is all somewhat premature in that I don't yet actually have a boat!

sabray · 25-07-2011, 16:16

I use a lift out built in grate in the cabin sole with a Tupperware bowl as a sump. Sweep everything in it's easy. Doubles as an easy access to the thru hull. No dog aboard now but it keeps the bilges clean.

ActiveCaptain · 25-07-2011, 16:45

We have 140 lbs of dog aboard in the form of 2 labrador retrievers. As much as I love being onboard our boat 9 months every year as liveaboards, I'd sell the boat long before I'd get rid of the dogs.

You beautiful pup will love being with you in the boat. You'll meet tons of other people because of the dog. It will all greatly make up for the few minor inconveniences.

We maintain a blog of our cruising from our dog's perspective:
http://takingpaws.com

captainKJ · 25-07-2011, 17:32

3 years ago i met a single guy with a 80 pound dog. He was in a 26 foot boat sailing the world. I asked him were he stores all the food. He said EVERYWHERE.

vintageray · 25-07-2011, 17:52

My Chocolate Lab has been on the boat since he was 6 weeks old. Started climbing the companioway ladder at 10 weeks. I took the teak grate out of the floor in the shower and he pees there when he needs to and I'm not available to put him topside on a tether. It would be nice to have lots of room for him to run and play and I feel a little guilty about that. At night when he gets restless, he tears back and forth the length of the cabin to burn off the energy before lying down to sleep. He'a pretty happy dog though,... spoiled rotten.

zeehag · 25-07-2011, 17:55

wow--these stories make me soooo glad i have a 16 pound kat........

eastendsailor · 25-07-2011, 17:59

Thanks for all of the positive feedback! Looking forward to many happy times aboard together.

Zeehag - I had a sixteen pound cat until a few years ago! At age twenty, he had to be put down. T'was a very sad day for me.

zeehag · 25-07-2011, 18:06

if it was a maine coon mix, woulda torn out yer heart-- they are very very special cats.
friend of mine had that problem-- tore out his heart. sad day for sure. i do not look forward to the day i have to say good bye to bubba--he is a wonderful critter--- just dont tell him he is a critter....

friend of mine sails with a pit bull--awesome dog.... smart and fun.... sweet goggie guards the boat and my friend well. only weighs in at about 90 pounds or so. sends allmy friend's things into sea..LOL..... comedy show. has his special place to pee and is very good dog.

avb3 · 25-07-2011, 18:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabray

Your Newfie should be fine you must read all the mowat books especially that dog that wouldn't be.

A Newfie dog was bred for rough and cold seas... he will be just fine. Mowat (I assume your talking about Farley), on the other hand was a fraud, who lied about his "scientific" observations. He was not a scientist by anyone's stretch of that word. Wikipedia has some good comments on this charlatan (yeah, I'm biased, but I have interacted with real wildlife scientists for the past 25 years).

**hummingway** · 25-07-2011, 18:53

Well, he'll simplify the MOB but keeping hair out of everything might be a different story!

simonmd · 25-07-2011, 18:59

Here's my '1st mate', Harvey. He's just done my delivery of my new sailing catamaran with me on a 7 day voyage (with a couple of stops) and coped really well. However, as you can see he's not a huge dog, so has some space to potter around. If you're talking about short (no more than a day) passages then I can't see a problem but to keep a dog that size couped up on a sail boat for longer wouldn't be fair.

Another serious consideration is how easily could you recover him if he went overboard? There is no way you could lift a dog that size from the sea un assisted, i'd recomend he wears some kind of floatation device with a sturdy handle / attachment point and have some sort of pully set up on the end of the boom (maybe just use the mainsheet) to lift him out.

If you're in warmer waters though, a PFD would make him pretty hot if he wore it all the time so it's not a perfect solution. Certainly good all round safety netting is a must to stop it happening in the first place.

**hummingway** · 25-07-2011, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonmd

Another serious consideration is how easily could you recover him if he went overboard? There is no way you could lift a dog that size from the sea un assisted, i'd recomend he wears some kind of floatation device with a sturdy handle / attachment point and have some sort of pully set up on the end of the boom (maybe just use the mainsheet) to lift him out.

That's a happy looking seadog.

Newfoundlanders have evolutionary adaptations that are pretty much like a built in PFD. They have webbed feet, a really thick, water resistant coat and swim wonderfully. Their job was maritime lifesaving.

Getting them out of the water might be challenging.

sabray · 25-07-2011, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonmd

Here's my '1st mate', Harvey. He's just done my delivery of my new sailing catamaran with me on a 7 day voyage (with a couple of stops) and coped really well. However, as you can see he's not a huge dog, so has some space to potter around. If you're talking about short (no more than a day) passages then I can't see a problem but to keep a dog that size couped up on a sail boat for longer wouldn't be fair.

Another serious consideration is how easily could you recover him if he went overboard? There is no way you could lift a dog that size from the sea un assisted, i'd recomend he wears some kind of floatation device with a sturdy handle / attachment point and have some sort of pully set up on the end of the boom (maybe just use the mainsheet) to lift him out.

If you're in warmer waters though, a PFD would make him pretty hot if he wore it all the time so it's not a perfect solution. Certainly good all round safety netting is a must to stop it happening in the first place.

I saw a bull dog jump off the docks at hoods yard in Portsmouth. It went straight down like a brick. Twas recovered by it's owner who followed after the dog. I didn't think anything alive could be so dense and sinki so fast. Your newf should be fine. Let me disclaim that I have no scientific backing but I have seen newfies swim my chess which may have been a result of a well dressed poodle a lab and a Newfie was fine in the water. Several methods of extraction worked. The over the ransom reluctantly was okay. If she really wanted out I could put my hand behind her head and with that resistance she would climb the swim ladder.

Artif · 26-07-2011, 01:15

Newfies were bred for waterwork, they were used for towing fishing nets from the boats and then towing trailers full of fish back to town.
Italians use them as water rescue dogs, jumping from helicopters and rescuing people. Their testing showed that a Newfie can tow a loaded 30 man life raft for 3 miles without undue stress on the dog.