Mom loved to fish. She could out fish the rest of the family most days. She had a nack that none of us could ever duplicate. That was before the stroke which left her left side paralyzed. For the first year we sat around trying to come up with a way to get her into one of the boats and out on the lake. We came up with several ideas but none were very practical. Then one day it dawned on us. Pontoon boats were just starting to become more popular on the lakes of Alberta. We looked around a bit and found an 18 foot Sweetwater that had a very open design that would not inhibit movement of a wheelchair around its deck. We removed one of the forward fishing seats which is now the designated disabled parking spot. By chance, the dock we have is very close to being level to the deck of the boat. A simple piece of 3/4 inch plywood is all that is needed to bridge between the dock and the deck of the boat.
The next issue was getting mom from the cabin to the dock. The road and pathway are both good ol' Alberta gravel. Not a very wheelchair friendly surface. We tried a couple different powered wheel chairs but they were slow and would constantly get hung up in the ruts and on large rocks along the way. There had to be a better way. I did a bunch of measuring and searching and finally found the almost perfect solution. A john Deer Gator™ CX Utility Vehicle from their compact series. The only modification we made was to the passenger seat. We removed the factory seat base and replaced it with a memory swivel that is used on seating in fast food joints. Added a locking pin to secure the seat while the vehicle is moving. We also added a arm rest that swivels up and out of the way on the right side of the seat. This we borrow from moms powered wheelchair as needed. We also added a seat belt for obvious safety reasons. The dump box on the back of the Gator holds all of their fishing gear, a cooler, and the non powered wheelchair in the folded position, which is easy to lift in and out of the box.
And there you have it. The best disabled adult fishing system out there. You can bet your bottom dollar it was worth the time, effort and every penny just to see the smile on moms face her first time out. That would be the same smile she still has each time she gets out on the water to catch a few walleye.
The Gator
The boat
The happy fisherwoman
2 comments:
What a wonderful thing to do for your mom! I just recently lost my mom to a brain tumor in February and I really wish she could have come out fishing with us. I know she would of loved it, just like your mom does.
You are so lucky to still have you mom, I hope she catches a monster walleye this year. If I see that pontoon boat on the lake, I'll make sure to give her a big wave.
Thanks for sharing this story.
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