Admiral says buy stairs now!!!!!

[rwappleton]

I need a set of Marquipt stairs for our 43 DC. I think they are 6 or 7 step models. Boat has the mountings can anyone help?

 

[Unda Maris]

I have a Marquipt 6 stair that will be available in a few weeks. I'm in San Francisco so freight will be an issue. Up here our tides swing 10 feet or so thus every marina uses floating docks.
Jeff

 

[Canuck Dennis]

Do you mean the" floating" type or the fixed vertical type ?

 

[rwappleton]

I do need the floating type. But so far every where we have been has been floating docks also.

Can you weigh the stairs when you get a chance and a picture would be great also.

Thanks to all!!!

 

[GJH]

We are at a floating dock and I prefer the "floating" articulating stairs. There is still a fair amount of moving involved, either through wakes or more commonly due to wind and current. A stationary set of stairs would make it very hard for my wife to get on and off the boat, plus they are unwieldy and take up a lot of room when cruising. The articulating stairs fold up flat and mount out of the way on the gunnel. We also have a ladder that attaches to the same kind of mount... BUT...

A few notes: The brackets for the stairs should be mounted below the gunnel, and must be parrallel to the dock. On my boat and most others, the gunnel is not parallel to the dock. So we have two sets of brackets, one for the ladder which are on the top of the gunnel, and one for the stairs. Note the difference in angle:

These stairs are real finger pinchers if not handled correctly. Wear gloves if possible. Practice maneuvering them on dry land before taking the risk of inadvertently float testing them. They can be handled by one klutz with some practice, I have come to find it is easier to do it alone.

Replace the crutch tip on the brace bar regularly, and put a water hose washer in it. The metal tube will eventually eat-grind through and scratch the boat. This is how I first got familiar with Finishmaster in Ft. Lauderdale.

If it doesn't come equipped with the bracket pins, get one size down from the hole. It will hold the weight easy and make installation and removal easier. Make sure they are securely attached to the stairs, I have already float tested a few anyway. Keep a spare or two.

 

[Angela]

As long as we're on the subject of brackets...

There are two kinds, to my knowledge, of attachment brackets. One is the old style "push the pin through the hole on each side" which is a royal pain in the butt - getting everything to line up perfectly while holding the stairs with one had and trying to put the the push-button pin with the other. Oh, and if you drop that pin, well, it's around $35 last time I priced one. Then there is the newer "slide-in" type. These allow the bracket on the stairs to be slid into the bracket mounted on the hull. For the old-style stairs that use the push-pin, there is a bracket you merely attach to the end of the stairs where the mounting holes are. So, you can use the newer brackets with any age stairs. They are also less protrusive. You can see them here: http://www.marquipt.com/products/26.html

I recently bought a new set of stairs and they have the slide in brackets. Those brackets have to be mounted sufficiently far enough under the rubrail so that you have room to put the stairs up against the hullside (there is a metal plate to keep from scratching the hullside) and slide it into the bracket. I didn't have those kinds of brackets on my boat, so I just removed the bracket from the stairs and used it old-fashioned style (push pin) until I can get the new slide-in brackets mounted on the boat. Those stairs to me are a love-hate relationship. Can't live without them, but it's the most dreaded chore of coming/going from the slip.

Replace the crutch tip on the brace bar regularly, and put a water hose washer in it. The metal tube will eventually eat-grind through and scratch the boat.

As much as I do keep an eye on my crutch tip, I do have that scar. So, I started wondering...would it last longer and be more reliable if I stuck a quarter in there or some other round metal disk that fits snugly (such as, perhaps, a punch-out from a metal circuit breaker box)? The other thing that kills those is the sun. Most of the time, mine dry rot before the metal breaks through the rubber.

 

[rwappleton]

We do have the mounts on the hull and they are parallel. The quarter or some kind of round plug makes sense (wonder why Marquipt hasn't thought of this).

Sailorman has a set with the new mounting system and I do not want to tear the boat apart to change mine. So we wait...........some will show up!

We are going in the yard next week for three months so the heat will be off. She is not worried about herself or me......she worry's about the DOGS!!!!!

 

[GJH]

Ang, I thought about the quarter idea, but the hose washer is a perfect fit and costs less than a quarter! You are right on about the UV deterioration.

One thing we did after we screwed up the tongues on the stairs (rookie mistake on a high fixed dock blah blah blah) was to have them re-welded just a tiny little bit wider at the suggestion of the welder. Now they slide into the bracket with some tension so won't fall out easily while you jockey the pins. It has made the whole process pretty easy for Mr. All Thumbs to do all by himself. Lots of practice helps too. What was once a dreaded production is now a relative piece of cake. You might find a fabricator type guy to heat them up and widen them just a tad. Or try it yourself...

PS: As for the price of the pins, the Dania Beach Marine Flea Market can be your friend. Bought a bag of em for like 10 bucks. Gotta strike on the first day though.

 

[Angela]

Why do you have to tear the boat apart to add a different set of mounts? Marquipt tells me they are just screwed into the hullside with the specified size/length screw and a little sealant - no backer plates or bolts/nuts/washers in a solid glass application, unless you just want to through-bolt them, which yes, is always better. The hullside mounts don't have the "pulling out" forces on them. The force is up and down and the number of screws used to install them will keep them where they belong. If you're balsa cored at that spot, then you'll need to through bolt them, but I don't think any of us here have balsa below the rubrail, do we?

Anyway...I waited a long time to find mine because I wasn't willing to fork over thousands of dollars for them. I had steps, they were just cruddy and needed the bottom step replaced, but still serviceable, so there was no real rush. I searched my local Craigslist every day, sometime several times a day, using the term "Marquipt" and at long last I landed a newer style set with two offset handrails topped with a starboard grabrail, for just $500. They started out listing for around $1,300, but I watched and waited until I got them for $500. There are three sets on South Florida craigslist right now, ranging in price from $700 to $2,450.

Oh...just remembered...if you found a set you like with the newer style mounting, those tongue & groove mounts are removable from your stairs - take those off and they become the old style mount that need the pin. That's what I've done with mine until I get the new hullside brackets.

 

[mad hatta]

I have a set of marquip old type steps i will sell for 750.they are located in orlando florida .you can reach me at 407 247 5166 richard.

 

[erslo]

I have 3 sets of Marquipt articulating stairs, in different lengths.
One set is quite long, and comes in two parts, for easy storage.
I have to check at my warehouse, as I'm not sure exactly what the particulars
are. I'll post this information tomorrow, March 22, 2013.
erslo

 

[eze2bme]

My push pins have a stainless steel cable (looks like fishing line leader) that attach the pins to the stair near the mounting hole.

 

[jlangley]

There are three sets located on craigslist in the south florida area.

 

[wndsr]

If once you get fixed up, if you require the "peg" style brackets that the stairs are kept on while underway, let me know. I have an extra set.

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

"Replace the crutch tip on the brace bar regularly, and put a water hose washer in it. The metal tube will eventually eat-grind through and scratch the boat. This is how I first got familiar with Finishmaster in Ft. Lauderdale. "

I installed flagpole posts about 10 yrs ago and the brace bar fits perfectly into it....

 

[Robby]

Freight from Central Fl to Mobile via USPS was $38 six months ago.