You don’t have to be a member of AARP to know that a lot of boats – no matter how much you love them – are not designed for maximum comfort as you get older. Think of changing the sheets on a V-berth, for example, or repeatedly stubbing your toe over a one-inch rise when walking from the cockpit to the salon or from the salon to the helm station. Or what about side decks that are too narrow to walk on without turning sideways? It happens.
Now Walt Schulz, president of Shannon Boat Company, has an answer for all that, plus much more. He’s designed a new Silver line of cruisers, from 28 to 58 feet, that offer more comfort and flexibility for people who are older or are having mobility issues. (Schulz himself has Lime Disease.) “Most boats are designed for 40-year-olds,” he says, “which is fine, as long as you stay 40.” Shannon’s new Silver line is designed to keep people boating into their 90s. “Ninety, after all, is the new sixty,” says Shulz.
The new Shannons will have:
– A forward “split island double” berth with a power opening to turn it into two singles and to make it easier to change sheets.
– Wide passageways with powered sliding doors.
– An open cockpit with 36-inch-wide transom doors.
– A flush walkway from cockpit to the helm station.
– A proprietary stern power lift so you can get on and off the boat even from a fixed dock. The swim platform raises and lowers to adjust to any level, and a ramp swings out for side-to boarding.
– Inside, a proprietary lift converts conventional steps into a mechanical lift system for, say, going from the salon to the accommodation deck below.
– An ergonomically designed, fully adjustable helm seat and a “knees under” helm station so that driving the boat is as comfortable as driving your car.
– Wide side decks for handling lines and fenders, all the way to the bow.
– Side-Power thrusters to make docking easy or to hold the boat in place.
For more: shannonyachts.com
Shannon’s New Cruisers for Aging Boomers
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