TravelGeneral InformationMessing about on boats - with the help of a new chair lift Messing about on boats - with the help of a new chair lift
26/04/2007
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There's nothing quite like cruising down a canal in a barge, watching the world slowly glide by. But for many people with a disability, such gentle pleasures can be difficult - especially getting in and out of a barge. Which is is why the specialist fleet of canal boats owned by the Canal Boat Project have just fitted their most state of the art boat, the Stort Daybreak, with an Autochair’s Milford Person Lift.
The Canal Boat Project already hold a fleet of five boats which enable
people with disabilities to take a full and active part in the boating
experience. Their first boat, the Stort Challenger, bought in 1999, was
in such demand that they soon began to look to expand their fleet. But
this latest addition is exceptional, because the flexibility of the
Milford person lift makes it suitable for a huge variety of unusual
applications.
Constructed entirely from Aluminium, the Milford itself weighs less than 8kg, but it can lift up to 112kg (17.5 stone). The person is
seated in an easy to fit sling, and a simple hand control lifts and lowers. Once lifted the person can easily be manoeuvred from one location to another using the three point pivot system. The potential use of the Milford can has also been increased by the purchase of multiple sets of brackets, which have been fitted throughout the boat.
In fact the flexibility of the Milford has led to it being used in several unusual locations over recent years - including a motorbike sidecar and a horse riding carriage.
Ken Watson, Trustee at the Canal Boat Project said: "The Board of the
Canal Boat Project want to enable as many people as possible to experience the pleasure of boating. Our disability boats are wheelchair
accessible and Stort Daybreak uses a combination of ramps, a full travel lift and the Milford to facilitate the movement of its users.
The Milford was perfect for our needs as it did not rely on overhead tracks, which require lots of headroom. Being portable, we can use it in several locations to help users to move from their wheelchair to either the changing bench, the day bed, the toilet or a chair. No other system that we are aware of could offer us the same level of flexibility.”
The Canal Boat Project offer ‘self-steer’ boats, or provide an experienced skipper and crew. Stort Daybreak is a fully accessible day boat with space for several wheelchairs and a disability toilet with shower and height-adjustable changing bench and washbasin. More information on the project can be found at the link below.