DAVIS Swim Stirrup User Manual

Follow this procedure for
cleat installation:

1. Position the deck cleat on a flat surface with the ring

pointing toward the inside of the boat.

2. Use a pencil to mark the center of the three holes for

drilling.

3. Drill pilot holes using 1/16" (1.6 mm) bit or smaller,

making sure the drill is held perpendicular to the
mounting surface.

4. Double-check the position of the pilot holes using the

cleat; redrill if necessary.

Continued…

Proper Cleat Orientation:

cleat bearing the load.

Improper Cleat Orientation:

retaining ring bearing the load.

#1466

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

The Swim Stirrup

®

has been carefully engineered to
provide safe, easy access to small boats for swimmers
or water skiers. Proper installation and use will assure
years of dependable service. Read through these

instructions completely before beginning installation.

INSTALLING THE DECK CLEAT

The Swim Stirrup’s deck cleat is the critical point of
attachment between the stirrup and your boat, and must
be mounted properly to insure safe use of the device.

Choose a location on the boat that is away from the
motor and where a person entering the boat won’t inter-

fere with boat equipment or hardware. Here are some
suggestions:

Make sure the cleat is mounted to a surface which
can handle the load of an entering swimmer. The

maximum weight Swim Stirrup is designed to support is
300 lbs. (136 kg).

The cleat may be mounted either inside, outside, or on

top of the gunwale. Note that the cleat’s retaining ring

must always point toward the inside of the boat.

The ring prevents the rope from slipping off the cleat
when the Swim Stirrup is bounced by waves. It also
holds the rope in place when stored inside the boat
between uses. The ring is NOT designed to support
much weight—when pointed toward the inside of the
boat, the cleat will handle the load.

Gunwale

Mounting

Transom

Mounting

Open Bow

Mounting

Retaining

Ring

Cleat

Inside

Boat

Outside

Boat

5. For most fiberglass or wood boats, follow the pilot

holes using a 3/16" (4.8 mm) drill and use the three
11/4 x 1/4 (3.2 x .65 cm) pan-head screws provided to
securely attach cleat to gunwale.

For aluminum or
thin-wall boats, do

not use the pan-head
screws, as their length
may cause them to
protrude dangerously.
Instead, use 1

1

/4 x 1/4
(3.2 x .65 cm) pan­head bolts, fender
washers, and retain­ing nuts to mount.
These may be pur­chased from your
nearest hardware
store.

Inside

of Boat

FINAL ASSEMBLY

With the deck cleat properly installed, you can now com­plete the Swim Stirrup assembly:

1. Run the rope around the deck cleat and through the

the retaining ring so both ends hang over the side of
the boat and are of equal lengths.

2. Grab both strands of rope about one foot (0.3 meter)

down from the cleat in one hand; use the other hand
to remove the retaining ring and loop of rope from the
deck cleat.

3. Tie an overhand knot in the looped section of the

rope, leaving a loop approximately six inches (15 cm)
long holding the retaining ring.

4. Slip the retaining ring back into its slot in the cleat

and trap the rope under the cleat on both sides.

5. Slip the ends of the rope through the towers of the

Swim Stirrup and tie a knot at each end approximate­ly six inches (15 cm) below the bottom of the side of
the boat.

Boat
Bottom

USING THE SWIM STIRRUP

1. Make certain that the rope is completely around the

deck cleat before use. Attempting to use the Swim
Stirrup while attached only to the retaining ring can
result in sudden failure and potential injury.

2. Swim Stirrup should ONLY be used when the boat
is in the water and the motor is turned off. Be sure

to pull the stirrup into the boat when you get under­way to avoid possible hazards.

3. Use the Swim Stirrup by grasping it as you swim
alongside the boat. Pull it down and insert one foot,
grasping the gunwale with both hands. Stand

straight up on the stirrup and swing your free leg over
the gunwale. It’s that easy.

4. Periodically check the condition of the hollow braided

rope on your Swim Stirrup for wear or fraying some­times caused by heavy use. Should any wear be evi­dent, simply replace the rope with any standard 5/16"
(8 mm) hollow braided polypropylene or polyethylene
line.

Swim Stirrup should be used only as a boarding
device for shallow draft boats, and is NOT intended
to be used as a tow rope or boarding device for larg­er boats. Swim Stirrup should not be used outside
the water for ANY reason.

6. Adjust knots as necessary to stirrup height that works

best on your boat. Once you’ve determined the prop­er height, cut off the excess rope one or two inches
(2.5 to 5.0 cm) below the knots for a neater appear­ance. The rope should be dry before cutting. Use a
match to melt together the ends of the fibers to pre­vent fraying.

ONE-YEAR W ARRANTY

We warrant our products to be free of defects in material
and workmanship for one year from the date of original pur­chase. Write for full warranty details.

3465 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545, U.S.A.

Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

[e-mail] • www.davisnet.com

07395.177 Rev. B