Most Sundecks have good railings and many have fiberglass or Starboard weather boards all around the aft deck. I certainly would not go on the roof of the sundeck in rough weather, unless I had to, and then would wear a safety harness (on the other hand I have gone to the top of 65 foot masts in heavy weather, so anything is possiable). One person lauch: Crane davit picks up the dinghy (electric winch)--we have a spreader bar, which is about 9 feet long, attatches with lines and snap hooks to the two stern corners and to the bow handle (the boat is a 12 foot alumium skiff with a 15 hp outboard--the spreader bar is balanced so the boat is level. The boat is hoisted clear of the dinghy chocks, and the crane davit pivots on teflon bearnings--the dinghy can be launched either afte of the swim step, or over the STB side. When launching alone, I keep both the bow and stern lines with in one hand, and the remote for the dinghy in the other. When the dinghy is clear of the boatl, I lower it to almost into the water. Then I climb back into the flying bridge ( between the flying bridge hard top and the Sundeck hard top--about 3 feet) and walk down the three steps to the sundeck. Then aft to the gate, have Left the dinghy lines and remote where they are reached from the gate, and then lower the dinghy into the water, after I have tied the lines to cleats on the side of the boat. After I let slack in the crane davit cable, I get in the dinghy from the swim step (yes I have to climb down a four foot ladder, but it is easier and safer than many of the wooden steps I have seen on Classics with a three foot high transom. I then put the spreader bar on the swim step, get back on the sun deck, and use one hand to guide the spreader bar away from the boat, back up to the top of the sundeck, finally climb back onto the sun deck and secure the spreader bar in the dinghy chocks and the hook on the cable to the radar ach. I am using the dinghy only for a few minutes I would leave the spreader bar on the swim step. The typical time needed for this entire proceedure is five minutes--reverse the entire thing for retrieval. Dogs--We have over 75,000 miles with large dogs (mostly labs) and have had various accomidations--an 8 foot gang plank, with carpeted 3/8 plywood on half of a 16 foot extension ladder is carried for docks and sometimes for the dinghy--we have a dog carried--1/2 inch plywood floor, made like a bosons chair with nylon straps crossed under, Sumbrella stapled to the bottom, one end opens, and secures with turnbuttons and a draw string--this the size of our last lab when she was 14 and could not climb down the ladder--now used for a Border Collie--who likes to ride down but climb up--we keep the cable of the crane davit tied on the hand rail of the aft swim step ladder and put the dog carrier at the same level as the sundeck, resting on the top rung of the ladder and held inplace by the Crane davit cable. The dog is lowered into the dink and steps out... the old lab just rode in that until we got to shore. We also recently inheirted a chow/shepard mix, which jumps down to the swim step and climbs the ladder. We also inheirited a Papilon and she is carried or handed. Dogs are not a problem with a Sundeck. A few years ago we said no big dogs...but my wife cannot turn down a dog...so they adopt to boating. Incidently the alumium dinghy has the dacron filled with closed cell foam for a rub rail (secured with 5200 and bolts every 2 feet--the swim step also has the dacron rub bumper rub rail. At times we carry a 3.1 roll up floor with an 8 hp Avon inside of the 12 foot dinghy and launch it the same way. Bob Austin--anyone want a boat dog? Pensacola, FL Symbol 42 Sundeck