>I have broken 5 Pet Steps with the last incident having been a catastrophic failure where it broke in half and dropped me in the water with zero warning. I left it out 24/7 Ron brings up a really important point. A lot of plastic accessories like step stools, etc. are made from a material that over time is susceptible to UV light degradation. We had a simple little step stool that we kept on the aft deck. It was fine for a couple of years. Then one day I used it while varnishing the nav light/name boards on the sides of the flying bridge and when I stepped up onto it it shattered into a dozen pieces. Fortunately it wasn't very high and I simply dropped back to the deck. This was not a collapse under too much weight, the thing simply disintegrated. When I picked up the larger pieces and tried to bend them in my hands, they just shattered into several smaller pieces. This is UV degradation. There are plastics that are UV resistant, and you can always paint a plastic step stool or boarding step which I assume would prevent UV degradation. But be wary of plastic things that stay outside year round. They can have a very finite life and die a violent death that could result in a serious injury to you, too. A fiberglass or wood boarding step or ramp would be a much better choice to my way of thinking. ____________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington

I'll expand a bit on Marin's post. ALL plastic will degrade in sunlight over time. There are some that are more resistant than others, and there are additives you can put in them to slow down the degradation. The best of these is carbon black, so black plastics will almost always last longer than any others of the same type, etc. Thickness matters as well. A very thin sheet of clear polyethylene with no UV additives will last almost no time in the sun. A thick sheet will degrade on the surface, but last longer. When you don't wax your fiberglass hull, that chalky stuff you get is degraded gelcoat. Thank goodness you have a lot of fiberglass under that. When you think of "plastics" remember the term includes lots of things. Your lines are some type of plastic. Floating polypropylene degrades faster than almost anything else on your boat, so if you have some on a life ring, be sure to check it occasionally. I've replaced mine twice, and it's due again. I'm going to make a bag of some type to stow it in, so the new one will last longer. I use black dock lines because they last longer than any other color. They also don't appear dirty. If you decide to paint a plastic part, black would be the color of choice, since the carbon black completely shields the plastic underneath from UV degradation. Carbon black is about as degraded as it's gonna get when it's made! Anything you can do to keep the UV rays away from your plastic items will help them out. Most modern canvas is "plastic", as it's made from synthetic fibers. Look for protectants that have UV inhibitors. Keith _____ -----Original Message----- Ron brings up a really important point. A lot of plastic accessories like step stools, etc. are made from a material that over time is susceptible to UV light degradation. We had a simple little step stool that we kept on the aft deck. It was fine for a couple of years. Then one day I used it while varnishing the nav light/name boards on the sides of the flying bridge and when I stepped up onto it it shattered into a dozen pieces. Fortunately it wasn't very high and I simply dropped back to the deck. This was not a collapse under too much weight, the thing simply disintegrated. When I picked up the larger pieces and tried to bend them in my hands, they just shattered into several smaller pieces. This is UV degradation. There are plastics that are UV resistant, and you can always paint a plastic step stool or boarding step which I assume would prevent UV degradation. But be wary of plastic things that stay outside year round. They can have a very finite life and die a violent death that could result in a serious injury to you, too. A fiberglass or wood boarding step or ramp would be a much better choice to my way of thinking. ____________________