I love telling my friends about cool things I see popping up in the pontoon world—movable lounges, heated seating, light-show-worthy LED options—there’s no end to the creativity here. Every year I am surprised about the new designs and handy features that boat builders add into their already supremely comfortable boats. I mean, how could I not feel completely spoiled when a co-captain’s chair includes a heated cupholder (that lights up!) and an extendable footrest?

But is comfort getting too extreme? Should I need to “rough it” just a little bit on a boat outing? Nah. Pass me the chips, please, `cause I’m not getting up out of this awesome recliner-on-a-boat-with-headrest-and-phone-charger-built-in.

However, now and then something comes along that seems ridiculously thoughtful…not just to make a fancy boat even more cushy, but an idea that goes the extra mile in reaching a person who otherwise might not boat at all.

I heard just such a thing was announced by Godfrey Marine recently when they demonstrated their new prototype accessible gate at a media event. Sure you could argue it was designed to roll heavy coolers on board, but clearly its true value is for accessibility. At 32 inches wide, it’s completely wheelchair-friendly with a fold-down ramp that can be added to the side gate of any traditional Godfrey pontoon. It can also easily be removed when not needed.

The ramp door lowers down easily onto the dock, then a secondary ramp flips out to create a smooth surface with no lip between the ramp and the dock. This means a wheeled cooler or a full-sized wheelchair can easily roll on board. And I instantly thought of my friend Katie.

We met years ago when we both worked for a real estate marketing company. Our friendship progressed alongside her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, and unfortunately, her increasingly limited mobility. When I first met her, she could walk independently, although distances were a problem. This was when my husband and I owned a wakeboard boat, and Katie and her husband, Jason, often spent a day on the lake with us. Along the way, we both had kids, and life got ever more complicated with toddlers, diaper bags, floating toys, wet wipes… You get the idea.

But it was when Katie could no longer get on the boat by herself that she began declining our invitations for a day on the lake. About 7 years after her diagnosis, Katie struggled to keep her balance, and the falls went from pretty benign to a tumble down an entire flight of stairs. Though she hated it, she eventually had to get a wheelchair. This meant her husband had to lift her onto the boat when we could get her out on our boat, while someone else ran her wheelchair back to the car. The extra complications meant that they started staying home more often than not.

Hearing about this prototype gate from Godfrey has me thinking I would love to add one to my pontoon and invite Katie and her husband back out. I can’t help but think that it takes away all the stigma and difficulty of pushing a wheelchair onto a boat, since she could roll right on board by herself from the dock. It would preserve Katie’s independence while still letting her enjoy a fun day cruising on the water—wheelchair and all.