Pontoon boat gate with safety switch

In combination with a boat including a deck surface upwardly from which a pair of horizontally spaced, hollow above deck components project to define a passageway therebetween, a horizontally shiftable gate for said passageway, said gate including a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars having corresponding first and second sets of opposites ends, a vertical gate bar supported adjacent and having said first set of ends anchored relative thereto with said first set of ends projecting outwardly beyond the side of said vertical gate bar remote from said second set of ends, said components each including an upstanding wall opposing the other component, the upstanding wall of one of said components defining a set of vertically spaced horizontal openings therethrough opening into the interior of said one component, said components each including means defining a set of vertically spaced horizontal guide sleeves outwardly of the corresponding upstanding wall, said means defining said vertically spaced horizontal guide sleeves including a vertically extending open sided housing secured over, extending along and opening toward each upstanding wall, said housings each including a set of vertically spaced sleeves opening therethrough defining said guide sleeves with corresponding guide sleeves of said housings horizontally aligned, the guide sleeves of the housing secured over the upstanding wall of said one component being registered with the corresponding openings and said bars being guidingly received through the guide sleeves of the housing secured over said one component and through said corresponding openings for reciprocal movement of said gate between open and closed positions with said vertical bar adjacent said one component housing and the other component housing, respectively, said other component housing and said vertical gate bar including coacting means operative to releasably lock said vertical gate bar in position adjacent said other component housing and against movement toward said one component housing, said other component upstanding wall and the corresponding sleeves defining a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontally outwardly opening recesses in which said first set of ends are received when said gate is in said closed position.