Boarding Ladder

[Hudson Force]

I am not able to find a market boarding ladder that fits my needs and I am designing one to be fabricated. The criteria are access from the water, dinghy or kayaks from the transom and with a rung interval of about 7" to help with my wife's decreasing mobility.

Here is a sketch of my preliminary thought:



The fixed top portion would have only three or four steps and be attached at two deck points and two transom points with arched hand rails. The bottom portion would swing up when not in use and the braces to the transom would rest just above the dinghy bladders on the davits. I'm planning on welded flat rungs with all stainless,- no wood, plastic or fasteners.

I've often had my first ideas improve with input from others. The lower 48" section would only be deployed for use with the dinghy down and raising it would require clearing the solar panel atop my davits. .... any thought?

[exMaggieDrum]

I'll just throw in one thought: consider making the angle less than 90 degrees to the water so that the bottom is farther astern than the top. That would put more stress on the supports to the stern but would be far easier to board. If it is straight up and down it is harder to get up.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

I'll just throw in one thought: consider making the angle less than 90 degrees to the water so that the bottom is farther astern than the top. That would put more stress on the supports to the stern but would be far easier to board. If it is straight up and down it is harder to get up.

Great thought! This would also result in longer posts that would increase the possibility of providing more secure stabilizing for the raised dinghy on my davits. ...thanks

[NahanniV]

How about a small swim platform at the midway point (at an easy height to step out of the dinghy),

That would allow you to give your upper ladder a better angle (as mention previously) and also let you mount a commercially available pull out telescoping ladder under.

The lower ladder would only be for swimming and would be out of the way under the small platform.

Like the pic below, but with your custom fixed ladder on top:

[Dockhead]

Your sketch looks fine, except that the folded up lower part will sure stick up high. You might consider putting the fold closer to the waterline. If you could design it so that you don't have to unfold it for non-swimming applications (dinghy, etc.), it seems to me that this would be a plus.

In my unfortunately real life experience, fabricating ladders is expensive. Last spring I paid about $500 for a fabricated ladder, replacement for one dropped overboard by a crewman, which fits into sockets in my topsides, for boarding, and into a bracket on my swim platform for swimming (something we don't do much in these cold waters). It has no folding elements.

I paid a similar amount of money for a bow boarding ladder, this time a folding one, for Baltic bows-to boarding, a process which involves serious risk of broken legs, from the height of my bow, without a ladder. I was able to finally swallow the cost when I thought of what the hospital bill would be like

[thinwater]

My wife has severe arthritis in one ankle (as a result of a fracture 20 years ago), a knee replacement, poor balance and is heavy. I've had multiple knee surgeries. I also take my 80-90 year old parents out. So I have experience. Good on you for trying to make it better for her!

Step spacing. You may want to go just a little wider, since you arms help. But I respect that choice. I used 8" on my last boat, and it was better than the 12" on the current boat. I may need to build a new ladder.

Tread width. This may be nearly as important as spacing. 2 inch absolute minimum, 2.5 is better.

Distance in the water. At least 3 1/2 feet (1 meter is international standard for docks). Getting on the ladder is tough with less in the water. I did add 1 additional wrong to my current boat, as the ladder was only ~ 30" into the water, which is not enough.

Boarding a kayak. This is mostly balance (place one foot dead center). Other than a big swim platform, I find that any sort of hand hold just complicates things. Have a long painter on the kayak and clip it to something.

Boarding dingy. It can help if there is a way to secure the dingy tight to the transom. Consider 2 pad eyes on the corners of the transom. With the dingy lashed in this manner, and using the davit, my wife and 90-year old father can board in reasonable conditions (my daughter and I just climb up the transom if it is rough).

[msponer]

Have you thought of an offset hinge-- so the bottom folds up flush with the top?

[thinwater]

Is it intended to be removable? Really, it should be perm, in case you need it to get out of the water. Perhaps they are not pretty, but I don't get the safety compromise of not having an installed ladder. To me, they simply look functional. My second boat came with a removable ladder and I built a fixed ladder. MUCH better. The other problem with removable ladders is storage; they are ungainly.

Then, fix the ladder to the boat and move the hinge to ~ 4" above the waterline. Much sturdier.

[Hudson Force]

Thanks for all these thoughts. I'll need to consider them when I discuss the final fabrication. Some of the ideas will require that I give up my vanity with keeping the clean unobstructed transom, but the ultimate requirement is to establish the "geriatric vessel" that will allow us to remain as live-aboard cruisers for another ten years or more!

[Hudson Force]

Some time has passed and my plans have been improved with some of your thoughts. I'm now fabricating the ladder and beginning with just the bottom portion from where the ladder would be hinged at my transom. Yesterday I prepared two points where the ladder would be attached and these points can be seen as the black dots on this photo.



When I asked Nancie what she thought of their placement, she said that they were offset to port. I was sure that I'd measured correctly and then I was struck with the truth. All these years the name on my stern was not painted in a centered position! I had never noticed this until seeing the name with the mounting points. .....'trivial, but true.

I'll be mounting the base plates, assembling the ladder and posting my results here.

[JPA Cate]

Don't sweat the small stuff, and I look forward to seeing what you've decided to make.

Ann

[Hudson Force]

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I last posted with my progress. I was originally going to have a local marine metals shop make my ladder, but they were slow to respond and I've completed the ladder myself.





I dismantled my old beam steps to form the rungs and attached nine steps at 8" intervals to new side pipes with 180* pivot mounts at the top. I used 3/16" pop rivets among the allen screws.





With the ladder up the bottom rung swings clear of my solar panel, and when down, half the rungs are under water.



While up, the dinghy can rest just above the transom braces for added stability; however it's still completely supported from the davits.

Later I'll need to determine if we will need some added steps or hand rails above this portion. I'm planing on a pair of quick relaese pins to move the transom support bars to a position parallel with the rungs for raising and lowering the dinghy. I found that the dinghy doesn't easily deploy with these posts out. I'm pleased with it so far, but I'll likely make some changes.

[JPA Cate]

Lookin' good, Hudson!

Ann

[Hudson Force]

Thanks Ann, but I do have another need. I'm going to require some type of pad or pipe covering over the rungs for comfort. Wood, rubber, composite... non-slip... securely fastened? I don't want to fully encase the stainless pipe due to the problem with promoting corrosion. I'm not a fan of wood on my "chlorox bottle" boat. I certainly would not spend any time caring for wood when composites are available! I'll find something. 'maybe with some U-bolt attachments.

[a64pilot]

Look at pool steps. I believe some clamp onto tubing


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum