Show me your boarding ladder (please)

[KP44]

The original boarding ladder was bronze and teak, amidships.

You can have a second stern boarding ladder, but to be usable in any kind of swell the boarding ladder must be amidships where the ship's motion is least.

I use a folding ladder from West Marine. Mine is a 6-step model and the bottom 2 steps reach into the water. I see they still make a 6-step model that is 5' 5" extended.
The ladder is portable and I have brackets on both starboard and port. Underway, the ladder stows below decks but can be deployed in a minute. I have a tether fixed to the ladder that I make fast to the gate stanchion in case the ladder comes loose from the brackets. (It did once in heavy wave action overnight.)

We are in our 70s and we need a ladder that extends into the water so we can use our legs to hoist ourselves up. We carry a spare, light ladder that hooks over the gunwale and works for the dingy. I spliced a large loop in our topping lift that can also work to lift a fit person from the water; feet in the loop and holding on to the line. Not comfortable, but usable for MOB.

[KP44]

I did not manage to post a photo.
The West Marine 6 step ladder is Model # 12868550*|*Mfg. # 7141SN

[GILow]

We have the high freeboard issue too.

I have a demountable midships ladder (visible in the photo, hanging on the stern railing) but wanted a permanent solution at the stern. I could not find a commercial model that was remotely suitable so welded my own. It folds down into the water so that, as others have suggested, there is PLENTY of ladder below the surface to make getting started on your climb easy.

I have a line from the lower rung in the folded position so that you can pull the folded section over into the water, should you need to deploy it from in the water. Works well on sunny calm days, let's hope I never have to test it in cold rough conditions.

Total cost was about AU$150 for the lengths of stainless and a few bolts.

[Dave22q]

I have a swim platform with a folding 3 step ss ladder. For access from the dingy or swim platform I use a 3 step cut down portable ladder that hangs over the gunnel the top step almost even with the gunnel the bottom just above the dinghy tube. In the dinghy I keep a DIY 4 step ladder (wood steps, rope hangars, 3# weight under bottom step). Bottom step 3.5' below W/L. In MOB situation easy to reach in and deploy dinghy ladder, and board over the transom. The outboard is an easy grab point to keep from my feet swinging too far under the dinghy. From dinghy, reach to ladder hanging on the rail, move it to the gunnel, open the chain at the rail and board. That is with the swim platform up and the dinghy on the davit lines. If the dinghy is not there simply drop the swim platform, flip the folding ladder over the edge and climb on. Then reach for the boarding ladder as noted. As I look at this it sounds more complicated than I think it is. PM me if you need pics. I'm of the pre-smart phone generation, would need to dig out the camera.

[boatpoker]

ABYC FYI

[janice142]

Being able to reboard your vessel SOLO from the water with no help is critical. It does not matter how wonderful your system is if it is stowed in a lazarette locker.

Ugly is far less important than safety in my view.

Mine is a three step version mounted to the top of my swim platform. I could roll myself onto the platform however those steps make boarding easy. As an aside my swim platform would be the ideal place for my dinghy. That however would mean I could not get aboard from the water. I prioritized living.

[Dougtiff]

On a vessel your size, you could have a custom ladder made [ i did], it would become a gate when stowed, the ladder would be hinged at the cap-rail, the ladder is lowered via a line, it then pivotes on a axis, making the steps face fore and aft, the angle is controlled, with a line attached to the bottom step, made off at deck level, one boards the ladder facing forward, the one i had made was of 1" s.s. pipe and wasn't that expensive.

[tml]

Absolutely go with the Mystic Marine. We have had ours since 1991. Still rock solid and easy to board if you are in the water. Looks good and easy to install if you have a toe rail. Ours has had and continues to have heavy use.
Tom

[zeehag]

the wood ladders such as came with these formosa boats are excellent. nonskid, there are min 2 steps in the water, once the ladder is unfolded, and is easy to board from water or kayak. they also make loading heavy items a breeze as the steps are wide and comfy under even choppy as hell circumstances.
i reallly miss mine. there is a reason they are made as they were. perfect boarding and reboarding ladders.
i used a line to retrieve mine when sailing-- easy to lift once away from dock.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by janice142

Being able to reboard your vessel SOLO from the water with no help is critical. It does not matter how wonderful your system is if it is stowed in a lazarette locker.

Ugly is far less important than safety in my view.

Mine is a three step version mounted to the top of my swim platform. I could roll myself onto the platform however those steps make boarding easy. As an aside my swim platform would be the ideal place for my dinghy. That however would mean I could not get aboard from the water. I prioritized living.

Hey Janice, haven't heard from you in a while. Hope things are going well.
Are you on the hard ?

[Pilou]

Originally Posted by janice142

Being able to reboard your vessel SOLO from the water with no help is critical. It does not matter how wonderful your system is if it is stowed in a lazarette locker.

Ugly is far less important than safety in my view.

Mine is a three step version mounted to the top of my swim platform. I could roll myself onto the platform however those steps make boarding easy. As an aside my swim platform would be the ideal place for my dinghy. That however would mean I could not get aboard from the water. I prioritized living.

Dear Janice, it's so good to read from you ! Hope you & Seaweed & Betsie are doing fine.

Your friend,

[janice142]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Hey Janice, haven't heard from you in a while. Hope things are going well.
Are you on the hard ?

Hello to you boatpoker and my friend Pilou too. I'm fine. Haven't taken my girl from the dock for a week and a half. I am suffering!

Actually, my solar regulator is in the shop for replacement under warranty, and the alternator (original, replacing the "good idea" that wasn't) is not wired so it cannot charge my batteries. It's there as a belt holder. That whole alternator thing was a Fiasco. I'll write about it when i cool off. Mistakes were made, suffice it to say. Add to all that, the Xantrex TrueCharge20 battery charger also quit. It overheated (not hot-hot, but definitely too warm) -- I've not yet taken it apart to see what I can do about that.

In a span of a couple weeks my charging systems, excluding the wind gen (no breeze!) all quit. And a girl's got to have her power.

The new solar regulator should arrive this week. I've got ferrules to install it.
That's first on my list.

Next is a nice boat ride. I'm dock bound. Ugh!
Can't complain too much though. It's hard to get much sympathy when you live on a boat solo, full time in Florida with beautiful green waters, a manatee that visits the nearby mangrove, and "pets" (they have me trained to buy cheap hot dogs) who fly in and sit on the cleat looking hungry.

This is Gus, in the rain waiting for me to feed him:

I have quite a menagerie. There are a total of five night herons like Gus, two ibis, three blue herons (though only one shows up at a time mostly) plus three ravens.

With apologies for the thread drift.
J

[boatpoker]

Janice, Get rid of that Xantrex, mine quit after 6 months and it leaked AC into my DC system. I have since heard from a dozen others with similar issues.
My marine electrician buddy says he's making a killing replacing them.

[michaelratinter]

We use a short folding step ladder to board from a dock on the stbd side. Port side we have a folding ladder that extends four feet into the water. We use this for swimming and for access to the dinghy.

The attached picture shows me before I took off 40 pounds. Rowing out to Blind Faith was my incentive for weight loss. I am 70 years old.

[Sailor647]

The boarding ladder on our boat flips down to allow boarding from the water. The bottom step is about 3 feet below waterline. There is a 3/8" line attached to the bottom rung and the stanchion that allows us to pull up (from the cockpit) or lower the ladder from the cockpit or in the water. A small stainless clasp holds it in place while underway. The steps are about 3" deep, 12" wide and the hand rails on both sides of the stern allow for easy boarding. I've climbed up and out of the water with full scuba gear on, thanks to the hand holds. When in the folded up position, it is still usable for boarding from the dinghy, as there are steps on the stern portion as well. All and all a really clever design that has proven to be very useful. I believe these came standard with the Norseman 400.