Need advice on boarding ladder

Because of the dinghy on the stern, I prefer to come into my slip bow first. The only way to get on the boat is from the side, where a narrow finger pier runs down (see picture). I can get on OK, but my significant other has a real problem, especially at high tide. So I want to put a ladder on the side which will let her get aboard easily. Trouble is, I do not know a ladder which will work. A gunwale ladder will not do it, I don't think. So thought I would ask the wisdom of my elders.

Any suggestions will be deeply and gratefully welcomed. My boat is on your right.

One possible option is a step fender. Taylor makes a step fender that works for something like this. I do not have a photo of ours but we used it on our Willard for a friend that was physically challenged. Google step fender and look at some of the photos.

kolive said:

One possible option is a step fender. Taylor makes a step fender that works for something like this. I do not have a photo of ours but we used it on our Willard for a friend that was physically challenged. Google step fender and look at some of the photos.

Click to expand...

I did google it, and that appears to be a possibility. I would prefer steps if possible, but the step fender will probably work if I have to go that route. I guess the reservation that I have is that just looking at the photo of a step fender there does not appear to be really secure footing, as the one that I looked at is kind of rounded. Thanks.

Edson also makes a step that is marketed to sailboats. What about a step stool on the dock? We've used one with our sailboat. We also have dockmates with the fiberglass steps on the dock - those are a bit taller than a stool with two or three steps.

Edson step:


Or something like this on the dock:

See if you can find a step fender in a store to get a better look. We got ours at WM and it was pretty stable. The dock steps mentioned could be a good option too.

Another photo showing a bit more of the front of the boat in relation to the dock would help.Maybe some type of Giddeon's ladder set up would work(not sure if that is the correct name ) I will try to find a photo, it's in a post of wooden boats quite a while back.

Edit: sorry I don't know how to up load the picture of the ladder configuration I had in mind. It's under the 'Halvorsen Designs' section in the forum and the thread is titled Not all Halvorsens... It's an interesting ladder concept.

The Edson Step looks good. The finger pier running alongside the boat is too narrow to put anything on. You may not can tell it from the picture, but when I am standing on it, facing the boat, both my toes and my heels are out over the water. It is only about 8" wide at that point.

Just took a closer look at the step fender (enlarged the picture) and it appears that it is not rounded (on the step part) at all. It is flat. So either a step fender or the Edson Step would probably work. The Edson Step would be a tad better, but it also quite a bit more expensive.

Some day I am going to make one of these steps. It a homemade step I saw on a wooden Grand Banks forum.
The milk crate is my high tide step. The admiral has the same problem when the tides up.

Andy G said:

Another photo showing a bit more of the front of the boat in relation to the dock would help.Maybe some type of Giddeon's ladder set up would work(not sure if that is the correct name ) I will try to find a photo, it's in a post of wooden boats quite a while back.

Edit: sorry I don't know how to up load the picture of the ladder configuration I had in mind. It's under the 'Halvorsen Designs' section in the forum and the thread is titled Not all Halvorsens... It's an interesting ladder concept.

Click to expand...

Here you go, Andy.



If you use a PC, go to picture and right click COPY IMAGE LOCATION
In the Reply To Thread box, use the tool at the top that has a yellow square with mountains and a n object in the corner. It opens a box that you can paste (CTRL-V) the image location into. Click OK and Bob's your uncle.

We had difficulty getting into our RIB from the water. The solution was a simple folding ladder similar to that shown. Stows in the lazarette.

Being my wife has difficult walking and stairs, I make the stairs depending on the dock. You could use plastic steps but I would bolt/screw boards that fit/slide down/over the dock so the steps do not tip and/or screw steps to the dock. Boarding bumpers and things like that are usually not strong/steady enough. Might even add a railing to hang on to. We are not suppose to screw/bolt steps to the dock but I do so the steps/box does not move.

Might want to change/modify the railing so it allows a low entry, which you might already have?

fryedaze said:

Some day I am going to make one of these steps. It a homemade step I saw on a wooden Grand Banks forum.
The milk crate is my high tide step. The admiral has the same problem when the tides up.

Click to expand...

The step shown in the top pic is actually off my own site (Welcome Page) there's a link on the page to download a dimensioned drawing of the parts required to build the steps. Of course the drawing shown is really only meant to fit a GB but perhaps it could serve as a concept drawing? Best of luck on your own! - Boyd

Chrisjs said:

We had difficulty getting into our RIB from the water. The solution was a simple folding ladder similar to that shown. Stows in the lazarette.

Click to expand...

I thought about a gunwale ladder like that, but as I understand it that is designed to come down over the sides of a boat so that the curved part on the top slides down the sides to hold the ladder securely. But just sitting flat on the deck, which it would have to do on my boat, doesn't seem as though it would be secure enough. Of course, a piece could be made from a few scrap pieces of 2 x 4 with holes drilled at the proper places for the curved top to fit down into, I suppose. If the base part (wood with holes drilled into it) were wide enough to fit between the cabin top and the edge of the railing, seems as if it might work OK.

But for now I think, after a lot of looking around, that I am going to go for the FenderStep, which West Marine has in stock here.

Thanks very much for all the advice and suggestions. I learned a lot.

John

Boydster said:

The step shown in the top pic is actually off my own site (Welcome Page) there's a link on the page to download a dimensioned drawing of the parts required to build the steps. Of course the drawing shown is really only meant to fit a GB but perhaps it could serve as a concept drawing? Best of luck on your own! - Boyd

Click to expand...

You sir are a craftsman. You have done some incredible work on that Grand Banks.

I am in the process of building a boarding ladder myself. I have a similar issue, with a tilt up dinghy on the swimstep, and fairly high freeboard, so getting over the side is an issue. I have been using a folding step on the dock, but have had some issues with it in transient marinas. At times the wind can blow the boat away from the dock, and trying to step out into the gap is a risky proposition at times, so I want to have something anchored to the boat. (I actually stepped off into thin air once and went headfirst between the boat and the dock, and found it is impossible to pull yourself out of the water - fortunately some other boaters saw me go in and helped me out )

This is made out of 1" stainless tubing, and I found a source (SeaDog) which makes a heavy duty hinge fitting similar to those used on tubing for bimini attachments. The heavy duty fittings are strong enough to support weight, and I am using spring loaded clevis pins for easy attachment and removal.

Thanks Al for the upload advice, ditto Boyster, I see another project in the making.