Boarding Ladders

[GrahamL]

Found out this weekend that while the boarding ladder on Commitment, meets regulatory requirements, but is totally unusable from a practical point of view. It doesn't go deep enough in the water to get your feet onto it, and from there to get yourself out of the water. It was interesting, to say the least.

Planning a new arrangement mounted on the swim platform. Any suggestions? Please only suggest solutions you have used to re-board from the water...

[Spinner]

My boat didn’t have any boarding ladder when I bought it.

I had a 5-rung ladder mounted under the port side of the swim step (I almost always dock on the starboard side). That ladder can be deployed from the water.

Because there is nothing to grab as you come out of the water, I took some 1 inch line, added some knots, and hung it in a U from that corner of the stern. It’s not ideal, but it works. Ignore the ball fender :-)

[Wayfarer]

I've only used my swim ladder once, and I almost couldn't get back aboard. The main part of the problem is my immensity and clumsiness, but the ladder is also very short, and there's nothing much to grab onto.

I ordered this one to replace it. It's a lot longer, and it's got the handrails. I haven't installed it yet, so I'm not sure if I can recommend it, but it seems reasonably well built.

[Comodave]

Whatever ladder you get make sure it is deployable from in the water. Our last boat was not that way but I did a small modification that made it deployable from the water. I added a line spliced onto the ladder and put a snap by the edge of the swim platform to hold the line where it can be reached from the water.

[FF]

My ideal setup ,pulling down the ladder from the water would also disconnect the auto pilot, or shut down the engine.