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The DE32 I have didn't have a boarding ladder, and everyone I have looked at doesn't suit me,.....high freeboard, gunnel arrangment, etc.,
Anyone have a make model of a type that works well ?thanks
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I think most people go for something removable amid ships. Its kinda rough getting on at the stern. We have a rope ladder with steps on it that can be deployed amidships. Not the best. I have seen people permanently through bolt steps up the side of the boat just aft of amidships. I like the idea but worry about hitting or scraping something and catching on the steps and ripping the hull there though. On a steel boat it would be the perfect solution to just weld some on.
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I just checked all the usual online chandelries and couldn't find the one that I use. It's a 4 step folding stainless ladder. It came with it's own mounting brackets but Bodhran had two bronze pad eyes presumably for an old style wood boarding ladder that was no longer with the boat. I just added a couple of snap shackles to the top of the stainless ladder and hang it from the bronze eyes. The bottom rung reaches below the water and it's easily stored clipped to a lifeline and tied to one of my shrouds. All the ones that I see online these days are meant to go over the gunwale or are telescoping. The over the gunwale ones work well, but are bulky to store. I don't really like the look of the telescoping ones that don't have stand off legs to keep them away from the hull.
A rope ladder is cheap and cheerful, but kind of hard to use sometimes.
Jason
DE32 Bodhran
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I have a boarding ladder that is stainless. The mounts are located a midship on the port side. It snaps in and out pretty easily and the ladder stores easily as well. If the original poster is interested, I can take a picture of it.
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Appreciate the responses ,....as Scott and CAE adhered to, I have ordered a Garlick midship ladder with attachments that mount, it has the stand off foot as well. I'm in hopes it is as you guys describe and works. Thanks
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Hope your Garelick Christmas Present works for you… may be a little late of me to post this, however, one idea which helps in saving space and storage is a rope type boarding ladder. Here's an example:
I purchased square plastic steps – only 2 of them – but the DE32 needs many more than 2…
Another advantage of this approach is, as a singlehander, I often trail a 200' rope with knots tied every 2 feet. Should my jack lines fail and I end up in the drink, I hope that as a last ditch effort I can swim to this rope before the boat gets 200' away… then hope I can end over end pull myself back to the stern… where… getting aboard would be a serious problem. But with a rope ladder also trailing, there's a remote possibility of survival.
When not in use, these can be stowed away pretty easily.
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Build your own ladder.. nice. I like it.
I edited your above post to get the links to work. There is a bug in the forum software since the last update that is modifying web addresses automatically and breaking them when you create a post with links in it. If you post a couple words and then highlight them and use the link tool (looks like a little section of chain in the graphical menu at the top of the post) then the links will work. If you just paste the text of the link directly into the post so that you can see it then it breaks. I'm hoping for a update to be released soon to fix this issue.
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I saw a cruising article, that was published years ago, for creating a single step boarding platform out of PVC pipe and rope. It duplicated the kind of single-steps sold at west marine for hanging off the side typically from the lifeline posts, as a dock boarding assist or dinghy boarding assist. The gist is something like this, using two T's, 4 elbows, and 3 short lengths of pipe, so connecting all the pieces yields a platform made from 3 short parallel pipes of PVC.
| T |
| | |
|_|_|
Then this is rigged with line so that the parallel pipes are held horizontal. There is no vertical piece, it is just a single ladder rung, of sorts, hanging over the side. I'd also guess that some rubber feet would help on the inboard most pipe, for holding against the hull. I haven't built it yet, if I do and it works, I will take a pic to paste here.
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I think I have seen that design.. it has the rope running through it as a safety in case anything breaks or comes loose at the joints right?
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I've got a list of more urgent things to blow $800 on….but when the time comes I'd like one of the foldaway ladders Mystic makes. You can rig a safety rope to pull in case of an MOB situation and it folds up into itself so no need to stow it away. Spendy – but I think it's worth it for cruising.
"The only thing that works on an old sailboat....is the owner!"
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Found this picture and will build my own like this with a protective strip.
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Nice and simple
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Scott Carle said:
Nice and simple
I agree with you Scott. Looks also a lot more "nautical" then this plastic contraptions and easy to make and cheap.
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The only potential issue with this design is putting a lot of weigh on the outer edge and tipping the board so that your foot slides off it. One potential fix would be a piece of PVC that the rope on the back side runs through that runs all the way from the board to the knot and doesn't allow it to rise up if this happens. I think that would work.
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I will put knots under the board.
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I'm not sure I can see how that would keep the board from tipping if you put a lot of weight on the very outer edge of it.The edge against the hull could potentially simply rise up and the rope would rise with it. If you have a piece of PVC slipped over it then the PVC would rise against the knot at the top which couldn't go up at all as all your weight would be pulling down on it. This should make the board stay level no matter what. You would need a knot or the rope seized at each hole so the rope wouldn't slide or slip through it I suppose.
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Yes you're right, it would tip upwards if not secured, especially if the rope is too thin in diameter.
I am going to experiment with putting also a knot on the upper board to restrain it from slipping upwards
and sending this slightly overweight sailor into the drink[Image Can Not Be Found].
Also a clamp underneath to secure the rope to the board, is what I am thinking could do the trick.
Like to keep it looking very simple and nautical, also to stow away easily.
Helmuth
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It would be great to have a ladder design which works for stern boarding. For example in case of stern docking or raft-up situations where both sides of the boat are blocked and there's no access to step off to a dinghy or back on to the boat. The Downeaster is more unique in this regard, double-ender boats have a similar problem, it seems to me the Downeaster's stern is much higher, maybe that's just my perception though.
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Nahhh.... it seems pretty high to me to 🙂
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The stern is high. There's no quibbling about that. Our needs for the boarding ladder are more towards getting out of the water because we're swimming all year so the foldaway ladder, which is expensive, looked like the only/best option I've seen. Thanks for finding that. Have to wait for the next birthday...
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That is way cool.. Looks like you could probably use it at anchor also ... maybe. Step up from dingy onto it? or drop it farther down so it is closer to the water. hmm... step angle would be wrong then.... hmmm... you would have to play with it and figure something out... It looks like the only thing that adjusts height and angle is that one cable going from cap-rail to the bottom of the unit. Looks easy enough to fabricate. I think I would want a hand hold on the outer side though... I could just see my mom or one of the other older visitors tipping right off with their sketchy balance. Though I guess the cap rail and life lines could act as a hand hold on the other side.
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diverchick71 said:
Found these while perusing boarding ladders. They were custom made for a Nauticat. My dream ladder! Love how it folds against the hull.
7 steps ABOVE the waterline?! What's the freeboard on this monster? Sheesh!
I agree, this thing looks awesome. How cool it would be to pull up to a dock somewhere, drop that thing down and head straight for the bar like Captain Ron? "Hey, can I get uh margarita?!"
My practical sense tells me it would be a dog at anchor though. If you had a dinghy, sure...but trying to pull myself up and out of the drink after a snorkel seems like it would be a struggle. Moreover, a boarding ladder should function easily in both times of business and pleasure. In an MOB "business" scenario, you want the ability to quickly deploy that thing while aboard or IN THE WATER and get the crew member our yourself back in the boat. Heck, if you were heeled over enough while coming about - that bottom platform might crack the poor MOB in the skull! [Image Can Not Be Found]
The simple test is to jump in the water and try to get back on your boat. Unless you have SS ladder rungs thru-bolted to your hull - something like the Mystic Foldaway is the only practical way to go. Tug on a rope, releasing a retaining pin and the ladder drops down into the water. Even a nice set of folding teak steps or a rope ladder is worthless if they're not perpetually deployed. [Image Can Not Be Found]
Sorry to be a killjoy...just offering some food for thought.[Image Can Not Be Found]
"The only thing that works on an old sailboat....is the owner!"
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Nauticat's do have ridiculously high freeboards. Even higher than the center cockpit Columbia 36's I would guess.
For emergency get-back-aboard situations there is nothing better than a davit with a hook on a high ratio pulley. So maybe a ladder is not the right approach to that problem.
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gahhhh the forum messed up all my links.. sorry.. tried to fix but.. all messed up.
I looked around to some other similar boat forums, Baba and Tayana. They have some opinions on ladders too, with similar hull shape so the concerns are similar.
Several Tayana 42' and Baba 37' (37' I think?) photo collections are at these sites
http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Pro…..ng_ladder/
http://ftp.babaowners.org/Boar…..der_Bella/
A few select pics from that group:
http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Pro…..lcor05.JPG
http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Pro…..Parked.JPG
http://www.ftp.tognews.com/Pro…..folded.jpg
A couple people like the MYSTIC STAINLESS FOLDAWAY ladder
http://www.mysticstainless.com…..daway.html
A couple people mention these fixed boarding steps, Perko Chrome Fixed Boarding Steps
http://www.jamestowndistributo…..?pid=13459
This rope ladder that stowes in a PVC tube is interesting – Plastimo Flushmount Safety Ladder
OK, finally here is a review page with a detailed comparison of the many types of ladders and dinghy ladders
http://www.myboatsgear.com/boa…..ng-ladders
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To fix the links chose some text and then embed the link into that text selection... if you just past the whole link on the page the forum software eats it... I have to upgrade the forum to fix this but haven't dared yet as I need to dedicate a chunk of time to doing it right. It is enough of a major upgrade that most likely something else will break and I will need to spend some dedicated time working the wrinkles out.
example take and select the text "MYSTIC STAINLESS FOLDAWAY ladder" after selecting the text you will notice the little icon above the text box that looks like a piece of chain. If you hover over it, it will say "insert/edit link". click on that and then past your link into the link box. this will allow you to post links that work till I can get the issue fixed. I have twice sat down to do the upgrade but it is so extensive that I have not done it both times. I have to upgrade the website software and then the forum software that runs as a plugin on the website. Also there are about 8 other plugins that will need to be upgraded at the same time because the website software is upgraded. 🙂 no good deed goes unpunished. Wordpress and the various plugins makes daily maintenance and usage a breeze.. you pay for it in the backend when doing the major upgrades.. Still not terrible just takes a few hours.
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