Albin Ballad - Ladder advice please

[LewB]

Hi Guys,

Could I pick your brains please, I bought an Albin Ballad earlier in the year and wish to fit a swim ladder to her transom.

I was hoping to get hold of a folding ladder that slopes down the transom and then folds out vertically into the water - hope that makes sense!

A search of the usual websites just show straight ladders, are these ok to use or will they put too much pressure on the upper bolts when being used?

Could I have some advice/experience on ladders that you chaps have used on sloping transoms such as on the ballad and some pointers to where I can buy the ladders.

Many thanks

Lew

 

[Seajet]

I can't quite see why there should be any special load on the upper bolts, unless the hinged part was bearing against something and acting as a fulcrum ?

The important thing then would be to have the pivot point slightly protruding aft of the transom; that may not be desirable both for looks and the likelyhood ( make that certainty ! ) of catching lines when alongside, etc.

It would though be a good deterrent / protection in the event of boats etc getting too close astern, and looks may not be very important compared to life-saving as a ladder can provide, but catching lines would be a pain, if rafted on a wall or similar I can imagine fun & games.

Whatever it is, it's going to require serious backing pads inside the transom.

 

[VicS]

They don't all hinge through more than 180° so you will have to be sure you buy a type that will or can can be modified to do so.

There are loads to choose from but finding the "right" one is not easy except that you will come across it just after you have bought something that'll do once modified a bit. Worth visiting a few chandleries in person as well as internet searching.

If you want to be able to climb out of the water as opposed to boarding from a dinghy you need it to go a good depth into the water when lowered.

Before you drill holes for fixing, check what's inside ... There is wiring where I really wanted to fix mine!

Mines a Trem but a bit of a Mickey Mouse affair



It might be worth getting a good idea of what's available and how they hinge then getting one made to your own design.

Some are too narrow to get two feet in shoes on the same rung. If thats an issue be warned.

And for a swim ladder wooden or plastic treads are better than round rungs !


What you are looking for is something like the one in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE6VSHfal68

 

[yoda]

I think you would end up breaking something, probably the ladder, if you did that. There are lots of Ballads about and a little time spent checking around would be well worth while. Whatever arrangement you fit will need to ensure that the downward force of a person standing on it is acting in the direction for which the ladder was designed to cope with. The normal ladders you are finding would be OK if the hinge is fitted to the stern at the lowest point with a wedge under the attachments to bring it vertical. When pulled up and folded up it would then fit neatly against the stern. The downside would be a large step from the ladder to deck when deployed. There is also a Ballad forum http://albinballad.multiply.com/ which may be of some help.

Yoda

 

[LewB]

VicS, thank you for that video link, yep that is the type of angled ladder I was thinking of, I want is as swim ladder so will need to be long enough to enable a couple of steps to be in the water.

Yoda, thanks for that link, I'll try to post the query there. You're absolutly right, I need to look at some of the other Ballads and speak to some owners to see if they've done the same.

Many thanks

Lew