Double ender boarding ladders

[ryanroberts]

So new boat comes with a fixed boarding ladder, which I'm not particularly happy about medium - long term as I will be mostly one up. Have seen (mostly American) double enders with deployable ladders as the lifeline gate. Does anyone have anything similar here or could recommend a fabricator? Want something that's a permanent fixture, can be deployed from the water and preferably drops down long enough to get my foot on it underwater or when on legs.

 

[Deleted member 478]

Sorry, I can't help with your query, but that is a very nice looking boat.

 

[john_q]

My boat is a double ender as well. the boarding ladder is aft on the port side of the boat attached to the stern gantry, a bit different to your boat but maybe it will start some ideas. It is long enough to be able to get on it in the water - a failing of a lot of ladders I have seen and less likely to have the stern clout you on the head. Have fun

 

[ryanroberts]

This scanmar product looks like just the thing. Tad heavy on the wallet and not sure there's a UK distributor.

 

[Laminar Flow]

Hi ryanroberts

I like your boat as well. That's at Herm?
We have a C Watson 32.
I fitted our starboard leg with alternating rungs and that works great and also for climbing out of the water. On the port stern we have a mounted boarding ladder which is easy to get on from the dinghy and makes an easy step when moored stern to.

 

[ryanroberts]

Hi ryanroberts

I like your boat as well. That's at Herm?

That would make sense, she is a Guernsey boat. Limited opportunity to take my own pictures so far.

We have a C Watson 32.
I fitted our starboard leg with alternating rungs and that works great and also for climbing out of the water. On the port stern we have a mounted boarding ladder which is easy to get on from the dinghy and makes an easy step when moored stern to.

Stern ladder might make sense on the quarter below rubbing strake

 

[Laminar Flow]

That would make sense, she is a Guernsey boat. Limited opportunity to take my own pictures so far.



Stern ladder might make sense on the quarter below rubbing strake

As long as it doesn't stick out beyond the beam, I think that is the best solution for a DE. I have been looking at adding an extension that reaches at least two rungs below surface for swimming, but if desperate enough I'd be able to get up the ladder as is.

 

[fredrussell]

The OP’s point about ladder coming below waterline is a very important one. Looking at Laminar Flow’s one in the pic above it looks like that’s it fully extended. I guarantee you that if you’re tired/cold or whatever after falling in you would not be able to climb that without help from crew. Not an issue for Laminar Flow as he has another means of climbing aboard - I’m just using his pic as an example of how many boats I see have their sole boarding ladder arranged

I recently had to hoist a friend out of the water because he was unable to pull himself up as my lowest ladder rung was only a foot or so below waterline. Left to his own devices my friend would not have got out of the water. That same weekend I lengthened the reach of the ladder.

To me, the boarding ladder is second only to the life jacket in the list of safety devices you are most likely to depend on at some time or other. If yours does not have at least two rungs below water line do not depend on it getting you safely back on board if you’re single handed.

...and apologies to OPfor thread drift.

 

[ryanroberts]

...and apologies to OPfor thread drift.

Nah that's not drift, avoiding spilling champagne on the way down to the pontoon is not my main reason for wanting a fancy ladder. Needs to be solid too, have improvised rope + mooring spike swim ladders from narrowboat in rivers a few times and even in genteel Thames scenarios with relatively low freeboard they are not exactly easy.

 

[Laminar Flow]

The OP’s point about ladder coming below waterline is a very important one. Looking at Laminar Flow’s one in the pic above it looks like that’s it fully extended. I guarantee you that if you’re tired/cold or whatever after falling in you would not be able to climb that without help from crew. Not an issue for Laminar Flow as he has another means of climbing aboard - I’m just using his pic as an example of how many boats I see have their sole boarding ladder arranged

I recently had to hoist a friend out of the water because he was unable to pull himself up as my lowest ladder rung was only a foot or so below waterline. Left to his own devices my friend would not have got out of the water. That same weekend I lengthened the reach of the ladder.

To me, the boarding ladder is second only to the life jacket in the list of safety devices you are most likely to depend on at some time or other. If yours does not have at least two rungs below water line do not depend on it getting you safely back on board if you’re single handed.

...and apologies to OPfor thread drift.

I entirely agree with your statement. The need to safely and easily get out of the water is paramount. The instances of people dying when this was not possible are numerous and in cold water survival time is short. I have attended cold water survival training.

One solution is to mount a platform straddling the stern post on a double ender with a pull-out telescoping ladder integrated into the design. This could be accessed by someone in the water and without outside assistance.

I have given this scenario some thought and while I am still fit(tish) I can climb up my stern ladder by getting my foot on the rudder and pulling myself up. I could also get up over the bob stay, since adding the bowsprit.

What doesn't work is adding a length of rope ladder to the bottom of the fixed ladder, especially on a DE as the lot disappears under the hull when you try to step on it.

To retrieve an incapacitated person from the water I would use our partially inflated dinghy to at least get him/her out of the worst and buy time for getting the victim on board proper. Freeboard on a CW makes an Aircraft carrier look low-slung.

 

[PilotWolf]

Not sure if I’m missing the point...

Certainly here most docks have a ladder that you can pull down from
storage position.

Maybe an adaptation from one of these?

Sorry no links.

W.

 

[yoda]

Several years ago I saw an arrangement where a long boarding ladder was stowed horizontal on the quarter and had a cleaver arrangement where the upper side when stowed was longer than the lower one so that as it hinged out and down it became vertical. It was also on a boat that was singlehanded and designed for self recovery. The best thing was that this arrangement allowed for a long ladder that was solid and easy to climb. Not sure about the hinge geometry but must be possible to work out.

On my ladder I have a rope with a monkey fist on the end that allows me to pull the ladder out of it's storage clip and fall down to the deployed position.

Sorry for the poor descriptions but best I can manage!

Yoda

 

[Laminar Flow]

Several years ago I saw an arrangement where a long boarding ladder was stowed horizontal on the quarter and had a cleaver arrangement where the upper side when stowed was longer than the lower one so that as it hinged out and down it became vertical. It was also on a boat that was singlehanded and designed for self recovery. The best thing was that this arrangement allowed for a long ladder that was solid and easy to climb. Not sure about the hinge geometry but must be possible to work out.

On my ladder I have a rope with a monkey fist on the end that allows me to pull the ladder out of it's storage clip and fall down to the deployed position.

Sorry for the poor descriptions but best I can manage!

Yoda

I think I can imagine what you are talking about. The hinge geometry might require some experimenting to get it to conform to the sheer of a particular boat. I wonder how that might work on a double ender where the deck line, in plan, curves more or less sharply into the stern post?

 

[Boo2]

This scamar product looks like just the thing. Tad heavy on the wallet and not sure there's a UK distributor.

In case the O/P is still looking, I am selling the MysticStainless equivalent which looks identical to that on eBay as auction number 254617160680. It's linked on the forum for sale board as FA on eBay : Mysticstainless yacht folding Boarding / Swimming ladder stainless steel unused

This is in the UK and will save the small fortune on shipping from the USA that I paid as well as being a very substantial price reduction.

Boo2

 

[vic008]

In case the O/P is still looking, I am selling the MysticStainless equivalent which looks identical to that on eBay as auction number 254617160680. It's linked on the forum for sale board as FA on eBay : Mysticstainless yacht folding Boarding / Swimming ladder stainless steel unused

This is in the UK and will save the small fortune on shipping from the USA that I paid as well as being a very substantial price reduction.

Boo2

Sorry, I can't help with your query, but that is a very nice looking boat.

 

[ryanroberts]

In case the O/P is still looking, I am selling the MysticStainless equivalent which looks identical to that on eBay as auction number 254617160680. It's linked on the forum for sale board as FA on eBay : Mysticstainless yacht folding Boarding / Swimming ladder stainless steel unused

This is in the UK and will save the small fortune on shipping from the USA that I paid as well as being a very substantial price reduction.

Boo2

That looks the business, will need a toe rail mount but that's a lot easier to ship / get fabricated.

 

[Boo2]

That looks the business, will need a toe rail mount but that's a lot easier to ship / get fabricated.

Toe rail mount is included, see pix.

Boo2

 

[ryanroberts]

Oops, CAP rail. My bad

 

[LittleSister]

Not what the OP is looking for, I think, but another example of a canoe stern boarding ladder. The bottom part folds up and clips to the upper part, and could be deployed from the water. (I can't find a photo of it folded up, but when so it looks rather neat and unobtrusive to my eyes, and not some lump of utilitarian engineering tacked on to the boat.)

The bottom rung is not as low was I would like (and I'll be adding a additional rope hung step or two), but it could have been designed from the start with a second fold down section (difficult to add at this stage, at least on my budget ).





P.S. I've now found this one:

 

[ryanroberts]

Have a radar / antenna pole right at the stern so a central stern ladder would be a bit jungle gym for normal use