Ideal boarding ladder

dscottl · #1 (**permalink**) 06-18-2002

I have a 32 foot sloop 70''s vintage with classic overhangs making the stern difficult to board. I hav gates on both sides however mry freeboard is about 4'' making it difficult for my kids to board outof the dingy and some less agile crew members. Anyone who can offer suggestion on an economical ladder that can be folded up or removed when underway, would be appreciated. I have thought about building one.

gershel · #2 (**permalink**) 06-18-2002

Hi, I had the same situation on my old boat. I built a step suspended by rope on each side. It hung down about 18" below the rail. It was an easy step up or down to the dinghy tube. I copied it from a step that Epson sells for about $150.
Marc

gershel · #3 (**permalink**) 06-18-2002

Sorry,thet''s Edson boarding step.
Marc

larrywa · #4 (**permalink**) 06-19-2002

dscottl; When I had a Catalina 30, I built a single folding step for boarding from a dink at the lifeline gate. It was featured in Sail Magazine''s column Things That Work and published in their book, Sail Magazines Things That Work. Basically, it was a folding step, built of plywood, with the sides joined to the bottom with four stout hinges. The whole apparatus hung from the jib track on cars that I already had. If you''d like more details, e-mail me.

lecomte38 · #5 (**permalink**) 06-21-2002

I did the same as Marc. 6" teak salad bowls ($1 each at S.A.Thrift Store) with an 18" 2x2 between them. Looks like a dumb bell. Suspend on lines from the gate base about 1/2 way to the water line. It rolls up and rests against the gate stancheon when sailing. A second step could be added if needed
andy

rmiille · #6 (**permalink**) 06-22-2002

I have a 28'' southercross that has about 23" of free board. I saw a boarding ladder in the west marine catalogue model #584427, around $150. I cut about 1 and 1/2 inches of the end of the ladder, made two small
u-brackets and fassened them to the top of my gunnal, used a 3"X 1/8" X 17" piece of stainless steel under the brackets to distribute weight. I drilled a hole in the ends of the ladder about 1" from the end I had cut off. The ladder swivels from the up position, tied with a slip knot to a life line, when flipped over the side to the down position it has two steps under water. The whole project cost $155 and 1 hour of work. It is working great as a universal boarding ladder and is out of the way on the outside of the life lines.

rmiille · #7 (**permalink**) 06-22-2002

I have a 28'' southercross that has about 23" of free board. I saw a boarding ladder in the west marine catalogue model #584427, around $150. I cut about 1 and 1/2 inches of the end of the ladder, made two small
u-brackets and fassened them to the top of my gunnal, used a 3"X 1/8" X 17" piece of stainless steel under the brackets to distribute weight. I drilled a hole in the ends of the ladder about 1" from the end I had cut off. The ladder swivels from the up position, tied with a slip knot to a life line, when flipped over the side to the down position it has two steps under water. The whole project cost $155 and 1 hour of work. It is working great as a universal boarding ladder and is out of the way on the outside of the life lines.

dscottl · #8 (**permalink**) 07-02-2002

Thanks for all the help I used your ideas and have built a nice boarding step. I decided to go with a single step that hangs about 18" below the rail. All the components(Rope, 2 X SS Snap Shackles and 1 peice of 1" X 6" X 24" white polymar cost me about $30 Canadian or about $2 US

.