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Boarding ladder

Started by davidsea, March 31, 2019, 01:07:57 PM

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davidsea

  Finally got around to installing my Christmas present yesterday - now, if I'm dumb and fall out, it'll be a lot easier to climb back into the boat.  Notice the 'old guy' grab-handle on the deck, which will also make getting in/out of a kayak less exciting.
1996 SR19 Hdtp. - 2018 Honda  BF115D
2009 Duroboat 16 CC, Honda BF50  -  SOLD
and 19 other boats (I think, lost count)

Svinny88

Looks good!  What brand/model is it ? I need to get one so the kids can get in and out to swim.
1998 15'11" sea explorer. 2020 Honda bf100
"T roLL on 1"

Hunter

Very Nice!!!   Pro install.   I'll bet it was real tight working around those sponson bait boxes...
2001 Sea Legend 22 (Gone But Not Forgotten)
2017 Hewescraft Ocean Pro 220 ET-HT - Honda BF250 & Honda 9.9 Power Thrust
All Garmin Electronics

"ALWAYS QUESTION AUTHORITY!!"

davidsea

  Parts are from MarineDepotDirect  :  4-step folding SS  ladder  #B00361  -$120.   Pair of 90 degree 1" SS 3-screw mounts, $12 ea.  12" oval tube SS grab rail, $22.  Free shipping over $50 order, quick delivery, no complaints.  If you remove everything in the sponson including the baitbox drain tube, the outboard side is tight but OK.  I cheated on the inboard side, with a 2 1/2" holesaw through the upper wall of the baitbox to get access to the bolts on the inboard side.  The lower mounts are just screwed into the 'glass with sealant. If you position the grabhandle right, it fits neatly into the recess in the baitbox top when it's open, only sticks up about an inch higher than before.  If you are big, find someone with small hands and skinny forearms to help, and watch for sharp bits at the edges of the laminate.   :doh:
1996 SR19 Hdtp. - 2018 Honda  BF115D
2009 Duroboat 16 CC, Honda BF50  -  SOLD
and 19 other boats (I think, lost count)

GregE

Impressive.

Agree, loose fiberglass ends are not your friend
Greg
2005 SL 22 Honda 225 Kodak II
http://www.sagecreekforums.com/phpforum/index.php
Sold:Osprey 26 LC Kodak;  Arima SR 19 HT, Arima SE 16 WeeBait; SH 15 WeeBoat; SR 21 NoBait;  SL 22 ReBait

mustang65fbk

Looks good.  Have you fallen out of your boat?  I haven't and don't feel like I've ever come close to falling out before but heard the story posted a week or so ago where the guy fell out of his boat, the wife got the engines tangled up in the lines and drowned.  It would definitely be nice for climbing into the boat while on the trailer or if you're pulling someone behind the boat on an inner tube or waterski.
2003 21' Sea Ranger Skip Top
2003 Honda 130hp 4 Stroke

Markshoreline

I have a ladder in the same place- only downside is sometimes fishing line with fish on get caught on it.
2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

sfever

Nice install and love the grab rail. Have similar setup w/o the grab bar and think it's almost mandatory to have a boarding ladder you can access from the water. Think they are required by ABYC for those boats and until you try and get back in the boat from the water you never realize how important they are.

Yachter Yat

   I love the "idea" of a boarding ladder, but just hate the way they "clutter" the rear end and (sometimes) get in the way.  I get up on my boat by simply putting my right foot on the cavitation plate and left foot on the transom cap.  Goodnight Irene! 

Yat
History is not the past; it's the present, as we all carry it with us......James Baldwin    
16 SC/Honda 60  (sold)

Dakar

I keep a rope ladder in the starboard baitbox already attached the rear cleat.  If I fall out the passengers won't have to figure out how to attach it.  The rope ladder has plastic rail steps so it should be relatively simple to use.  About the only way to fall out of a 17 Sea chaser is to sit on a bait box steering the troller.  I use a tiller extension and sit on a folding chair in center deck.
1990 17' Sea Chaser

Fair winds and following seas!

Arima_Matt

DavidSea,

Thank you a lot for sharing i think i am going to do the same thing to my Explorer 1511.   Did you reinforce the top mounts with anything on the inside?  any pics of the inside install would be great. 

Here are the links in case anyone else wants to do this.

https://www.marinedepotdirect.com/boat-transom-ladder-fold-up-4-step.html

https://www.marinedepotdirect.com/stainless-steel-round-rail-base.html

Thank you,  PNW
91 1511 Sea Explorer - 2008 75hp evinrude E-TEC - lenco 12x9

ohmytodd

I believe I've got a factory ladder, and it turned out to be a decent place for a rail mount rod holder off the back (with an extension arm to bring it up and in a bit). When I get around to installing a washdown system I'll run the intake up through the stock rod mount hole and run it down the outside leg of the ladder with zip ties. I don't ever anticipate using the ladder for boarding, but I'd imagine the wife/friends will when we get around to using the ski rope pylon thingamajig that came with the boat.
1997 Sea Ranger 19 Skip Top Hey Nineteen, 2021 Suzuki DF140, 2019 Suzuki DF9.9

davidsea

Quote from: Yachter Yat on April 02, 2019, 01:27:10 PM
   I love the "idea" of a boarding ladder, but just hate the way they "clutter" the rear end and (sometimes) get in the way.  I get up on my boat by simply putting my right foot on the cavitation plate and left foot on the transom cap.  Goodnight Irene! 

Yat


  Have you tried the more realistic scenario of falling backwards off the bow, making your way around to the stern, putting your foot on an idling motor (hopefully not in gear), getting your other foot up to the transom cap, grabbing onto (?) to haul yourself around the motor and into the well ???   You must be younger than I am......


Quote from: Dakar on April 02, 2019, 03:32:37 PM
I keep a rope ladder in the starboard baitbox already attached the rear cleat.  If I fall out the passengers won't have to figure out how to attach it.  The rope ladder has plastic rail steps so it should be relatively simple to use.  About the only way to fall out of a 17 Sea chaser is to sit on a bait box steering the troller.  I use a tiller extension and sit on a folding chair in center deck.

Remember, if you're out alone, pull the ladder out of the baitbox and keep it in the motor well where you can reach it......
1996 SR19 Hdtp. - 2018 Honda  BF115D
2009 Duroboat 16 CC, Honda BF50  -  SOLD
and 19 other boats (I think, lost count)

Yachter Yat

   Aaaah, David;  "falling backwards off the bow"?  "making my way around to the stern"?  "putting my foot on an idling motor (hopefully not in gear)?  This is a "realistic scenario"?  You're kidding, right?  What would I be doing sitting backwards on the bow of my Arima with the motor running?  What in the world are you thinking?......that I'm from Washington or something?   (Ha)   I'm kidding, of course.  Yes .....of course I'm kidding, but just not "crazy". 

   That said, you "did" mention something that has given me a bit of trouble in recent years......and that is having something to grab while climbing-up  onto the rear of the boat.  I normally manage to get a grip on the recess of the bait hatch cover, but think it would be much easier if I installed a small grab rail of some kind, somewhere back there.  Actually been thinking about that for a while........maybe this year.   


Yat
History is not the past; it's the present, as we all carry it with us......James Baldwin    
16 SC/Honda 60  (sold)

mustang65fbk

#14
I agree with Yat in that the scenario you described, falling backwards off the bow, doesn't seem very realistic to me.  Because to me, I'm not going to be on the bow of my boat while fishing by myself while the boat is in gear.  And if you did manage to do that and fell away from the boat and it took off going the opposite direction, you'd be SOL anyway unless you're a very fast swimmer.

For those of you that have done this or are in the process of doing this addition to your boat, are you worried more about not being able to get back into the boat or the boat driving off on you?  As mentioned before by Yat, if just trying to get back into the boat and if it's in neutral or the engine is shut off, you can put your foot on the cavitation plate and climb back into the boat pretty easily that way.  If you are worried about falling into the water while you're fishing/boating by yourself and your boat wandering off on you, why not buy a wireless cutoff switch?  For only $200 it seems like the easy, safe choice.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/fell-marine--mob-basepack-wireless-engine-cutoff-switch-gray--18736249?recordNum=2
2003 21' Sea Ranger Skip Top
2003 Honda 130hp 4 Stroke

Yachter Yat

   If I was in the habit of fishing alone......and especially trolling............that shut-off device Mustang linked would be very high on my list.  Would beat the hell out of having (or needing) to be tethered to that "clip-on" shutoff.  Obviously, a good high quality, reliable PFD with an attached  ResQLink should go without saying.  I've never, ever been out on any of my boats alone, but just the thought of it seems to put me in the "belt and suspenders" frame of mind.   


Yat
History is not the past; it's the present, as we all carry it with us......James Baldwin    
16 SC/Honda 60  (sold)

Markshoreline

Well, once while camping on Pender Island I beached the 19 after fishing the early morning tide and returned to the beach to pick up my wife to go fishing as agreed.  However, she was not ready or even awake!
While I was trying to wake her the tide changed and pulled the boat off the beach and was drifting out of the harbor so I stripped off my clothes and dove into the water and swam perhaps 50 yards to catch the boat.  In the excitement of the moment I stepped on the cavitation plate and pulled up into the wonderfully low transom and after discovering I had fortunately left the keys in the ignition started the boat and brought it to ground to again to wait for my wife to get ready...
The things we do for love!
My 21 has a factory ladder and it is easier to climb into the boat, just not mandatory if you are sufficiently motivated.
2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

davidsea

  Yat:   I am out alone about 75% of the time, often for several days on the boat, so my concerns will be quite different from yours.     I cannot depend on anyone else to save my butt,  so I'm looking to have the means to do it myself.  Granted, there aren't many things that would knock you out of the cockpit of an Arima.  Maybe a broadside wake from a tanker or container ship,  being hit by another boat, or really screwing up a bar crossing, but you're pretty secure in that deep cockpit, unless you do something dumb pulling pots or landing a fish.  But with a hardtop, anything that needs doing forward of the cockpit means walking down the sidedeck and onto the bow.  The two times I really need to do this are anchoring and transiting the locks - using the forward hatch or the sunroof openings doesn't really work well.  The Arima bow rails are sturdy, but not much help. They are too short to keep you onboard, but tall enough to hurt you falling over them, so I'm very careful up there.
     Being a former boat racer (a very, very long time ago), I'm all too familiar with falling out of boats,  the various involuntary and unhelpful reactions you experience when you drop into very cold water unexpectedly, and the absolute necessity for life jackets in case you are hurt. Guests on my boat wear life jackets or they stay behind on the dock, and none of the jackets are manual inflation.  If all of this seems overly cautious, so be it.....works for me.
   
1996 SR19 Hdtp. - 2018 Honda  BF115D
2009 Duroboat 16 CC, Honda BF50  -  SOLD
and 19 other boats (I think, lost count)

Arima_Matt

#18
I was thinking of doing this to make it easier to use a buddy anchor and get on off the boat easier at the beach.  My wife is not nimble and would prefer a ladder to scrambling over the side or low transom.

Thanks, PNW
91 1511 Sea Explorer - 2008 75hp evinrude E-TEC - lenco 12x9

mustang65fbk

Why not use a tether system to keep you from falling in the water in the first place? Im sure the rail on the hardtop of your boat would more than support your weight.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--world-sailing-specification-double-safety-tether--11878691?recordNum=1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=92JKQ_NUAqM
2003 21' Sea Ranger Skip Top
2003 Honda 130hp 4 Stroke

Scottjohnson59

I love the ladder and the install, now to share a story on how to get recover someone. One spring day as I was shooting what we call the hole in the wall- cutting between the cape and Tatoosh Isl island; my Dad who was with myself and friend Danny spotted something floating in the current running out. It was an extremely lucky if not stupid Abalone diver who was caught in the current at Wadda Island 6 miles from where we found him. The coast guard had been looking for him and when I launched the boat dad heard radio traffic so he was keeping a eye out now the guy had been in the water too long and was  unconcise and hardly able to speak due to hypothermia. I figured I would reach over the side and pull this guy aboard we were in a 17 foot whaler and it has low sides but I couldn't budge the guy and he had dumped everything but his wetsuit and I'm pretty big and strong but this added new meaning to dead weight. I had to drag him back to main engine a 70 merc and tilt him into boat with trim motor it worked really well. So I keep this in mind..... my motors all have a trim switch where I could ride them up if fell in and was wet not sure I can climp the damn ladders anymore. But they should be a requirement in my opinion.
Scott in Milton
19 Sea Chaser skip top 1994
150 Yamaha 2019 9.9 Yamaha 2020
Furuno Radar and Never Again Garmin electronics

Old No7

Quote from: Scottjohnson59 on April 17, 2019, 09:27:16 AM
...I had to drag him back to main engine a 70 merc and tilt him into boat with trim motor it worked really well.
Yup, we did that to a guy in Ipswich Bay (Mass) early one season, as two of us couldn't lift him (and he weighed almost 300 #s when dry...).  He got a little bruised and sore getting over the top of the motor and when gravity finally "helped him down to the floor" -- but he LIVED.

Bruises will heal -- Lungs full of water; not so.

Old No7
"A bad day on an Arima, is better than a good day at work!"

davidsea

Quote from: davidsea on March 31, 2019, 01:07:57 PM
  Finally got around to installing my Christmas present yesterday - now, if I'm dumb and fall out, it'll be a lot easier to climb back into the boat.  Notice the 'old guy' grab-handle on the deck, which will also make getting in/out of a kayak less exciting.
1996 SR19 Hdtp. - 2018 Honda  BF115D
2009 Duroboat 16 CC, Honda BF50  -  SOLD
and 19 other boats (I think, lost count)

digitalfella

Thanks everyone for the great responses.  Sounds like each of you suffered with the same compromises I envisioned.  Considering the speed and amount of response, sounds like I'm not the only one with the boarding ladder - safety issue.

Yachteryat said:  " I love the "idea" of a boarding ladder, but just hate the way they "clutter" the rear end and (sometimes) get in the way.  I get up on my boat by simply putting my right foot on the cavitation plate and left foot on the transom cap.
This might not work so well for considering the status of my broken old body.  And won't work at all when the moto is tilted up.

ScottJohnson said:  "I love the ladder and the install, now to share a story on how to get recover someone. One spring day as I was shooting what we call the hole in the wall- cutting between the cape and Tatoosh Isl island; my Dad who was with myself and friend Danny spotted something floating in the current running out. It was an extremely lucky if not stupid Abalone diver who was caught in the current at Wadda Island 6 miles from where we found him. The coast guard had been looking for him and when I launched the boat dad heard radio traffic so he was keeping a eye out now the guy had been in the water too long and was  unconcise and hardly able to speak due to hypothermia. I figured I would reach over the side and pull this guy aboard we were in a 17 foot whaler and it has low sides but I couldn't budge the guy and he had dumped everything but his wetsuit and I'm pretty big and strong but this added new meaning to dead weight. I had to drag him back to main engine a 70 merc and tilt him into boat with trim motor it worked really well. So I keep this in mind..... my motors all have a trim switch where I could ride them up if fell in and was wet not sure I can climp the damn ladders anymore. But they should be a requirement in my opinion.
This is a real concern in my view.  Once you have a MOB incident, you can't count on the victim to be able to help themselves in any way.  They might, but after a few minutes in Puget Sound, maybe not.  On my last boat, I had a LifeSling and a block and tackle mounted on a hardtop leaving no doubt I could drop someone over the rail.   Question:  Has anyone ever overloaded a Scotty or Brutus Pothauler with say #250?  If it didn't fold, it might be of some help.

DavidSea, Thanks for the link on that ladder, I had been searching for one that narrow.  Most are to wide and would need to be cut and welded.

DF
1982 Sea Chaser 17', 75hp Honda, 8hp Honda
Retired boat repair guy, located in Anacortes, WA.

Hunter

This discussion is another reason why all of my inflatable PFD's are the Offshore Models with a full harness and D-rings.    I have a 50 ft x 1/2inch diameter line with a high strength snap hook on one end so if I ever have a MOB that came off of my boat..... I could clip that onto the D-Rings and use my DB pot hauler to assist getting them out of the water..  Never tried it...but I think that with folks onboard pulling, along with the assist from the pot hauler, it could be done.    Always better to have an option and to have thought it through ahead of time..
2001 Sea Legend 22 (Gone But Not Forgotten)
2017 Hewescraft Ocean Pro 220 ET-HT - Honda BF250 & Honda 9.9 Power Thrust
All Garmin Electronics

"ALWAYS QUESTION AUTHORITY!!"