E35-2 Transom Ladder?
- Thread starter Kyle62
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When anchored out, we find that making boarding from a dinghy (or from the water) very important -- for safety and convenience. We added a hinge-up ladder just for this reason.
ericsonyachts.org
O34 - The Swim Ladder Project
(Posted previously, but was part of the group of corrupted files that were removed after the hack attack last year.) In short, I had this ss stern ladder sitting around the basement for several years. I picked it up cheap ($20.) at a swap meet...
I always figured the Scanmar side ladder was ultimate. Side much easier to board than transom on traditional hull design, and friendly to swimmers. But I never have owned one.
What works for me is the aluminum Edson step, from West marine. It bridges the topside reach when arriving at the lifeline gate in an inflatable. It's ridiculously expensive, but could be made at home in wood (with experimentation as to angle of suspension lines, which is subtle but Edson solved).
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The Ericson transom ladder works, but it's awkward. The angle is wrong, climbing is clumsy and of course the stern amplifies pitching. But I wouldn't remove it, it has safety value. I leave it down all the time when moored at Catalina.
What works for me is the aluminum Edson step, from West marine. It bridges the topside reach when arriving at the lifeline gate in an inflatable. It's ridiculously expensive, but could be made at home in wood (with experimentation as to angle of suspension lines, which is subtle but Edson solved).
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The Ericson transom ladder works, but it's awkward. The angle is wrong, climbing is clumsy and of course the stern amplifies pitching. But I wouldn't remove it, it has safety value. I leave it down all the time when moored at Catalina.
One of these FenderSteps came with our new to us boat. It is old so it looks awful but it’s been very handy and won’t damage the hull.
The stern ladder you have is similar to the one on our 30+ which I like because you can tie a short line that hangs down that a swimmer can reach from the water and pull down. You can put some wood blocks on the steps to aid traction.
The 34-2 arrangement is a complicated affair with clips and pins on both sides that can only be accessed from the cockpit. Our surveyor made a note of this as it is not up to current safety standards.
The stern ladder you have is similar to the one on our 30+ which I like because you can tie a short line that hangs down that a swimmer can reach from the water and pull down. You can put some wood blocks on the steps to aid traction.
The 34-2 arrangement is a complicated affair with clips and pins on both sides that can only be accessed from the cockpit. Our surveyor made a note of this as it is not up to current safety standards.
I forgot that we had a thread on this topic (with cheater dimensions of the Edson product):
ericsonyachts.org
Boarding Step for Dinghy Access
I noticed a certain hesitancy among guests last summer when it came to boarding from the inflatable while at a mooring. The E38 has relatively low freeboard compared to newer boats, but still, it can require confidence to make the step from quivering inflatable thwart to the gate in the...
JP in Sandusky
E38 on Lake Erie
Very limited use, give my short time with Moon Shadow, but we have the Edson step. It came with the boat. The LCYC launch brought us right over to her, and we could step very easily from the launch through the side gate with the Edson step. (I would not have guessed it's cost. I have a feeling I will be saying that quite a bit over the next 24 months.) I will also say, the edson ladder does help with situation stepping from non-floating dock finger.
We also have this extension ladder, which attaches to the factory stern ladder.
When "up," it definitely is not sexy. When in use or sailing, the ladder hooks from the bottom, folds up, and is tied to be able to release from the water. That is, this extends the transom ladder about 5 feet into the water. Probably the opposite of what you are looking for, but I thought I'd throw the option into the conversation about boarding ladders.
Besides, without the extension, some of my guests might need me to engage the winch to help them climb the factory stern ladder.
We also have this extension ladder, which attaches to the factory stern ladder.
When "up," it definitely is not sexy. When in use or sailing, the ladder hooks from the bottom, folds up, and is tied to be able to release from the water. That is, this extends the transom ladder about 5 feet into the water. Probably the opposite of what you are looking for, but I thought I'd throw the option into the conversation about boarding ladders.
Besides, without the extension, some of my guests might need me to engage the winch to help them climb the factory stern ladder.
Prairie Schooner
Jeff & Donna, E35-3 purchased 7/21
That pushpit configuration is exactly what we have on our boat, with very minor variation for the different transom angles. Many boats don't have a stern ladder at all so I'm not sure how this fails safety standards. Tho, since it's there it would be better to have something to facilitate deployment from the water and boarding.
I really like the unobtrusive style of this:
But easily installed options exist:
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Yeah, all these things exist for a reason.
When I was a kid in the New York area there was a famous story about a fellow who disappeared for no apparent reason. it wasn't until his boat was hauled out for the winter that the family found resolution. Written on the waterline of the boat, in pencil, was the sentence "I could not get back aboard."
When I was a kid in the New York area there was a famous story about a fellow who disappeared for no apparent reason. it wasn't until his boat was hauled out for the winter that the family found resolution. Written on the waterline of the boat, in pencil, was the sentence "I could not get back aboard."
Apparently the ladder is supposed to be accessible from the water even in the stowed position. It’s all too easy to envision Christian’s horrifying story happening if one were to fall in while solo. The freeboard is just too high to climb back aboard. I will likely remove the clips and use a very light Velcro strap or mini zip tie to hold the ladder in place along with a rope that you can reach from the water. A good tug should hopefully bring the ladder down. Of course now the ladder is at risk of opening by itself or by being pushed which then leaves a big gap in the stern rail that you can fall out of. At least the ladder will be accessible at that point!
The Ericson-installed stern ladders typically extend below water about 6" (+/-) when lowered. The bottom step swings a pretty wide arc on the way down. If you're in the water and trying to deploy it by pulling on a rope, there's a pretty high likelihood it's going to hit you in the head on the way down. That would not be a good outcome either.
Kyle62
Junior Member
Thanks for posting these options—this is exactly the direction I’d go. The deployable ladder stored in a tube makes the most sense for my situation. The boat will mostly be a Thursday-night beer-can racer at our very small club. If I end up swimming in Lake Ontario these days, odds are it wasn’t part of the plan. I don’t expect to do much solo sailing, and if I did, my wife would probably insist on tethers like astronauts use when working outside the ISS. I’m not sure my enjoyment of solo sailing would offset her concern for my safety—and honestly, she likes me, and I like her that much. I also really like the look of the transom. I sail for the sailing and for the beauty, and I’d rather not clutter it unnecessarily. That said, I don’t want to trade safety for aesthetics. I’m pretty sure bad things can still happen even when you’re paying attention, so having a discreet, emergency-only ladder feels like the right balance. Thanks again—this was very helpful.
Kyle62
Junior Member
Kyle62
Junior Member
bsangs
E35-3 - New Jersey
You got that right. The arc is absurd. Even lowering it from above isn't exactly a smooth and easy operation. And if you have a dingy on a davits like we do, fuhgeddaboudit. Like Christian, we keep it down when moored or anchored. Echoing some above sentiments, the push-pin gate lock arrangement makes the ladder pretty useless from the water if not already lowered. I don't single hand, so haven't really worried about it, but if I did, would definitely alter it. I also have that Edson step and the Plastimo ladder, but unless you keep them deployed constantly, not sure how helpful they'd be in a single-hand situation. The Edson step especially, which would slam all over the hull if left deployed while sailing.