Boarding ladder for Montauk

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
rlboeri
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Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby rlboeri » Fri Mar 18, 2016 3:41 pm

Hi All. I have--as some of you may know--a 1988 Montauk that was just re-powered with an Evinrude E-TEC 90. Can't wait to get it back and go out.

I am looking for opinions on the best boarding ladder for the MONTAUK. As you know, there isn't a lot of space to stow a ladder on a Montauk. Any ideas based on your experience? I appreciate your help as always. Go Spring!

Bob

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Phil T
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Location: Was Maine. Temporarily Kentucky

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby Phil T » Fri Mar 18, 2016 5:59 pm

Bob - If you decide you want a swim platform, contact Ray Martin at http://martinmarinedesign.com. They design for and build for whalers.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

AZdave
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Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:30 pm

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby AZdave » Sat Mar 19, 2016 6:21 pm

I agree with Phil. [The platform and ladder made by Martin Marine are] a really nice platform and ladder. [The platform and ladder made by Martin Marine] was not hard to put on and is well made.

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johnlandnsea
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Location: Louisville, KY

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby johnlandnsea » Sat Mar 19, 2016 9:33 pm

Would love to see pics of Martin Marine boarding ladder. Thx
"Me upon my pony, on my boat"~Lyle Lovett

Tom Hemphill
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Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby Tom Hemphill » Sun Mar 20, 2016 3:49 pm

Ray Martin had the following photos available in 2009 when I was considering his product for my 1970 16-foot Whaler:

IMG_0519.jpg
Martin Marine Design Swim Platform Photo 1
IMG_0519.jpg (122.08 KiB) Viewed 9694 times
IMG_0516.jpg
Martin Marine Design Swim Platform Photo 2
IMG_0516.jpg (62.16 KiB) Viewed 9694 times


I ending up buying it and have been more than happy with that decision.

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Phil T
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Location: Was Maine. Temporarily Kentucky

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby Phil T » Sun Mar 20, 2016 4:19 pm

1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

rlboeri
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:45 am

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby rlboeri » Mon Mar 21, 2016 10:19 am

Thanks All. I am contacting martin Marine.

Cheers,

Bob

rlboeri
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Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:45 am

Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby rlboeri » Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:51 am

Tom,

Does it affect in any way the ride of the boat? Does it cause much spray while underway? I am assuming that there is no interference from turning the outboard, how about tying the boat to the trailer/

Thanks for your help,

Bob

jimh
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Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby jimh » Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:03 pm

rlboeri wrote:I am looking for opinions on the best boarding ladder for the MONTAUK....Any ideas based on your experience? I appreciate your help as always.


Bob--Here is my opinion on the best boarding ladder. It is based on my experience boarding a number of boats from the water. We often swim off our boat. When rafted up in a group of boats, I have tried a number of different boarding ladders.

If the hull has sufficient lateral stability and roll resistance, I would prefer to locate the swim ladder on the gunwale and more amidship than at the stern quarter. The preference is due to the difficulty in climbing into the boat at the transom. First, the engine gets in the way. There is also the potential for harm to the swimmer from the engine, of course if it is running, and, even if the engine is not running, the edges of some propeller blades are very sharp. There are always electrical cables and other rigging around the engine. The cockpit deck may not be level or even. And there is potential for harm to the engine from the swimmer, if the swimmer uses some of the engine rigging cables as a hand hold when boarding.

I am not familiar with the roll resistance of the MONTAUK hull, but if it were sufficient to tolerate a large adult climbing aboard amidship at the gunwale, I think a swim ladder in that location would be preferable. Exactly how such a ladder would be implemented remains to be determined.

The most common gunwale swim ladder just has curved hooks that fit over the gunwales. The best gunwale swim ladder I have ever seen mounted into a rod holder that was flush mounted with the gunwale of a larger boat. Such a mounting is not practical on the MONTAUK due to the limited width of the gunwales. However, some sort of mounting socket could be fashioned and installed on the inwales of the MONTAUK, and a swim ladder with a mating plug used to attach the ladder to the boat. A rod holder would be an appropriate socket to receive the swim ladder mount,. All ladders of this sort have to be stowed somewhere when not in use, so that is another consideration, particularly on a small boat.

An important aspect of the boarding ladder is the depth it extends into the water. There should be a step that is well below the water, so an adult swimmer can get their foot on the ladder and haul themselves upward. Many of these transom boarding ladders do not have enough steps. The lowest step is not very deep. I strongly recommend you try out any boarding ladder yourself by going for a swim and trying to get back into the boat.

Also important is a well placed railing or hand hold so once the swimmer comes up a step or two on the ladder there is something to hold on to. Again, take any ladder for a test drive, if possible. Consider the possibility that someone who goes overboard inadvertently might need some help in getting back on the boat. Will there be enough room at the transom for two people to help a third person come aboard? Does the boat have enough stability for that much weight at the location of the ladder?

Tom Hemphill
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Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby Tom Hemphill » Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:37 pm

Bob,

You asked...
rlboeri wrote:Does it affect in any way the ride of the boat? Does it cause much spray while underway? I am assuming that there is no interference from turning the outboard, how about tying the boat to the trailer?

The photos aren't of my boat, but my installation is identical (except on the starboard side). It does not affect the ride of the boat. There can be some spray when transitioning to on-plane, not otherwise. (That was one of my major concerns, and my concern was groundless.) The motor does not touch the platform. I use a gunwale strap trailering, not transom straps, so I can't speak to that question.

macfam
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Re: Boarding ladder for Montauk

Postby macfam » Thu Mar 24, 2016 10:28 pm

If I had a 17 Montauk, I'd be very tempted to install the Martin Marine platform and ladder set-up pictured in this thread. I think it's very slick. I had a similar set-up on our Revenge 25 W-T in teak. Worked out very well.