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?