"Vic Fraenckel" wrote:

I am looking for a swim ladder for my 41' Ketch. I need one that makes it
easy for someone with limited arm strength. The current ladder does not
project far enough into the water thus forcing the person to pull herself up
with arm strength.

Where would be a good place to look for good boarding/swim ladders?

We have a swim ladder on the stern which I can use quite nicely and I
can also use it to board the dinghy from the boat. We have bought
several add-on ladders to try to get into and out of the dinghy on the
side of the boat. This includes a ladder that Bob made of webbing,
and a ladder made of rigid materials.

None of them work well. From the dinghy, they slip sideways. If I am
in the water I have the same problem as your SO in that the bottom
ladder step of the bought ladder does not go down into the water. So
I can either put my foot on the lower rung, or put my hands on the
sides of the ladder, but not both.

Our swim ladder folds up into the lifelines. But when we are
underway, we leave it halfway down so that someone in the water could
pull on the line and deploy the ladder down into the water. The
lowest step doesn't have a wood rung and is down in the water.


grandma Rosalie