Can You Deploy your swim ladder from the water ?

Oct 29, 2005
2,355
Hunter Marine 326 303 Singapore
Yes I can deploy my h326 swim ladder from water. Mine has sugar scoop transom
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,723
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I don’t have a great shot of my transom, but I can reach my ladder from the water. To too hard to get back on board unless the boat is moving >5 knots.

Our new docks in the marina have ladders at every other finger pier, so if you fell in, you don’t have to swim too far to drag yourself out.

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Greg
 
Feb 11, 2012
271
C&C Mega 30 Long Point, Lake Erie
You fabricated the ladder itself also?

Sorry to pester you, hope you don't mind being imitated. That thing really is pure genius.
Lol, no worries...the ladder was purchased. I would have to look up what brand it is and where I bought it. It is a popular ladder, and on most marine sites.
The platform is 1" Densitec (Starboard) along with the supports beneath.
The lines are self retracting with the use of springs and cheek blocks in behind the transom.
 
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Aug 13, 2012
533
Catalina 270 Ottawa
Can you guys make some suggestions for how I can rig an emergency ladder release,
This is a Catalina,isn't it? You can attach a cord to the eye on the outboard side of the latch. If you pull that cord down, it would raise the latch. So you can open both latches from the water (I have it rigged this way). Another line attached to the top rung of the ladder opens it out.

I have to admit that I never had to use it in anger, so I cannot say how well this would work if you are "being cold, hurt, tired, in foulies and in chop".
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
I tie a "mooring hitch" connecting the ladder to the stainless corner stanchion next to it above the closest rung to the deck. The release line hanging over the stern is just above the water. The top of the ladder needs to stay outboard of the lifeline. You can go to www.netknots.com to see how to tie the mooring hitch. The other end of the line is tied to the ladder itself to assist in pulling it down once it is released.
That's the only knot you should use on sail ties as well. Great knotsite!
 
Jul 9, 2018
65
Catalina 25 Lake Monroe
Clip them to the transom, and loose the velco or latches you cannot reach from the water.

View attachment 154756
I had two overboard situations in the past week. It was not a good week! In one, I was leaning over the side docking on a really windy day when the boat bumped something in the water hard enough that I lost my balance and fell over. Luckily boat was in neutral, but I couldn't get the swim ladder down with it velcroed at top. I also couldn't get up the dock, but then I remembered this a$$hole (see pic) has been hanging out on my dock and let me tell you what, I summoned the power of Jesus to walk on water. I flew up out of that damned water like Ursula the Sea Witch was trying to steal my wedding.

The other one was an out of control drunk friend who wanted to jump into the water near a beach. She reached into the cockpit locker, grabbed a line, ran up to the front of the boat and jumped off. I ran up to stop her. As her plus-sized body plummeted off the side of the boat, I felt something rub my calve and realized too late that it was the line she was holding. It yanked me off the boat by my leg. Luckily, someone else was on the boat and able to deploy the swim ladder.

Both of these were intense learning experiences for a newbie, but I'm glad I survived and neither was far out at sea.

I love this idea and will be doing it this week.
 

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Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
820
Hunter 466 Bremerton
Yes. My walk thru transom has the ladder accessible from the water assuming the helm seat is in the at sea position. There are also grab handles that can be reached from the water as well.
 

Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
820
Hunter 466 Bremerton
Walk thru transom with ladder and grab handles visible. A real safety bonus. 751C489C-8813-45F7-9F67-93609CD31528.jpeg
 

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,766
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I had two overboard situations in the past week. It was not a good week! In one, I was leaning over the side docking on a really windy day when the boat bumped something in the water hard enough that I lost my balance and fell over. Luckily boat was in neutral, but I couldn't get the swim ladder down with it velcroed at top. I also couldn't get up the dock, but then I remembered this a$$hole (see pic) has been hanging out on my dock and let me tell you what, I summoned the power of Jesus to walk on water. I flew up out of that damned water like Ursula the Sea Witch was trying to steal my wedding.

The other one was an out of control drunk friend who wanted to jump into the water near a beach. She reached into the cockpit locker, grabbed a line, ran up to the front of the boat and jumped off. I ran up to stop her. As her plus-sized body plummeted off the side of the boat, I felt something rub my calve and realized too late that it was the line she was holding. It yanked me off the boat by my leg. Luckily, someone else was on the boat and able to deploy the swim ladder.

Both of these were intense learning experiences for a newbie, but I'm glad I survived and neither was far out at sea.

I love this idea and will be doing it this week.
Good lord man, that is unbelievable! You need to be a lot more cautious.
60 years of messing about on boats almost daily, mostly professionally, with a circumnavigation and numerous ocean crossings and I've yet to go over the side unintentionally.
Forget about an easy way to drop your boarding ladder and concentrate on staying onboard, because in my mind you have used up all of your boating second chances.
 
Jul 9, 2018
65
Catalina 25 Lake Monroe
Good lord man, that is unbelievable! You need to be a lot more cautious.
60 years of messing about on boats almost daily, mostly professionally, with a circumnavigation and numerous ocean crossings and I've yet to go over the side unintentionally.
Forget about an easy way to drop your boarding ladder and concentrate on staying onboard, because in my mind you have used up all of your boating second chances.
Truth! The falling overboard for me was a freak accident, but the out of control drunk friend will definitely NEVER happen again. I will never even shy away from putting my foot down to make sure passengers know who's in charge, and no more drunk people on my boat.
 
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Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
@Mikem if that ladder is anything like ours (exact same design) tell me how you were able to loosen up the clips that hold it closed to open it easily, I can't open ours by hand I need something to use as a lever to open it, but yes there are grab handles that are easily reached from the water.
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
@Mikem not clips per se but the ladder lays in the recesses of the transom, ours seems to lock in place tightly.
 

Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
820
Hunter 466 Bremerton
I’ll take another look tomorrow. The few times I’ve used it in the past it deployed easily.
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
Ours cannot be deployed from the water. You can see the latch on the left in this photo. way too high to reach from the water.

View attachment 154751
However I can probably reach the lowest rung with my hands from the water, but would need to pull myself up with arms only.
View attachment 154752
Here is what we do. Our ladder will stay in place with just gravity holding it in place so we tie a line to a rung so the end of it is a few inches above the water (with a big knot in it for grabbing.) A tug on the line and the ladder tips into the water. In the photo, you can't see the line because it's on the LH side.

Ken
 

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Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
@Mikem exact same setup, ours once set down into the recess it seems to latch wonder why, will have to look closer, another item for the list.