Getting on/off full keel boat on trailer?

[flynn]

Has anyone found an easy way to get up and down from a full keel boat while it's on the trailer? I have a ladder and a set of rolling stairs, but both are too short and I end up having to climb the rest of the way onto the boat, which ends up being a pain when you're doing an install and you forget a screwdriver on your workbench...

 

[victorhoisington]

Best I can offer is to take the ladder to the stern and with the combination of the swim ladder it should be easier. I'm lucky in that my Hunter 28 has a sugar scoop stern so we enter from there but I still have to use a 6' step ladder just to get to the swim ladder when it is on the trailer.

 

[Benny17441]

No reasonable easier way that I know off. Just get a longer ladder.

 

[justsomeguy]

They make nifty folding ladders. This one's a 12-footer.

 

[Chief RA]

I use the swim ladder and a 5' step ladder for my wing keel and stable enough. I tie the step ladder top to base of swim ladder for safety. My boat needs 6' of water to float her off the trailer. My trailer is fitted with a steel frame ladder up forward as well.
Chief

 

[flynn]

Ah, I see. I've used the swim ladder in combination with a step ladder, but it's kind of a pain since the swim ladder doesn't give a secure footing and you still have to climb over a rail 8 feet in the air.
I'm envisioning a ladder that I could attach to the trailer itself when the boat is on the trailer and remove for transport/launch/recovery. We'll see how far i get with this...

 

[gfrazzle]

I had a Catalina 25 years ago that had a steel ladder welded to one side of the trailer- worked great. A machine shop would probably be able to add one. Sorry I don't have a picture.

 

[Parsons]

Whatever you do, make sure the ladder is firmly attached at the top. I've rescued a couple people at the yard when their aluminum extension ladder blew away while they were working on the boat over the winter. It's a good safety idea too, and a couple short pieces of line between ladder and rail may save your life. I wouldn't climb on a swim ladder out of the water, however. They're not really designed for that type of stress, and transferring between two ladders 8' in the air is too much of a risk for me.

 

[caguy]

I and others in mast-up have ladders attached permanently to the tongue or along slide the bow. I have one but the bow pulpit and anchor roller makes it difficult to get on board. I use it mainly for holding a bridge so I don't get wet when winching boat onto the trailer. While on land I use a 10 ft. aluminum ladder.

Here is a good reason to have a stern ladder.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

looking at the set up of that 7.3 S2 trailer, I seriously doubt there is any room to attach any ladder to the trailer as the tongue of the trailer is not that long.

 

[caguy]

looking at the set up of that 7.3 S2 trailer, I seriously doubt there is any room to attach any ladder to the trailer as the tongue of the trailer is not that long.

That's why I mentioned that they put them along side the bow as well. I have pictures of some but I'm in Provo right now for granddaughters graduation. I will post when I get home. My favorites are the ones that are on the side of the bow.

 

[flynn]

I and others in mast-up have ladders attached permanently to the tongue or along slide the bow. I have one but the bow pulpit and anchor roller makes it difficult to get on board. I use it mainly for holding a bridge so I don't get wet when winching boat onto the trailer. While on land I use a 10 ft. aluminum ladder.

That's a pretty great setup! I may have to steal the idea from you so that I don't have to have someone ride down the ramp on the tongue of the trailer anymore.

 

[caguy]

That's why I mentioned that they put them along side the bow as well. I have pictures of some but I'm in Provo right now for granddaughters graduation. I will post when I get home. My favorites are the ones that are on the side of the bow.

Here is one in front that should work for him. I wouldn't want to go up and down it as a steady diet. The thing I really like about this is how you can reach the winch from the deck.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

how about a rope ladder?

I used some 2" braid to add a wrung to my 3 step to help get in the boat. I don't see why you couldn't add several more steps.

 

[watercolors II]

Height to gunwales?

I use a 10 foot step ladder to safely board my Catalina 22 swing keel while on the trailer at home. The 4th step from the top allows me to step up and over about 6 inches to the top of the gunwales at the cockpit, this puts the very top of the ladder about chest high.

I guess that to where you can safely step up and over to your gunwale would be at a height of about 8 feet, so using a 10 foot step ladder would put the 4th from the top at about 6 foot 8 inches so a 12 foot step ladder would be perfect at a height of over 8 feet to that perfect step.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

What I see is that trailer tongue is not as long as the one with the side ladder with boat on trailer in water. That is a problem gents is the tongue is not long enough to do much with.

 

[caguy]

What I see is that trailer tongue is not as long as the one with the side ladder with boat on trailer in water. That is a problem gents is the tongue is not long enough to do much with.

Looks doable to me.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I look at what I feel that is safe. I use to be an investigator for insurance companies prior to being but now retired dealer. I cannot advise anything on that specific trailer as I feel it would be unsafe.

 

[Joe]

Looks doable to me.

Yeah, but Crazy Dave used to be a boat dealer.

If it was me, I'd just get an extension ladder with a fitting to hook it to the toe rail..
When I'm in transit the ladder is strapped to the frame of the trailer. You can even rig some handles at the top to help you on and off.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Thanks Joe for advising I was a former dealer. I use to assist Ron Frisosky at times who use to design sailboat trailers and learned a lot from him. He is now deceased but I looked at the trailer overall and felt the front or tongue was not long enough to add anything safely on that specific trailer originally posted with a photo.