Boarding ladder question

On our 56' Hat we have an aluminum Marquip sea-step (which weigns maybe 30 lbs.), and a Marquip aluminum 4 step ladder that weighs about 10 lbs. at most. Both attach to the same clips at the gate. However I find that some floating docks are too high or a piling may interfere as you come in. So I'll generally just sit down at the gate and drop myself the 2' down to the dock and attach the ladder or step once secure. Another alternative would be to pick up one of those hang-on-the-side ladders small boats use. or a modified jacobs ladder, and hook them on the base of the stancions either side of the gate.

Simple. Nobody gets off the boat until it is secured...

I often single hand my boat (53 hatt my) or the one I run (70 Johnson) and secure the lines from the boat. When my GF is with me, she does the same, we don't get off the boat till its secured.

We rig the lines before landing, then throw the bight of the line on the dock behind the cleat, then pull the bitter end to catch the cleat and secure it back on the boat. Spring first obviously so that it can be used to bring boat alongside. Once they are all set, then one of us get off the boat and secures the lines on the dock cleat but we often leave them double up

Works with pilings too. The nice thing with wood pilings is that you usually don't have to rig fenders before landing, assuming the boat has a decent rub rail and the pilings are high enough to reach the rub rail so you don't have a wide gap.

If the drop to the dock is too high, a lightweight vertical swim ladder is very practical to get off the boat prior to set up the Marquipt Stairs

When leaving the procedure is reversed... Lines are uncleated but left around the cleats so they can be released from the boat

Jumping off the boat may be ok with a small boat, not with a 58 footer

Following up on what Pascale wrote; I spliced 3' loops into my lines so they can easily be dropped over a piling or cleat. I don't like pre-spliced lines as the loops are often too small, and when you form a slip-loop it can often jam on a piling leaving you to work it off with a boathook.

Hi there,

If they don't care much about the looks, they can rig the seastairs with ropes to fold upwards, some boarding systems from other manufacturers come ready for this setup and offer flush side folding and articulating features. You see this on many of the larger sailing boats and older motor yachts. I have done it with on a 78'er with aluminum seastairs, did not look nice but worked fine and I think it still is working fine.

Other options would be like the attached pictures. (I like the conversion of the gate itself. Neat!)

The first is from a company in Boynton Beach, FL, and the other from Richmond, BC.

Cheers,

I agree w/ Pascal and NYCAP.

With the gate conversion keep in mind they'll need it on both sides.

In the interest of disclosure, the couple who started Decktodock used to rent slips from me, but I DK if they still own the company. That said I consider this an excellent product. It's strong and lightweight. But I don't see this helping so much with initially getting off from the side gate as the angle could get steep. They do give very good foot traction however.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was in New York once and even more recently used a wide board to walk on and off a boat.

Congratulations. Guess I missed you in our little town. In case you didn't realize, I mentioned it on the off chance they popped up here saying hi, leaving the impression I have a stake in this beyond trying to find a good method for Judy's client. I've used a few boards myself, but I think a 2x10 might pose a weight problem for the wife. It could also be a bit steep, which is the problem I see with the Decktodock. It could also be slippery. If they decide to go with a ramp the Decktodock would certainly be a better option.

That ramp is a neat gizmo, indeed very light. The problem is that with a high freeboard/low dock, it s pretty useless because of the steep angle.

And no matter what you use, you still need to tie up the boat first so it comes down to line handling technique.

I have marquipt stairs on my hatt which I moved forward so they can each the short finger pier. I attached the fittings on top of the toe rail, Instead of the hull side which allows me to lift the stairs when not in use so they don't block the finger for the neighbor, or fall vertical at very high tide.

I have considered hinging one of the fittings so the stairs can then be stored horizontally, which would make it even easier to handle when getting underway

But again that doesn't help with line handling

Plus 1 to all those posters that said "Don't get off the boat until the lines are secured" and who furnished wisdom as well.

If conditions are benign or otherwise exceptional, why can't the admiral/mate walk/climb down onto the swim platform and simply step onto the dock, line in hand, when the skilled helmsman brings the vessel alongside the dock? Works for me! This assumes the vessel has a swim platform with steps or ladder.

I don't like the approach that puts boat structure (gate or folding accessory) hanging off the (dock) side of the vessel during docking - I can't see that from the helm.

Joe

I agree with all 3. The mate never gets off of the boat until it is secured.

Actually I didn't weigh in on that statement, because there's an exception to every rule. Many recreational boats I've been on don't have eyes spliced large enough to drop over a cleat, and there's often no piling to loop over. Someone has to tie the line off at the cleat and if there's no dockhand someone has to get off. I'll generally drape my lines at the appropriate positions so I can step off and immediately take control of the vessel.

Anyone with 10 minutes of practice can tie a bolan and make a loop any size they want.

You answered that with out thinking. You deal with a lot of boaters, and their wives. How many of them know or care to learn how to do a bowline? I've taught it thousands of times knowing full well that was the last time they were ever going to tie one.

As I have described, i deal with this by doubling up the lines back to the boat. Again, secure the eyes on the boat cleats, throw the lines on the dock behind the cleats holding the butter ends, pull it and secure.

My Swim platform is off limit till boat is secured. Gates remain closed. That leap to the dock can be fatal especially on bigger boats where you can not see the platform from the helm

Again, there are stunts you can get away with on a 40 footer it is still risky. You never know what can happen... A gust of wind, an idiot cutting you off, you have to bump the throttles and your crew is in the drink.

As you point out, every situation (and especially every docking situation) is unique and requires different methods. We do well to be well practiced in all. I was once working deck on a dinner boat. The skipper tried to bring it in stbd side to the end of the dock at pier 66. No dockhands showed up. Could not get to the dock due to the current. Flipped it around to port side. Each change required getting all the 3" lines and 5' fenders over to the other side. He tried several times on each side before giving up and going over to Bahia Mar. The deckhands were exhausted. I've run into that situation many times (mostly in commercial work). Nothing beats a 3' or 4' loop that can be tossed 10' onto something (and flipped back off if the boat still can't work its way to the structure).