PocketShip.net

I'm encouraged by you fellow "seniors' out there" tackling a project like the pocketship. I'm 76, active and in good health but like several you you, I don't have the stamina is once had. I built my last sailboat, a Glen L design nearly 32 years ago. I try to do things "smarter" not harder.
A reboarding step is an excellent idea that will be a integral part on the boat I build.
Larry

Well, I'm a spring chicken at 42.... but had a question about installation (a little late to the thread).

It looks like it was simply drilled and fastened to the transom after everything was said and done. Any special installation considerations?

The installation is just like the photos, nothing special. I'd emphasize that the step should be level when extended. If it's just perpendicular to the transom, then a wet foot would easily slip off. Also, I'd be sure to use one-quarter inch hardware and good size washers on the inside.

Late to the party -- I can't over-emphasize the importance of boarding drills.

My uncle, who was a veteran boater, would rent a small day-sailor for a few weeks every summer and sail dawn-to-dusk alone on Barnegat Bay. And one day, early, he ended up over the side. No PFD. This was 40-50 years ago, so I’m not now sure of the details – If he got boomed or just slipped.

But, when sailing alone, he always towed 50’ of line with knots every three feet ending with a loop and a beat-up old Mae West. As was mentioned in Pete’s original post, he must have cleated the main sheet, and maybe had the tiller lashed, but some of those small day-sailors trim out to hold their position into the wind.

Problem solved? No – After pulling himself up to the stern, he couldn’t get back on board. Finally, he knotted a bosons seat in the line, put on the Mae West, steered the boat into some shallows and finally managed to get back on-board. After that, he started taking a rope ladder rolled up on the transom.

You’re probably asking why he just didn’t use all that rope to get on board. Turns out that on his first try he ripped one of the stern cleats right off the boat. You can imagine what the rental guy thought of that, but it turned out that the backing plates were missing.

I had a similar problem on our 19' cabin day-sailor after anchoring for a swim. All buttered up with sun screen, a gelcote deck is slippery as heck. Luckily I wasn't alone and not everyone was overboard, so we had help getting back aboard. After that we always brought a rigid boarding ladder if we were going to be swimming. Not a solution for a smaller boat, or course.

But when I sailed alone, I always towed my Mae West and had some rig to get back aboard.
Now, 40 years and 100 lbs later, you can be sure I'll be adding steps if/when I get that far.

--cliff

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rope ladder

Your rope ladder looks great! (Beautiful boat too by the way.) But have you tried it in the water? The usual problem with those things is your foot on the first rung swings way underneath the boat. It'll get you out in an emergency but I wouldn't want to use it routinely. Do you leave it there all the time? If not it won't help unless you have someone else in the boat to drop it in for you.

I thought for a long while that I would buy one of those folding ladders to attach to the transom, but with the motor mount on one side the ladder would cover up the boat name. Too much stuff back there just looks messy--the motor mount is bad enough. I decided to opt for the reboarding step Pete demonstrates. According to CLC you can use the rudder bottom plane for a step, but I'm a little leery of that. Perhaps I'll use it with most of my weight in the water, then use the reboarding step for the main job. If I ever use the boat for a lot of swimming (which I probably won't) I may get one of those ladders that hooks onto the side of the boat or onto the transom.