Wherever you sail your boat, from time to time she is going to spend some time out of water – in a boatyard or next to your home. Sitting on the hard while supported with legs, or being on a trailer, your yacht will most likely be difficult to board without some kind of ladder.
In our yacht club I have seen all kind of ladders; some of them too short, most too long, too flimsy, too heavy… the majority of them having had a previous life at home and now ‘retired’ as a boatyard ladder. For a while, every time I went to my club during the winter, I was hauling my aluminium 6ft A-ladder back and forth, because I needed it at home as well. If I’d had a smaller car, that wouldn’t have been possible and maybe I would have done something about it much sooner.
I didn’t spend much time on my ladder design. I knew it had to be cheap, quick to build and solid enough to support my 90kg+ weight. Also, it had to be
