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Folding ladder on Calypso


This ladder mounts temporarily on brackets installed on the deck at the transom.It's an off-the-shelf product from West Marine, with the legs extended using PVC pipe to match the Alberg transom. The PVC pipe is covered with pipe insulationto provide cushioning. The leg extension idea comes from Phil Beigel. Some boats using this idea have wrapped the leg with line to provide a more nautical look than the pipe insulation.

Several other boats have similar arrangements. Most use the 5-step ladder. This is the 6-step, which extends further in the water to make it easier to climb. On the 6-step model, it's necessary to move the location of the legs up a rung to the position shown. This is the normal location on the 5-step model.


Offshore Sailing book cover Offshore Sailing by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr

We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.

The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.

Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking, boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.

Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his stuff.

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Boarding ladders



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