9-Teen needs a swim ladder.

Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
5
Can you guys post up some links to swim ladders that mount sturdy on the Aristo Craft 9-Teen. I have the ability to make one but I'd rather not. I have way to many projects going on right now and I'd like to be able to just quickly mount one and not have to worry about building one for now. My wife and kids are all little but I'm a pretty big guy and would like something sturdy enough to hold me too. (6'1", 275lbs).

Thanks for any help you can provide me.
 

ziggy

Admiral
Joined
Jun 30, 2004
Messages
7,473
Can you guys post up some links to swim ladders that mount sturdy on the Aristo Craft 9-Teen.
i can't as i don't have one. but i'd guess if ya call AristoCraft, they may be able to suggest something. i'm pretty sure Nineteens came with swim ladders as an option from the factory.
I'd like to be able to just quickly mount one
imho, i doubt ya'd mount one 'quickly'. i'd think ya'd need backing plates and the inside transom of a Nineteen is pretty cram packed w/stuff. like foam in the way and the fuel tank. mostly i've seen them mounted on the port side.
My wife and kids are all little
in lew of a mounted ladder, i have a three step portable one. for light folks that can swim, it works real good. i'm about 175 and it works good for me too. + it stashes away under the seats when not in use. only thing i don't like about what i do is that it's somewhat painful to get out from under the seats. also, folks that don't swim well and are heavy have had trouble getting up the ladder. least that's been my experience.

food for thought. drive climbing. kinda dangerous for the feet if yer not careful. but i've been doing it since i was a kid. and the Nineteen lends itself to this behavior for me. right foot on the trim ram pin at the aft end of the drive. grab the rail, and push with yer foot, pull with your arms. the hard part is spinning around to seat yourself on the deck. but i can do it easy enough that for me, i don't generally deploy the ladder. your a little heavier than i am. if ya try that ya might put yer load on the rail to see if it'll support your hole weight though. my 175lbs flexes that rail some.

i think ya might be making one. our convex transoms might make any aftermarket swim ladder hard to mount. just a guess though.

like i said, for me, i like to be a drive climber. it works....and i don't have drill holes in my boat to use it either, which i think is a plus. less holes, less opportunity for leaks or water intrusion..

edit. fwiw, do figure something out for being able to get back in your boat by yourself. falling out (or jumping out) of a boat w/o a way to get back in can be deadly depending on the situation. i watched a movie the other day. everyone on a big sailboat went for a swim. they din't deploy the ladder. most of the died because they couldn't get back in the tall boat.
 
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luva63

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 20, 2010
Messages
156
I did what ziggy said to get in mine last Saturday. I stepped on the tail end where the rams bolt then stepped on the bearing cap on top of the drive. got a ladder with hooks,but wanted to see if I could get in without it. I believe if I had some of that black sand face traction tape on the tail section above the cavitation plate and on the upper bearing cap, it would be a lot better getting in the boat by drive climbing.
 
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Joined
Jun 20, 2015
Messages
5
Thanks for the feedback for now I guess climbing up the out drive will have to work. I still want an actual ladder though. I guess if I have to make one then I will. I have the tools to do so but stainless steel and aluminum is expensive and I just have way to many other projects going on.
 

renojim

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 22, 2011
Messages
43
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I put a ladder on my 19. It was an off the shelf stainless job which I slightly modified. I'm 6'2 210 and use it all the time. I have had 300# guys use it with no problems. It slips into brackets on the deck and uses 2 pins in brackets on transome. It removes in a minute with no tools. I leave it on all the time being that it folds up out of the way. This photo is bad but maybe over the weekend I can find the paperwork on it and maybe post some better pics. The only mod I did was the lower support struts. I added to the length of the struts. From ladder to dog leg is factory. From dog leg to transom are my added stainless tubing. I wanted to keep the mounting screws above the water line.
 

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Joined
Jun 20, 2015
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There we go. Now that's what I'm looking for. Please send me the information on that ladder. That would be very helpful! Thank you buddy!
 

renojim

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 22, 2011
Messages
43
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Here you go Alvarez. Mine was manufactured by Dive-N-Dog for West Marine out of Stainless steel. I wanted mine semi permanent. The transom on the 19 is very unique so I had to add to the lower support struts. Instead of the bottom supports resting against the transom I drilled and pinned them to some brackets I made. I never remove the ladder. If you use the back deck as a sun platform then it's kinda in the way. My boat already had a ski pylon mounted there so the sun deck wasn't usable for laying out. Oh well, priorities right.
 

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renojim

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 22, 2011
Messages
43
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As you can see when the boat isn't moving the hinge is barely in the water. This gives 2 steps under water to help lard buts like myself get back in. Once under way the ladder has never been a problem with it clicked up in place. We use the boat for skiing and tubing
 

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