New to Forum and Swim Ladder Question

[NYCruisers]

Hi all,

I'm the proud owner of a 1960 Cruisers Commander with a 1966 Johnson 80HP. Truth be told there's not too much to restore, although being a virgo I can come up with a list in no time. Glad to be here.

So she came with what I believe to be an original folding mahogany swim ladder. It folds in half and then has two standoffs that fold out to rest on the hull and two hooks at the top that attach to hardware mounted to the hull. The two pieces of hardware are not attached to the boat, nor are there holes present, although I do have the hardware.

Questions: Did this boat come with a swim ladder or was this a previous owner's dream to retrofit. If the former, where was this ladder supposed to go on the boat? No matter where I hang it the standoffs don't rest on the hull so that the ladder is vertical. I also don't see the three holes where each attachment point would have been mounted.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

 

[Peteco]

Re: New to Forum and Swim Ladder Question

It's probably a universal ladder someone ordered and never installed.

You might be able to tweak the tubing or have new tubing made for it to fit the shape of the boat.

When you install the hardware, do yourself a favor and install the bolts according to this manual:

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/HowTo-Publications/Fiberglass-Boat-Repair-and-Maintenance.pdf

Simply driving wood screws into the transom will wet the core, eventually destroying it, and will not be as strong as you'd like.

 

[NYCruisers]

Re: New to Forum and Swim Ladder Question

I found a photo of what I have on this site (http://www.tradingdock.org/407) so you can get a better idea, except mine is shorter and has two flip out mahogany legs that reach out to the hull.

The boat is wood, not fiberglas, and the bolts are through-bolts as opposed to wood screws, but I'll keep waterproofing in mind.

On the other hand, if it's actually worth what the guy in the link is asking I'm just gonna sell it!

[edit] Browsing more I see the one I have is from old DIY plans and is built to suit any particular boat, just as the one to the link above probably was. I suspect the previous owner bought it but never retrofitted it to my boat, so that's what I plan on doing with it.