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Dockmate ladder4/24/2023 ![]() When you decide on a ladder, you can decide whether you want to permanently mount it or have a removable ladder that can be moved across several platforms or sides of the pontoon boat. Types of Pontoon Boat Ladders Permanent or Removable Ladders We'll start by looking at the various options out there. No matter what, the handrails and rungs should be thicker rather than thinner, allowing plenty of gripping room and hopefully a non-slip surface with good traction for wet hands and feet.Įven if you've got the longest arms of anyone you know and don't need the ladder to go too deep underwater for you to reach it, longer is better for any potential guests you'll have on board who aren't so lanky.īeyond length, there are other things to consider when purchasing your pontoon ladder. Unless you're limber and can reach a high rung while also bobbing along in the water, four would be even more comfortable. To accommodate everyone who rides on your 'toon, it's important to make certain that your ladder is long enough that it extends below the surface of the water.īe sure you have at least two rungs underwater. Having a quality ladder is going to make getting out of the water a whole lot easier. Plus, at some point, somebody on your pontoon is going to want to take a swim and I imagine they'll want to get back in the boat again too (and without a whole lot of hassle and flayling of limbs to do so). ![]() It's a downright practical thing to have, whether for the on-boarding of overboard passengers or to simply meet boating law requirements in your state. It's a matter of safety, legality and plain old convenience. It took me 4 or 5 months to decide that the C36 with in-mast furling was the dream boat.A ladder is a must for your pontoon. After that decision I searched a couple months. I took a tour and inspected 7 of them on the east coast, then spent $7000 to haul the one I got to the midwest. French boats and the German boat were all too Ikea- like. Hunters, well, you like them or you don't. Island Packet is nice, but there's not much room inside until you get into their larger models. To my eye, the 350 and the 380 look like Winnebagos on the water. Very spacious inside, but way too much topsides for singlehanded operation. The 36 has a much more classic boat looks. The issue was emphisized yesterday when I had to dock single handed with a 20 knot wind on beam. I don't think a better boat exists for my needs, but after heading upwind in 5 foot seas I would have liked a higher bow, with the deck curving up a bit more in front. Punching into a wave like that gets green water all the way back to the dodger. I've also learned how little bilge there is and not much storage. I think the 380 and larger boats have a lot more storage space. Closest thing to a real wet locker in the C36 is the head. The more I look at other boats the more I love my 1983 Mk I C36, hull 114. We just had a local, small boat show in Channel Islands Harbor. #DOCKMATE TRANSOM LADDER FULL#Ĭatalina was there in full force since they just opened a new marina. In addition, a dockmate just bought a 199(9?) 380. ![]() I had expected to be lusting after the bigger, newer boats. Comparing those boats with Tao, I came away frankly unimpressed. ![]() Even the new 445, yeah, it's a great boat, but on a price-per-pound basis, not so much. After I bought Tao, my broker, (a dear friend who died at 55 of a heart-attack not long after - live every moment) was at a boat show in Long Beach. He saw Gerry Douglas and mentioned how much I paid for Tao. Gerry replied that he already knew and said that we'd reset the price point (whether that occurred, who knows). What I do know is that I'd literally have to spend at least seven to eight times what I paid for Tao to get even a used boat so much better as to be worth it. I can lay down in it (even if the v-berth isn't level). She's a solid boat that keeps her keel in the water, is in great shape, and has few problems. The only thing I wish I had is a walk-through transom, but I've figured out that a more or less equivalent solution to that can be had.
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