Swim Ladder

[Stu Jackson]

Now I get it, very nifty design.  Thanks so much for the idea.

[Stu Jackson]

Here's another one I stumbled across while looking for something else!

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4456.15.html

[Susan Ray]

Phil, Would you post a pic of your plastic lumber handrails please. Did you make them? Thanks, Susan

[jmnpe]

Phil,

Which of the several "plastic wood" products did you use on your boat?

John
1988 C34 hull 728
Otra Vez

[Phil Spicer]

  Susan & john:
I made the handrails from "plastic lumber." It can be found at plastic lumber.com. Factory location (Akron,Oh.) was a major reason for using this product. Saw the product at the Cleveland boat show. Another company was making swim platforms,Handrails etc. from this product so I gave it a try. Why pay for labor I can do myself.......I'm a teacher, & will allways have more time than dollars. 
Sorry about the poor light when I took the pictures.

[Phil Spicer]

Wrong resolution , pictures wont post....Will shoot more & try again

[Stu Jackson]

Resolution or size?  You can resize photos to make 'em fit.

see

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2720.0.html (limit's 75 now)

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3701.0.html

[Tom Glennon]

On Slowdance, we were having difficulty boarding from the swim ladder, so we bought a three-step, stainless telescoping ladder at West Marine.
The first season, I bolted to the bottom rung of the existing ladder with U-clamps, just to see if we liked it, and if it would work as we anticipated it would.
Having found this to be a suitable solution, I had the brackets modified with U-shaped cutouts and welded to the bottom step over the winter, so now when the ladder is in the UP position, the added steps swing over the stearn pulpit and rest downward, behind the helmsman's back.  It is actually comfortable to lean against while under way.
I secure the steps in the collapsed position with a small velcro strap. When deploying the steps, I unwrap the strap, and when I swing the ladder down, the three steps telescope out, making for a nice deep ladder that you can just swim up to, and actually step on while not having to reach up high with your feet.

I would reccomend this modification to all with problems with the short ladder.
As the step bracket is welded to the underside of the bottom step, there are no issues with the ladder "swinging forward" as you have with non-permanent mounted steps/ladders.

[Phil Spicer]

Handrails

[Phil Spicer]

Finally got the pictures of the handrails. Same plastic lumber as on the swim ladder. This winter I will try to finish the other teak. As you can see, it has not been done.

[Braxton]

How did you manage to curve the handrail to fit?   Is the product flexible enough that it wasn't an issue?   I can't imagine there is the plastic equivalent of steaming your lumber.

[Stu Jackson]

Braxton, the "regular" wood handrails are not steamed either.  If you take them off (and I don't recommend doing so, but many do) they lay straight.  That's the way they come from the trees and from the stores.  It's also why it's a real pain to get them back in...

[wind dancer]

I had our handrails out last winter to strip, varnish, and rebed and they kept their (curved) shape for the month they were out of the boat.  They had been in place for 21 years at that point.  I can imagine newer ones being a pain to reinstall.

[Phil Spicer]

Braxton: Once the plastic lumber is cut into the handrail shape it is easy to bend.

[Susan Ray]

Beautiful handrails and swim-step extension...wish you taught here! Thanks for the pics..