Theis,

Thanks for the information on the ladder. I will check out that web site.

I was probably referring to the standard "dead man" unit. I recall that my father's OB had one, and it was the lanyard type that you had to attach to your clothing. However, with your concept of the perimeter trip-line at the rail, I was thinking that the lanyard could be tied to that line, and therefore only activated when the line is pulled.

With the exception of whipping and seizing a few lines, I have completed construction and testing of two emergency boarding ladders from schedule 40 PVC pipe, three strand 1/4 inch Dacron line, a couple of carbiners, some perforated twelve inch wide plastic that was designed by its manufacturer as shelf lining material, some Velcro, and about six feet of nylon webbing of the type used for sail ties.

My three stepped ladders mount by attaching them with the two carbiners to the through-deck mounted eye-bolts at the location of the boarding step shown in the photo above. The tree steps are rolled inside of the perforated plastic sheet, in a manner that prevents the lines from fouling. A webbing strap holds the rolled unit together. The webbing strap is attached to the top of the plastic sheet through a grommet by a line that also attached to the two carbiners. That line has two loops that secure the webbing strap and serve as rail level hand holds. A loop hangs below the rail about one foot, so that it can be reached by an overboard sailor. Pulling on the loop will release the strap, causing the plastic sheet and its enclosed ladder to unroll, presenting the overboard sailor with three eleven inch wide rungs, the first of which is approximately six inches under water in a level sea. The plastic sheet extends downward more or less the distance to the second step, and is on the hull side of the ladder. It should to some degree cushion the portions of ones fingers that are on the hull side of the rungs. All lines are secured by bowlines and or sheet bends, and the tails will be seized to the lines so that the knots will not come free. It all works slick at the dock, and it even looks neat and tidy.

If the above ladders test out under sea conditions, I will build two additional ladders to install between two of the shrouds on each side. They will attach to the bottom of th shrouds with carbiners, however, since the rail at the shrouds takes on more water, I will probably secure the ladders (in stowed position) with a release mechanism to the pin rails that span my lower shrouds in some way to reduce the abuse to the unit when heeled over at 30+ degrees. Standard lifelines could be used instead of the pin rails as securement points. At that location, a fourth step may be in order.

This second set of ladders would be used only when single handing.