Boarding Ladders

[Commander 147]

was going to have handrails full length of the cabin top!! I built these a while back.

[Full and By]

Really nice job on the handrails, Jerry! They look easy to make...but it's not at all easy to get them right! and you did. I admit to buying them because I made them once for my Tartan 27.

In this picture, you can see the forward termination of the safety line in the cockpit near the bottom right of the photo. It's like a dog run.... Clip-in with your 6 ft. tether, and you can roam from the mast to the transom, and down below...while the shackle slides fore and aft along the 9 ft cockpit.

I've spent weeks at a time clipped into this type of arrangement in open ocean transits in all kinds of weather and you get accustomed to it; it becomes effortless. It's especially nice in the Commander cockpit...long, unobstructed, and on a small boat. Cheap and easy to install.

[Full and By]

Turned out...the lifeline is in the "top, right"...you get the idea!

[Commander 147]

Full and By

Thanks for the compliment on the handrails. They did take some time to build and get right. I guess part of what I like about the process of restoring my commander is that it forces me to stretch my woodworking abilities in ways I have not previously worked.

Your Jackline is a really good idea, and in a good location, especially on those days that are rougher than we anticipated. I will set one up and when things get harry I will use it. And on those days it would be good to have a second line that you could clip to and go all the way to the bow. It would be easy to set up on our commanders.

For Destiny (my commander) I am deleting the life lines. I plan to leave the bow pulpit but am undecided on the stern pulpit. I want to come up with a good way to support the mast durning transit so I can eliminate it but as of yet have not.

And that brings me to your ladder solution. I have always been and will always will be a function before form type person. But after function is accomplished I try to make form work also. And while all of the function requirements are met with your ladder solution the form portion of the equation is not there for me yet. If I decide on a stern pulpit to help support the mast during transit the ladder will blend in and not be an issue. If not I need to come up with another solution to my delema.

[Full and By]

Jerry...here's the form aspect.....

[Commander 147]

Full and By

You do have a good looking commander. And you sail her on some pretty big water (Lake Erie) which these boats seem to thrive in.

Have you noticed how some women appeal to some men but not to you? For me it's the same thing with boats. You and I have similar taste in that we both like commanders. But no matter how small the ladder folds up it just seems out of place sitting there all by itself to me. This might be the reason that pushes me to install the stern pulpit on Destiny. But that is also overly large and does not seem right to me. So maybe my local metal shop will get another order from me on a modified stern pulpit that will be as minimalistic as possible and still serve the function of mast support and ladder camouflage so I can get the benefits of the function of your ladder setup.