Looking for Ladder Suggestions

[EricDive]

My buddy just bought a 24' Avon inflatable ... beautiful dive boat. Does anyone have any creative suggestions for adding a practical ladder to this boat? I am sure that one of the ingenious board members out there has just the solution ... let's hear yours.

Thanks,

Eric

I've attached a pic of the boat (not a good one but a pic none the less!)

 

[dpbishop]

I have dove off of of several inflatables & RIBs. We never used a ladder; just throw your weights into the boat, take your BC off and tie it to a line, and a few strong kicks should get you into the boat. It's not the most graceful entry but it works. If a 500# sealion can do it I'm sure you can.

Be sure and inflate the bc before removing it.

 

[dpbishop]

BTW is 1000 islands on Georgian Bay? How is the diving there?

 

[EricDive]

I know it isn't too hard to climb into the boat ... but my buddy is interested in getting or building a ladder and I thought the gang here would have some good suggestions.

As for the 1000 Islands .. it is located in the St. Lawrence River between Kingston and Brockville, Canada (sure .. you've heard of the salad dressing!) it is a tourist region. 1000 Islands = 2000 shoals = LOTS of shipwrecks. Best fresh water wreck diving in the world. A few years ago zebra mussells showed up in ship bilges and cleaned the river up giving us excellent vis. Also we use Lake Ontario as a giant solar collector then siphon the warm top layer off and mix it up as it travels downriver which gives us warm water (in the summer) and no thermocline. Last summer it hit 76F top to bottom!

Check out the Ontario Fresh Water Freaks Forum for lot's of diving info and links.

Eric

 

[matt_unique]

I don't think you have enough ridgid structure on an inflatable to mount an effective dive ladder. I was going to suggest the same; remove gear, secure with line, fin into the boat, then pull up the gear. I'm not aware of any other options for a boat that size.

--Matt

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

Or you can always do the climb-up-the-outboard thing...

 

[dpbishop]

You best bet would probably be a rope ladder. I have made one before; cut out treads from mahogany, drilled holes and threaded rope thru them with figure-8 knots above and below them. It should extend at least 4 feet under water so you can get your feet on it while floating and attach some weight to the bottom rung so it doesn't float.

 

[Tom Winters]

When we had a dive boat for a military dive club in Hawaii, I put one of those Doel-Fin Hydrofoils on the lower unit of the engine. After a dive, I could scoot into the boat, remove my gear, and then grab everyone else's gear and stow it before they all climbed over the gunwale.
It supposedly helped the trim of the boat, but it was great for climbing in the boat fast. You can skip the ladder part then unless you have some particularly helpless, unagile divers, although you can just grab them by the weight belt and haul their carcasses into the boat.

 

[Tasarsailor]

I don't use a ladder on my 18 but most 24 footers have larger tubes so the fin kick into the boat migh be tougher. Not everyone is up for the fin kick onto the tubes. I usually board first then help the others.

I am helping someone choose a new dive RIB and have found a couple of cool dive ladders on 24 footer. See attached pics.

The pic of the Zodiac Bombard explorer 730 is a Vancouver Island (Big Island Inflatables) outfitting job. And the other pic of the Aluminum hull w/dive door is from a Polaris boat made in Vancouver (langley) BC.

Both are sweet but $$.

Good Luck
Tony