Need advice re: new swim ladder for 26M

[sharonlmiracle]

My husband and I just purchased a 2011 Macgregor 26M, and we want to modify it with a much beefier swim ladder.

Neither of us are kids any more, and getting up and down on the wimpy swim ladder the boat comes with would be next-to-impossible for me and even challenging for my husband, who's a lot more nimble.

We saw the attached modification on Pinterest, but we were unable to trace the photo back to its origin.

Are any of you familiar with this kind of setup? Can you give us any advice on the mounting hardware and where we could find this ladder?

[Sea Shadow]

Look under "Mods". 26M - "Boarding ladder with a twist". I think this is what you were looking for,

[Democritus]

BWY sells a slightly longer stern boarding ladder.

Two things will make those stern boarding ladders (short or long) much more usable: Adding treads to the rungs and adding a grab handle to the transom. Without those it's really tough to board using those ladders.

These types of treads will work but need modification for length and also to fit over the 't' from the support tube that rests against the hull.

BWY also sells a grab handle but it's $50. I would get any stainless handle from Amazon that's made to be installed in a shower. I got these and installed one on my hatch and plan to put the other on the transom for this very purpose.

[sharonlmiracle]

didn't find "boarding ladder with a twist," but I've found a few possibilities today online, like a quick release gunwale-mounted ladder, and a telescoping dive ladder (plus handle) on the transom.

[Sea Shadow]

Try this link

https://macgregorsailors.com/mods/index ... em&id=1906

It is on the second page of M26 mods.

[dlandersson]

I've got a side boarding ladder for my X (4 steps), very happy with it.

[Tomfoolery]

Don't know about the ladder on the , but the two-rung ladder on the stern of the needs at least one more rung under the water. That last rung is very close to the surface. It doesn't look like it until you actually try to use it while floating with just your head out of the water. It's rough folding myself up so tight to get a foot on the rung, then hoisting myself up from that position, and I even have the grab handle on the transom.

So do make sure the bottom rung is deep enough, whatever you decide on. This is where folding telescopic ladders shine. My keel boat had a telescopic that folded flat in the swim platform, but had a few rungs under the water when deployed, which can be done even while bobbing in the water. Now that was a nice swim ladder.

You can see that the bottom rung requires bringing the knees to your chin to get a foot on it. Not so easy when you're not so svelte any more.

[Sea Shadow]

Don't know about the ladder on the , but the two-rung ladder on the stern of the needs at least one more rung under the water. That last rung is very close to the surface. It doesn't look like it until you actually try to use it while floating with just your head out of the water. It's rough folding myself up so tight to get a foot on the rung, then hoisting myself up from that position, and I even have the grab handle on the transom.

So do make sure the bottom rung is deep enough, whatever you decide on. This is where folding telescopic ladders shine. My keel boat had a telescopic that folded flat in the swim platform, but had a few rungs under the water when deployed, which can be done even while bobbing in the water. Now that was a nice swim ladder.

You can see that the bottom rung requires bringing the knees to your chin to get a foot on it. Not so easy when you're not so svelte any more.

Much the same with the "M". Would find it hard to get someone aboard that was struggling.

[Brian]

I just installed the teak treads that Democritas shared the link for. Thanks for that! Using the swim ladder with bare feet is rather painful, so I used 6" chunks of swim noodle held on with duct tape for the last 15 years to make it more comfortable on the feet.

The teak treads definitely look better. I cut half circles on each side of the tread to make the tread fit properly. I also had to cut an additional half circle on the bottom of the upper tread to make it fit over the post that holds the ladder away from the hull while in the down position. I included the second picture so that you can see that.

The factory ladder is fine for our needs even with the narrower transom opening on the M. We swim daily during the summer, and have no issues.

bot.jpg

[Democritus]

Nice job! Mine are still sitting in a box on the boat waiting to be installed. I was just going to cut them straight on the sides but yours look so nice I guess I will make circles too! Also, looking at that picture reminded me I need a new rubber cap to protect the hull from the swim ladder support. Mine was missing when I bought the boat. Maybe I'll stick a tennis ball on it like I did for the goalposts.

[C Buchs]

I bought these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S ... 0Df4wk4Ko8 1" diameter chair leg bumpers to protect my hull from the ladder standoff. I also replaced the ones on the companionway ladder with the same. My only concern is if they will hold up to UV. For less than $3, I thought I would try them.

Jeff

[Democritus]

Looks good, just ordered. Will look much better than a tennis ball!

[Tomfoolery]

I bought these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S ... 0Df4wk4Ko8 1" diameter chair leg bumpers to protect my hull from the ladder standoff. I also replaced the ones on the companionway ladder with the same. My only concern is if they will hold up to UV. For less than $3, I thought I would try them.

That's what I've been using for years. They eventually do rot out, but that took years in my case, and I had another one (set of two, I believe) and stuck that on a couple of years ago. For the price, I consider them cheap consumables.