Ladder Options

From single-step straps to five-step rope ladders, the range of styles available for small boats makes it easier than ever to find the right ladder to fit your boat.

Our test boats represented three different boat designs to give our testers an opportunity to compare the performance of the ladders on each. A ladder that worked great on one boat often failed entirely on another. This highlights how important it is to choose your ladder carefully and test it to make sure you can use it on your boat before you find yourself in dire need of reboarding assistance.

We tested the following ladders:

1. Plastimo Rope Boarding Ladder
2. Sea-Dog Step 5 Rope Ladder
3. Davis Swim Stirrup Reboarding Ladder
4. Doyle Quickstep Boarding Ladder
5. C-Level Sea Steps Safety Ladder (1 step)
6. C-Level Sea Steps Safety Ladder (3 step)
7. Garelick Inflatable Boat Ladder
8. Plastimo Folding Inflatable Ladder
9. Plastimo Five Step Safety Ladder
10. Garelick EEz-In Gunwale Ladder
11. A 10' length of 5/8" polyester line

Proving that the fanciest equipment isn't always the best, testers also tried rigging a reboarding device themselves using a 10 ft length of 5/8" polyester line. Though it was sometimes tricky to get the length right and tie a knot that would hold, many testers preferred using the line with one tester commenting, "I would have chosen this over any of the products." Another tester underscored the importance of adjustability saying, "It wasn't anything fancy but I would trust that over buying something. If you take the time, you can customize it so it is right for you. Many of the store bought ladders you can't adjust."

This webbed strap, the C-Level Sea-Steps, was among the tester favorites.

Several different rope ladders were also tested, like the Sea-Dog Step 5 Rope Ladder pictured here.

Pictured above are the 10 ladders tested for this Foundation Findings. (Click on the image to enlarge.)