# PVC Ladder



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well the first trip scalloping I made a simple foot loop with a piece of PVC and rope to help us get back into the boat, it worked but not great. However we wouldn't have made it back in the boat easily without it. So the next time we went out I made a small rope ladder with pvc rungs and it worked a little better, but still was a hassle.

I was going to buy an aluminum hook ladder, but I keep reading reviews about the legs being to short for most hulls. So I was thinking, could I make one out of schedule 40 PVC? I don't need it to be collapsible, it will only be used for these trips and then stored. Think it will work?


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Is the sch40 pvc the same as the furniture pvc? I know they make a schedule 80 pvc as well


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I think furniture grade is schedule 40 without markings, but you usually sit on it, not climb.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

use sch 80


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm not really worried about the strength of the pipe so much as the connections. especially where it will make a 90 to go over the gunnels. I have guys on my skiff upwards of 280lbs.

I was thinking something along these lines, the guy says it's ok up to 350lbs and they have been using it for years.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6IkbyOB5Sw


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

glue it up and put in a ss set screw in case the weld breaks.
climbing in a boat is no place for a face plant.


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## Jake (Jul 20, 2016)

firecat1981 said:


> I'm not really worried about the strength of the pipe so much as the connections. especially where it will make a 90 to go over the gunnels. I have guys on my skiff upwards of 280lbs.
> 
> I was thinking something along these lines, the guy says it's ok up to 350lbs and they have been using it for years.
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6IkbyOB5Sw


use electrical sweeps instead of 90's to go over the gunnels. http://www.lowes.com/pd/CARLON-2-in..._clickID=16b0d29d-e53c-55c8-cb31-00006920e761


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Half this thread disappeared for some reason. Wierd?

Well I never tried it out, and now I have a trip planned for next week so I gotta make a decision. I was thinking for added safety I can run a ratchet strap through the ladder, if a joint fails it will only move slightly. 
Either that or just build one out of wood, but that would weigh significantly more I think.


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## Cronced (Nov 18, 2016)

Just use a line and make a series of 10 inch long loops every foot and a half or so. 3/4" dacron or something similar will hold several large humans and won't dig into skin like manilla or poly line. It will stow easily. And it will be nautical.

(Disclaimer: I live and work on tug boats, so I hate to see boaters that don't know how to do many, many things with a variety of lines)


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I already have a rope ladder, the 1" pvc is fine for it. If we just needed to reboard from a sand bar, or just a few times in a day it would be fine, but when making 10+ dives throughout a day in deep water the rope ladder wears on you. Also not everyone joining us is a spring chicken and some struggled with the rope ladder from the start.
I think I'm going to just make one out of 2x4s and see how it goes for now. This will be something I'll address permanently on my next build with a proper ladder.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

firecat1981 said:


> I already have a rope ladder, the 1" pvc is fine for it. If we just needed to reboard from a sand bar, or just a few times in a day it would be fine, but when making 10+ dives throughout a day in deep water the rope ladder wears on you. Also not everyone joining us is a spring chicken and some struggled with the rope ladder from the start.
> I think I'm going to just make one out of 2x4s and see how it goes for now. This will be something I'll address permanently on my next build with a proper ladder.


If you make 2x4 steps, won't you have to weigh it down to stop it from floating?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I was thinking about that, but I think the weight of the wood above the water will be enough to keep it submerged. If not once we apply our weight it will keep it from moving.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

firecat1981 said:


> I already have a rope ladder, the 1" pvc is fine for it. If we just needed to reboard from a sand bar, or just a few times in a day it would be fine, but when making 10+ dives throughout a day in deep water the rope ladder wears on you. Also not everyone joining us is a spring chicken and some struggled with the rope ladder from the start.
> I think I'm going to just make one out of 2x4s and see how it goes for now. This will be something I'll address permanently on my next build with a proper ladder.


Why don't you just make it out of PVC and test it before you launch. If it works on dry land it will work on water


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Cost. Plane and simple. I figure it will run maybe $40 or so for the pvc supplies, about $20 in wood. All for a ladder I might use 3 times total. 

Now I gotta wonder if it should be pressure treated or not. In my experience the PT lumber down here splits rather easily, but it will obviously be in water. 

Or another idea is to make just the top bracket out of wood, and hang a more robust rope ladder with treads from it. This might be the best idea cause it would be a climbable ladder, with proper standoff, and cheap to make? 
To many ideas in my head and little time to work them out.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I sat down and drew out several nice plans for a bracket, a folding boat ladder, a simple ladder.... then realized they will all take more time then I have. So I just built a better rope ladder out of some 3/4" ply, sealed with epoxy, topped with rustoleum and fine pumice, and hung with 3/8" (should be called 1/2") double braided line. It will do.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Are you hanging it off the side or the transom? Also, what do you tie off to in the boat?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I go off the side. I run another line from the rear cleat around the side of the console. This way we can adjust the ladder up or down by how many times we wrap the cleat. We could go off the transom but it's much easier getting in from the side.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Pics at an odd angle the second step is right below the chine. It should be plenty low enough to make boarding easy, and we can easily adjust it up or down if need be.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

How do you weigh it down? Just adjust with your hand until you're on the first step? I'd imagine that epoxy coated wood would float


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

Looks pretty slick. I can't see why you'd want to upgrade to something that can rust and takes up more room in storage


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm sure it will float, but like you said just push it down and get on the first step. It's not an ultimate solution, but for about $20 it will work well I think. As far as upgrading, my next boat will likely have a transom mounted ladder because I seem to do as much snorkeling, camping and sand bar beach days as I do fishing now that the family has grown. Until I build her I feel this was a worthy compromise.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Oh and if the floating becomes a real issue I have enough tail to attach some small weights I think.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

Been there, done that. The problem with a rope ladder is that it will swing under the boat when you try to climb it. They're better than nothing, but can be difficult for people who aren't in good shape and/or don't have much upper body strength. I'd spend the bucks and get a good dive ladder. For less than $150 you can get a solid one that stores in a bracket out of the way on the transom, is very easy to deploy and will be much easier to use. 
https://www.marinedepotdirect.com/sport-diver-ladder.html


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I considered those, but they don't work well if you have trim tabs back there, and I might on the new skiff. I looked at every ladder available, if they worked for the next boat they didn't for this one. There aren't many one size fits all options, which is why I went this route.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well the ladder worked, ok. It was still difficult to manage, and really the only thing better then just using the foot loop with pvc was it was more comfortable on your feet. 

So I bought several different ladders to try and mount. Thank you amazon and basspro for your return policies, lol. After trying to work it out for a bit I found the transom wasn't going to work. The rear deck was not as supported as I thought and would be difficult to reinforce. So I went off the gunnel. Some hefty 3/4" ply backing plates bonded, and a quick and dirty drill fill drill, and she is solid. The ladder is rated to 400lbs, but I wouldn't put more then 300 lbs on it. I'm sitting at 250 lbs and was able to jump and stomp on the first step multiple times, wearing a helmet naturally, without the slightest budge or sound. I have it secured with the required 4 bolts using wingnuts, this way it can be stored in the hatch when not in use. I may use a similar technique on the next skiff, as I see more and more boats ditching the transomladders for side mounted ones.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

yes thats the one you need.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

Looks good -- I like the wingnut idea too.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Got to try it out today at Ft Desoto. Rock solid. I jumped my fat 250 lbs but up and down, and twisted it too. Still not as nice as a pontoons stair case, but it did the trick.


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## richg99 (Nov 28, 2009)

Do you happen to have a LINK to your final choice? ThNkd


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DTMEHJQ/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They had a 4 step one too.


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