Who has fallen off their boat?

[Rotten Ricky]

[QUOTE=waterman46;3480881]

Originally Posted by Rotten Ricky

With any stern ladder, you can easily pull your body up at least 18" out of the water with arms alone. The part of your body in the water is weightless, so any normal person can do this. Then the step 18" below the water is now the equivalent of your 36" and very easy to get to with your feet.

Our stern ladder when lowered has lower step about 18" below the waterline, second step about 3" below waterline, and so on. We have a plumb transom and I don't know the details of a boarding ladder for sugar scoop stern, but of course they have already figured this out by adding grab rails in their boarding ladder arrangements.

Bottom line is that every permanent boarding ladder should have a release mechanism operable from the water. Thanks to this thread, I have been convinced to make this minor change to our ladder.

Thanks for your response (I was not notified of it earlier) but I do not agree that it is "very easy to get to with your feet" when the rung is 18" below water level. Adult body dimensions, even IF you can haul yourself up the ladder by 18", mean that your feet will be flailing around trying to step onto the bottom rung that is hard against you and 3 ft higher than your feet! Because of your knees folding forward - and in the way - you will have to move your body out and away from the ladder to get your feet into position. This requires considerable upper body strength. This can also be painful.

On top of that, if you get your feet on that rung, your leg is completely or nearly completely folded - making it very difficult to extend and stand up, even with great upper body exertion.

And it certainly cannot happen if there is any depletion of strength by exhaustion, or other reduced stamina, and/or in bad conditions. Again I beg people to actually try it out. You will be surprised.

By comparison it is an easy matter stepping onto a rung that is 3 or preferably 4 ft below the waterline.

Your suggestion of having a hanging or trailing line down the transom for tripping a latching mechanism from the water so that the ladder can be deployed for use is certainly right on.

Cheers, RR.

[Shaneesprit]

[QUOTE=jd17;3484412]Not a topic that people may feel good about revealing about themselves, but I'll give it a whirl.



I have only actually fallen into the water once- a few years ago while running for what I thought was a short fast trip in my RBI. Out I went, for no reason that I know. And I did not have kill switch on. All's well that ends well and I don't care to re ignite my PTSD by relating more about the experience. Lesson here: ALWAYs have your kill switch on. /QUOTE]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/10/padstow-speedboat-accident-inquest-victoria-nick-milligan

[SuW]

[QUOTE=Shaneesprit;3486456]

Originally Posted by jd17

Not a topic that people may feel good about revealing about themselves, but I'll give it a whirl.

I have only actually fallen into the water once- a few years ago while running for what I thought was a short fast trip in my RBI. Out I went, for no reason that I know. And I did not have kill switch on. All's well that ends well and I don't care to re ignite my PTSD by relating more about the experience. Lesson here: ALWAYs have your kill switch on. /QUOTE]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...-nick-milligan

What a terrible story. Good reminder though, thanks.

[pbmaise]

It may surprise you that you can fall of a 40 foot wide vessel however, I managed to do it twice. Once at anchor and once on a mooring. All you need to be is distracted for a few second and in too much of a hurry.

1st time was on anchor and I was walking to stern with a pail of water on the sloping section of main hull. Hence a new rule aboard that walking was only permitted on the very center of the mail hull in that section.

2nd time was going to quickly down the rear steps. The stainless steel railing was wet and slick because of how smooth it was. Always always have a rope to grab onto.

I also never hired crew or took a paying passenger that was not able to pull themselves back on board the boat. It was one of my standard tests. I had two disabled sailors who could manage owing to having strong arms. I question given the weight of many modern common citizens if they could get aboard.