MOB boarding ladders
PBO verdict
Markus Emergency Ladder
PRICE: £104
http://www.engmar.com
Designed for both leisure and work boats, the Markus comes in four
lengths, from 800mm (model tested) to 2,200mm. Choice will depend
upon the distance from the fastening point to the water. The ladder is a 2
x 5 mesh with a common lower step which acts as the bag grab handle.
The mesh rungs are reinforced internally with stiff plastic, and the bottom
rung has an orange luminous cover. Three webbing straps are deployed
to attach the pouch to a rail, and are secured with stainless steel buckles.
A strong aluminium bar links the ladder to the attachment straps.
Attachment to the guardrail was straightforward using stainless steel
buckles The grab handle was reachable. Alan would have preferred a
longer model with a lower bottom step, but the weighted lower step
was generally appreciated: two out of the three testers successfully
climbed back on board.Plastimo Safety Ladder
PRICE: £66.18
http://www.bainbridgeint.co.uk
Two versions are available, four steps (as tested) and five. It’s
not designed for permanent deployment on a guardrail as
the grab strap isn’t long enough. Ideally it would be attached
at toerail height, perhaps while on a mooring. Two webbing loops are
provided to attach the pouch: these would require a lashing or snap
shackles, and a short webbing loop then attaches to the Velcro closure.
Four 170mm-long broad plastic steps are then released, secured by
nuts, bolts and washers to two yellow webbing support straps.
Attachment requires shackles or snap shackles to the toerail. From this
height, the bag handle could be reached and the ladder deployed. All
testers successfully boarded the boat with this ladder: Alan would have
preferred the five-step model and wider rungs. The flat steps were easy
to use, ‘good and solid’, and the bag handle affixed by webbing to the
attachment loops can be used to pull on, greatly assisting the process.
T
here is no doubt in my
mind that practice makes
a great difference to
climbing out of the water
using these ladders.
Alan was able to deploy all the
ladders from the water – and this
would require an appropriate
attachment height for a lone
sailor’s arm reach – but only
succeeded in climbing aboard
with the Plastimo ladder. ‘The
advantage is with shorter, lighter
and fitter people,’ he observed.
‘Being tall, my knee was under
my chin with my foot in the lowest
rung, which made it hard to
straighten up. The only way
I could do it was by grabbing
something above me and hauling
as well as pushing. Without
anything to grab, no chance.
Weight and upper body strengthcount: I have too much of one but
not enough of the other, and I’m
not untypical for my age.’
Oksana managed to climb
them all except the Flushmount
and Help Ladder, and Alex
successfully climbed them all
except the Flushmount, which we
felt had very limited applications.
It could assist climbing onto a
bathing platform, but for general
use it requires an additional
pull-up handhold positioned
higher up the transom.
Ladders must be long enough
for a tall person to be able to
stand on the bottom rung without
having to lift one foot up too high.
Deploying the ladder on the
pushpit gives the casualty
something to hold onto once
they get some way up the ladder.
Getting your body in a verticalposition was essential. As Alan
added, ‘Most of the ladders were
too short: they need three or
four rungs in the water, and it
would be better if the rungs were
weighted and sank. Being able
to see the rungs helps: the one
that broke was grey and invisible
in the water. It’s quite tricky
getting your foot on the first
rung, and not being able to see
it was a hindrance.’
There is no doubt that the ability
to pull with one’s arms greatly
facilitates climbing the ladder,
and just as liferafts make use of
an internal ladder to pull up on,
these ladders would benefit
from a similar device. However,
technique is also important,
and this is where training and
practice come in.
Generally, the ladders with therigid steps were easier to climb –
the wider the better. The mesh
types required a technique to
access the next tread as you
ascended. Of the mesh ladders,
the Kim, Lalizas and Markus are
all well-made products, but the
Kim represents the best buy
because it is very easy to attach
and reasonably priced.
Of the stepladder type, the
Plastimo was the only ladder all
our ‘MOBs’ could climb and so it
gets our best buy award. It would
however benefit from a weighted
bottom step and attachment
buckles rather than slings.■ Thanks to Warsash Sailing
Club for the use of their pontoon
and excellent shower and
changing room facilities.ABOVE Web straps secured
with stainless steel buckles
attach the pouch to a rail.
RIGHT We first tried the ladder
on the bow, but later in its
proper position on the quarterABOVE Two webbing loops are
provided to attach the pouch.
RIGHT Plastic steps are secured
by nuts, bolts and washers to two
webbing support straps