Transom Steps on Catamarans

[cavalier mk2]

A retractable transom ladder does the job but may not have the glamor. In either case your boat should have some way to get back on if you are alone and tip the dink etc....The mast step is low profile (except for otters). I've heard of people tying deck chairs with the legs pointed out in sea lion country- those things are really heavy!

[Alik]

Originally Posted by pool

Also, a cut-out on the inward side can be very useful when boarding from a dinghy, particularly in a choppy anchorage

Cut out from outside also helps - for boarding in marina.
In general those steps are good only if they do not steal engine room space. Keep them at minimal reasonable size, and provide decent volume for stern.

'Sugar scoop' transoms are something excerpt practical on cruising boat.

[aussiebushman]

This arrangement worked for me. The platform on the port side was a perfect height to get a knee up from the dinghy and the sides provided a handhold. On the starboard side, the ladder was used exclusively for getting out of the water, because it folded down so the bottom rung was easy to reach with a foot - even will full diving gear. This was not as pretty as your production boats, but it worked

Alan

[Richard Woods]

I don't like the hull cut away to make dinghy boarding easier, at least not when taken to extremes. That is because there is then no reserve buoyancy aft, which means the boat can pitch more when in big seas.

I like to have a handhold on the hull side to make it easier to keep the dinghy in position when unloading it

So I don't like the transom concept as photoed by Pool

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

[cavalier mk2]

Here is a Wanderer with the ladder alternative. People in pirate country mentioned running current through these and lifelines at night though the emphasis is on deterrent voltages. Save the barbecues for the grill....

[yipster]

and a cassette kick-up rudder system
its a shadow line on the boats side in Brians first pic

yet perhaps could be a complete kick-up top
without the cassette build in the stairway

[decoguy]

The way I look at it is that a a good entry must be usable when I go and diving and trying to climb back into the boat in choppy seas.

Need a ladder that extends a good 1500mm (preferably 1800mm) under water so that you easily get your feet onto the bottom rung (whilst wearing dive gear) and handholds all the way to the deck where you can take you gear off.

i have seen very few boats with a good boarding ladder! We often go diving on wrecks etc in crappy conditions, under water surface conditions don;t matter, and getting back on board is fairly easy with a good ladder.

Most cat transoms need some good stainless steel bar work to provide safe handholds

[yipster]

a good entry must be usable climming back into the boat in all conditions
as even in marinas people drawn when people falling in f.e. cold water

1500 or 1800mm below waterline seems a lot tho, a from in the water easy lowering
half that size ladder is more common, maybe with diving gear its a different story

i've seen planty of good build in ladders on transon steps and swimplatforms
but without a ladder they are hard to climb and offcourse they need grips

[decoguy]

We do a lot of technical diving (twin tanks on your back, and one or two underslung tanks, up to 30 or 40kg of gear!) and climbing back on board when it is choppy can be a challenge. Floating with your face at water level you should be able to just step onto the bottom rung of the ladder and then everything is easy.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by Steve W

That wide stern in the right hand picture looks like it may have a fold down step molded in or is it something else? you defiantly need the first step below the water on any boat. I like the clear cockpit in those Chris White cat,especially the simple crane for lifting the tender into the cockpit,the best place to carry it.
Steve.

Personally I like a clear cockpit/aftdeck while at sea. It becomes a rather pleasant space to lounge and gather outdoors even while underway. i don't want my dinghy hogging up the floor space....and a decent size one with an outboard can consume a lot of space.

I ran into another problem when I sought to add a fishing area back there. I had to resort to caring that dinghy (or two) up in the bow area. Now that might require a self-bailing dinghy.
Tenders stored on foredeck

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by CatBuilder

You know who made a great little invention for climbing up out of the water onto your boat?

Chris White

I saw one of his older boats about 6 months ago. There was a little block put into the trailing edge of the rudder right where you need it to be in order to step up from the water to the transom steps.

The guy's a bit of a Nazi about his pictures, so I can't link for display here. Take a look at his site for a comment on it:

http://chriswhitedesigns.smugmug.com...36778982_8tUvQ

I am not sure that the block does good things for turbulence at the rudder's trailing edge, but definitely handy for climbing up.

I wouldn't be a fan of adding any turbulence producing appentage to the rudder system...just to eliminated a good boarding ladder.

And for the most part I try to locate the rudders more forward on the vessel so as to lessen ventilation posibilities upon heavy pitching or big seas.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by catsketcher

As for Brian's take on the steps out to sea - strangely enough going onto the steps out at sea is rarely done on Kankama. I don't tend to go down there at all under sail - so for me step design should be orientated around swimming, kayaking and dinghying.

How about just a few instances.... Yes, they are used at sea, landing fish, unhooking crab float lines from the rudder shaft, and recovering MOB (or over side--depends, in drills the transom is generally much easier and faster).