We are putting in a pier and gangway leading to a float on our property in Maine. I want to put a swim ladder on the float BUT....at low tide, the float is in 6 inches of water or worse. Any simple kind of ladder fixed appendage will be destroyed. Any experience out there with a friendly swim ladder that will reliably telescope closed or maybe floats and you pull it down or telescope down for use and it statically is retracted? I have already thought of a cargo net or rope but that is probably too athletic for some of us. -- bruce adornato ​M/V Mary Shaw San Francisco​

We saw an interesting design for a swim ladder the other day, they took a typical fixed ladder with a rolled top "U" shape on top, turned it on its top, drilled holes and inserted bolts such that it would pivot down. A lanyard was attached and lead to the water in order that swimmers can pull in down. Otherwise, it was pivoted up and stayed out of the water. Rudy and Jill Sechez Norfolk, VA Northbound, ICW BRINEY BUG-a 34' Sail-Assisted Trawler 850-832-7748 anchoringconsultants.com, & the book... "ANCHORING- A Ground Tackler's Apprentice" On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 10:46 AM, Bruce Adornato via Trawlers-and-Trawlering <trawlers@lists.trawlering.com> wrote: > We are putting in a pier and gangway leading to a float on our property in > Maine. > > I want to put a swim ladder on the float BUT....at low tide, the float is > in 6 inches of water or worse. Any simple kind of ladder fixed appendage > will be destroyed. > > Any experience out there with a friendly swim ladder that will reliably > telescope closed or maybe floats and you pull it down or telescope down for > use and it statically is retracted? > > I have already thought of a cargo net or rope but that is probably too > athletic for some of us. > > > > -- > bruce adornato > M/V Mary Shaw > San Francisco > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers_lists.trawlering.com > > To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password, change email address, etc) go to: http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers_lists.trawlering.com > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Several people have written to me about telescoping ladders like i have on my boat. The problem is the kids leaving it telescoped down below the floating dock so it gets stuck or twisted in the mud/rock when the float bottoms out at low tide and surge. The ladder needs to spring back up out of the water automatically when not pulled down for use. I was thinking of a complicated track arrangement with a counter weight to keep it up unless the ladder is pulled down by a swimmer. But rather buy one (made in China). bruce adornato On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 7:46 AM, Bruce Adornato <adornato@gmail.com> wrote: > We are putting in a pier and gangway leading to a float on our property in > Maine. > > I want to put a swim ladder on the float BUT....at low tide, the float is > in 6 inches of water or worse. Any simple kind of ladder fixed appendage > will be destroyed. > > Any experience out there with a friendly swim ladder that will reliably > telescope closed or maybe floats and you pull it down or telescope down for > use and it statically is retracted? > > I have already thought of a cargo net or rope but that is probably too > athletic for some of us. > > > > -- > bruce adornato > ​M/V Mary Shaw > San Francisco​ > > > -- bruce adornato