Lateral boarding ladder

[bernina]

I have read with interest the recent discussion about boarding ladders. However, I was wondering if anyone has installed a lateral one? We can’t use the stern, because this is occupied by our windvane (a Hebridean, built from a kit during Lockdown - works brilliantly). As our LM27 is moored on a swinging mooring in the fast-flowing River Deben, we are finding it increasingly tricky to board from the dinghy when it’s windy and have decided we need a proper boarding ladder, but this needs to be at the side. But as every LM27 owner knows, the gunwales are too low for hooking on a ladder safely. I’ve seen online that you can buy flush mount ladder brackets to be affixed to the deck just inside the gunwale, which would allow the ladder to be inserted into these for use and removed when on passage, but I’ve never seen this on another boat. Has anyone installed such an arrangement, and does it hold the ladder in place safely in the brackets?

Or any other ideas for a removable, or at least foldable lateral ladder?

Any advice gratefully received.

[Sula]

I'm not familiar with the brackets you mention, nor am I sure what you mean by 'the gunwales are too low for hooking a ladder safely'. (Seemingly, not 'every LM27 owner knows' this!  )

Some people have had made a boarding ladder which when 'retracted' forms part of the guardrails along the side of the boat. (Is this perhaps what you mean by lateral ladder?) Easier pictured than described, but it requires 2 strong uprights in place of some existing stanchions, one of which is vertical and the other at an angle of about 45 degrees, the two joined at the top (imagine a lop-sided 'A' shape fixed to the gunwhale). The ladder, one side longer than the other, is hinged to the 45 degree upright, so that when lowered it is vertical down the side of the boat to the water, and when folded up it is horizontal (likely needing a third strong upright to secure the 'foot' of the ladder). The pronounced sheer of the LM27 adds challenge to such a design, but may not preclude it.

I have seen canoe stern boats (non-LM) with a fixed (vertical) boarding ladder that is offset from the centre-line because of external rudder (or perhaps wind-vane?). These were larger boats, so I don't know if there's enough room on the LM27 to have it to one side of a wind vane, but not in the way and vulnerable when berthing alongside.

Other ideas - 

You can buy a portable folding plastic ladder of a few steps which hooks over the gunwhale.

I have an 'emergency ladder' (Plastimo?) which is essentially a short rope ladder with plastic rungs, fixed to and rolled up into a plastic 'canvas' bag with strong loops either side which can be tied between a couple of stanchion bases.  This sits on the gunwhale packed away ready for deploying if/when required.

To provide a strong and secure mounting/support for a removable, or upwards folding, ladder, perhaps fix a tube between two existing stanchions?    
The LM27's low freeboard midships is a distinct advantage.  If you are able to drop the guard wires for boarding and disembarking, e.g. by use of pelican hooks on the guard wires, this may greatly ease getting aboard and you may find you don't need a ladder so much.  (Some dispense with guard wires altogether - older boats less often had them, and they are of debatable benefit.)

In case it is of any help to you or anyone else (and apologies if I am teaching grandmothers to suck eggs), my boarding from dinghy technique on a previous boat (with no ladder and similar or perhaps slightly higher topsides midships than the LM27) that I kept on a tidal moorings was as follows.  Board at the lowest point in the topsides where you can easily reach first shrouds, then cabin top handrails, to pull yourself up out of the dinghy or lower yourself into it.  You may also need or want to use a dinghy thwart as a step on the way.  The important thing is that at all times you must either be 'in the dinghy' or 'on the yacht', never both, and know at any moment (in case they suddenly move apart laterally or vertically) which one you are depending on to take your weight.  Always try to step from, or to, as close to the centre of the dinghy as possible.

Have a couple of small fenders, or gunwhale fendering, on the dinghy (if not an inflatable) so you don't have to worry about holding the dinghy away from the yacht. Tie off the boat so that it stays there without you needing to hang on by tying a painter from the dinghy bow to a cleat or stanchion well forward of your boarding point on the yacht, such that the boat falls back with the tide (or wind) to the desired position.  Have a painter of the correct length for this.  (I habitually had one long and one short painter permanently attached to the dinghy.)  That is normally all that is needed for the dinghy to lie comfortably in the right position without attention from you, but in case of particularly difficult wind or wave conditions also have a stern painter permanently attached to the dinghy, and if need be tie this loosely to a stanchion or whatever to prevent the dinghy being swept too far away from the yacht, or forward from your selected position.  

Once aboard, hang on securely to the redundant second painter (you do have one, don't you?) while you remove the one that was attaching the dinghy to the yacht, and move the dinghy to the stern or the mooring or whatever. 

I was often single-handed, so if transferring stores aboard I would just pull the dinghy forward and put these along the side decks forward of my boarding point (keeping that as clear as possible), then let the dinghy drift back to my boarding point.  Similarly when taking stuff off the yacht -set it out along the side deck between boarding point and forward painter attachment point before getting in the dinghy, then pull the dinghy forward to collect it.