Idea for getting back without a walk through transom

[TSandM]

That's essentially what we do on our 21' Winner. We use thin line and tie it to the support posts for the rail. There are brass snaps on the end of the lines, and they are short enough that they can't swing around the stern and get into the prop. We clip off the rigs and get out of them in the water. Weight belts aren't a problem, because we dive dry -- without my rig, I'm positive anyway, and inflating the suit ensures it.

I do use a doormat carpet thing over the gunwale to protect the boat from dragging the tanks up -- otherwise, they really mar the fiberglass.

I'd much rather do this than try to climb a ladder in any kind of seas (not that we have seas in Puget Sound, mind you ).

 

[SkipperJohn]

I have a 31 foot boat with very high gunwales and this has been our design from the start. Although I have a tuna door that we use form time to time, this usually lets in an alarming amount of water in heavy seas so I opt not to use it at least when I am in the water. We remove weights first. Even BC integrated weights. Hand them off to people on board then remove the bc. We stand by with a line to clip off the gear but never had to as there is always someone on board to take it up.
If you go ahead with your idea, think about dragging in a line with 4 or 5 weighted BCs, tanks, etc, clipped off to it. You may want to do this 1 diver at a time.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I use separate tag lines for each diver.

As long as you are positively buoyant, there's no problem with
taking your tank off and leaving your weight belt on. I don't like
the idea of tossing weight belts into the boat. Too much chance of
them landing on a camera or something. And of getting lost. I
know a couple of people who THOUGHT their belt got in the boat,
but it didn't, and several more who have dropped them.

If you dive an AL tank and a weight belt, just move enough weight
from your belt to your BC to make it negatively buoyant with an
empty tank. Then, give you were weighted right in the first place,
YOU will be positive. About five pounds should be fine.

 

[Glock Diver]

That's exactly what I do on my Aquasport 225, except using a seperate line for each diver. The other end I loop through a cleat. I just don't trust my little swim ladder to hold my fat butt and all my gear. My transom has a small door, which makes it easy, but of course my gear is off before I'm on the boat, so it doesn't matter much.

As long as you are positively buoyant, there's no problem with
taking your tank off and leaving your weight belt on. I don't like
the idea of tossing weight belts into the boat. Too much chance of
them landing on a camera or something. And of getting lost. I
know a couple of people who THOUGHT their belt got in the boat,
but it didn't, and several more who have dropped them.

If you dive an AL tank and a weight belt, just move enough weight
from your belt to your BC to make it negatively buoyant with an
empty tank. Then, give you were weighted right in the first place,
YOU will be positive. About five pounds should be fine.

I would never advise any diver to do this. I've heard of drownings because new divers messed up the "order" of things, and removed their BC/tank, and then sunk like a rock because they forgot to remove the weight belt.

My weight is integrated in my BC, but even if I used a weight belt, that would absolutely be the first thing I hand up to the boat. Here in FL I usually dive with just trunks and a rash guard, sometimes a 3mm shorty, and a 3mm long in Jan/Feb. But even in a buoyant 7mm full, I don't think I'd chance it.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I would never advise any diver to do this. I've heard of drownings because new divers messed up the "order" of things, and removed their BC/tank, and then sunk like a rock because they forgot to remove the weight belt.

My weight is integrated in my BC, but even if I used a weight belt, that would absolutely be the first thing I hand up to the boat. Here in FL I usually dive with just trunks and a rash guard, sometimes a 3mm shorty, and a 3mm long in Jan/Feb. But even in a buoyant 7mm full, I don't think I'd chance it.

It doesn't matter what suit you are wearing. The problem comes
about when a neutral diver takes off a positive tank/BC. We now
have negative diver. Simple solution: have a negative tank/BC.
You therefore have a positive diver. Assuming they are weight
right in the first place.

 

[DwayneJ]

On my dive buddy's boat we use a tag line. Remove our weight belts/integrated weights and put these on the transom then remove our BP/W's and attach to the line. We put our fins on the transom and climb up the dive ladder and over the transom then pull our gear in.

On my boat I installed a three step heavy duty T ladder. We remove our weight belts/integrated weights and fins and put these on the transom then can climb out of the water with our BP/W's on.

Dwayne

 

[tas130]

we use tag lines (1 per diver) on our 22 foot boat. when we surface we take off weight belts (if using) place them along with camerascatch bags etc. in the engine well then take off bc and clip to line by passing line through arm of bc then cliping line on to itself. we then remove fins and place in well. climb aboard then bring bc aboard. we have been doing it this way for years and have never had a problem.

happy diving

 

[alheng]

My wife finds the gear too heavy when climbing back on after a dive, so have set up a double line with snaps at the end for her to clip off her gear. To make it easier, I have sewn a ring on her weight belt and the routine is, inflate BC, clip on the weight belt then dump it. Clip on the BC then dump it. So far it has worked with no issues.

 

[rrweather]

People do that but I just climb up my ladder and over the transom, it is easy to do and is no problem. This idea that climbing a ladder is hard or stepping over the transom from the platform is difficult is much exaggerated but if you want to solve a problem that does not exist, sounds like a good solution to nothing.

You may find recovering gear over the gunwale in seas more of a challenge than just climbing the ladder with the gear on. Get a proper single pole dive ladder. JMO, YRMV.

N

That looks like a nice ladder. Where did you get it? I installed a retractable ladder on my swim platform, which works fine for tubing and wake boarding. It is probably going to be too narrow to use easily with dive gear on, even if we take off our BC/weights. The steps on the ladder are only like 12 inches wide and connected on the sides so you have a pretty narrow area for your feet. Again, not a problem with bare feet but will be with big drysuit boots on. If I could find something like your setup that is removable for when we are not diving that would work much better than what I have. Off to do some research...

Thanks.

 

[Nemrod]

That looks like a nice ladder. Where did you get it? I installed a retractable ladder on my swim platform, which works fine for tubing and wake boarding. It is probably going to be too narrow to use easily with dive gear on, even if we take off our BC/weights. The steps on the ladder are only like 12 inches wide and connected on the sides so you have a pretty narrow area for your feet. Again, not a problem with bare feet but will be with big drysuit boots on. If I could find something like your setup that is removable for when we are not diving that would work much better than what I have. Off to do some research...

Thanks.

There are several ladders like that, including a telescoping version, this one is a Garlick. I got the floating version so when I drop it I can recover it easily. It goes on and off quick and easy. Yeah, we like the standard ladder (which I kept installed) for towing kids on floats and swimming, only use the dive ladder for scuba. It stows by either flipping it up or in two brackets on the side of the console. The black skid stuff comes off regularly but the ladder is grooved so it is still not slippery. I am going to spray the rungs with bed liner this year to end it all for once and all. It is easy to climb up on the lower rung with fins still on, pull the fins off and toss them in the boat and then we come aboard in full gear. Neither of us are big people so there is no weight issue even with gear.

N