I was out last weekend in a combination of too much and too little wind and was giving some thought to what to do upon a capsize. I've been fortunate to actually never accidentally capsize and the intentional ones were quite a number of years ago. Since that time I suspect that my ability to haul the blubber out of the water and back on to the boat has diminished along with the increase in the amount of blubber to be hauled.
From what I remember, the best way to reboard a dinghy like a Weekender, especially if it has a lot of water in it would be over the transom. However the transom doesn't really lend itself to having a regular boarding ladder on it, not to mention the drag of having it in the water. I do have some very solid cleats in the stern quarters that I could attach something to.
What have any other builders done for this? Of those people who have had to reboard a Weekender either intentionally or accidentally, how difficult did you find it?
Andrew, I used the boom tackle to reboard. My pivot was centered on the taff rail so I would grab the lines and hoist over one leg over the rail then the other and pull my fat ass over the side onto the after deck. Hard on the arms and the back of my legs but it worked. This was a Vac so the height was a little more. Should work on your boat too. Give it a try. I used this method before I got the side ladder that couldn't stay mounted while underway. Trailing a short line with big knots would also work. Something you could reach up and get.
craig makes a good point, its hard to reach up when 90% of you is below the water, all of a sudden, a couple of feet is a huge deal. on my catalina, we had a boarding ladder, but i also always hung a line off the bow to reboard if needed, on my skipjack, i think i'll hang a short line off the stern, tied to a knotted line that can be pulled out if needed. its smart to think about before you need it!
I have the jamestown type ladder on my boat and because of the way most of our transoms are angled it puts the ladder under the boat, fully extended.  I have to figure a way to modify it or just do away with it.
The hull flare is an issue on all of these boats. I had to extend the legs on my side ladder but it still took a large measure of upper body strength and once my weight was on the ladder the hull would roll a bit to where the ladder rungs were out of vertical alignment. Saralee could never use it as she lacked the strength to pull herself up.
An alternative method of water borne recovery would be a bosun's chair and a tackle off the boom. This is a classic MOB technique and also effective if the shape of the boat prevents easy use of a ladder or crew capability requires other methods. If using it alone, it should be lightly tied to a rail or the transom and most importantly have sufficient tackle purchase (number of falls) to hoist yourself easily. A 200 pound person would be able to handle a 4:1 tackle fairly easily, but a 5:1 (40 pound pull) or 6:1 (33 pound pull) are even easier.
Naturally, the topping lift would have to be up to the task (1/4" or bigger modern double braid) and the tackle itself as well. Yes, the boom can handle a well fed crew member, especially with a stout topping lift. Lastly topping list attachment points should be considered the weak links, so insure they can handle the weight (2x safety margin).
I'm not sure how well attaching to the boom even with a topping lift would work for a single-hander. I can see that leverage flipping the boat right over, especially if it's already fairly full of water.
I think I've got an idea that might work. I have a quantity of para-cord that I can use with some aluminum square tube to construct a ladder for over the transom. If I attach it to the stern cleat - which is oversized and well fastened, seize it up with a small wire-tie and have a line with a stopper knot hanging within reach I should be able to pull it out when needed.
One big issue is finding a safe environment to test it in. I miss the "old days" when we had a couple of mess-a-bouts each year where things like this were able to be tried in a supportive environment.
(08-04-2011, 12:56 PM)Andrew_Butchart link Wrote: [ -> ].....However the transom doesn't really lend itself to having a regular boarding ladder on it.....
Andrew see last September track "My reboarding ladder". There are description and photos of my ladder. BTW I have personally tested it last weekend (the first time I had a guest aboard since a very long time). It works perfectly and the line with the blue rubber pipe is a handy further third step.
Gianluigi
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