Swimming and Boarding Ladders

GMT carbon fiber boarding and swim ladders have been built for a variety of sailboats, powerboats, and yachts. They are stronger, lighter, and more aesthetically pleasing than most of the alternatives. Being so light, a GMT boarding ladder is easy to carry, easy to deploy, and can be designed for any application.

you dream it, GMT designs it

There are a surprising number of things to consider when designing a boarding or swim ladder... Where will the ladder be used? How will it attach? How big does it need to be? Who will be using it? Where does it need to be stored?

GMT has been building carbon swim ladders for years, and we have built boarding ladders for a huge variety of applications. The large ladder featured above has laminated teak treads which save weight compared to full teak, but keep a classic look. The ladder also has full height hand rails for safe and secure boarding all the way onto the yacht.

The full carbon stern mounted swim ladder seen on this page was designed for an avid ocean racer who wanted to save weight in a critical area. This removes the heavy stainless ladder from the transom without sacrificing the safety of having an easily deployed ladder on the ready.

No matter what your goals are, GMT Composites will work with you to design the perfect custom carbon boarding ladder.

light, sturdy, and long lasting

A 6 foot boarding or swim ladder with teak treads will weigh only 12 pounds! Whether you go with teak or carbon treads, a GMT ladder will not only be lighter, but also much more stiff than aluminum and plastic, which means the ladder will be more stable and secure for safer boarding. In addition, carbon fiber does not corrode, which means our long lasting linear polyurethane finish will stay looking nice longer than an aluminum ladder.

construction

While all of our carbon boarding and swim ladders are made custom, we offer two basic styles based on tread type. A carbon ladder with teak treads is a nice cost effective construction method for gaining the benefits of a custom carbon ladder with a classic look and a smaller price tag. A carbon ladder with composite treads provides the best combination of weight savings and aesthetics. GMT carbon boarding and swim ladders are made from a combination of uni-directional and bi-axial carbon fiber pre-preg. This allows for a very strong and light construction which can be clear coated to show off carbon's distinctive twill, or painted to match your sailboat, powerboat, or yacht. The treads can be designed in teak, carbon, or a combination laminate, any of which can be built to complement the tubes. We have a variety of attachment hardware options, and can also fabricate custom fittings for your specific application. Whether your ladder will deploy from cap rails, hull brackets, or other platforms, GMT will help you to design the perfect boarding ladder to serve your needs and complement your boat.