Finding the Right Boat Ladder

During the summer, as folks are more frequently going for dips in the waters they play in, we get the following question frequently...

"I have a 1997 XYZ  27' Bowrider Boat, I'm trying to replace my boat ladder. Help!!!"

Most often, these boaters are trying to exactly duplicate the ladder they had on their boat to begin with- essentially they're trying to avoid drilling new holes. Unfortunately, this is sort of a bad news/bad news proposition.

First bad news: if your boat is more than 10 years old or so, it may be tough to find an exact duplicate of that ladder. Second bad news, if your boat is newer the boat manufacturer may be able to connect you with a new replacement ladder but expect to pay through the roof for it. $300-500 is a fair estimate.

Your other option is to purchase a replacement ladder from a company like ours or another boating company. The good news is you'll pay something more reasonable, say in the range of $100-$150. The bad news is it will likely not be an identical match to your current ladder, although it may be a very close match. Ultimately, you'll likely be drilling a couple of new holes.