Garelick 3 Step Compact Eez-In II Transom Ladder Sport/Diver Ladders

My boat is a 43 year old ski boat, with little more than 12 inches of transom. Plus the back tapers in. So it was tricky finding a spot that was high enough, and yet far enough to the side so the tube doesn't protrude into the interior area. But I found the sweet spot. It was of course scary drilling the 3 inch hole in my transom, especially having to drill it at a slight angle (the tube must be level while assuming a 13 degree transom). Be sure your circle-bit is plenty deep. At the 13 degree angle, mine didn't cut all the way through. If your transom is too thick, you might run into problems with the lower bolts colliding with the tube, since the bolt holes must be perpendicular to the transom, thus not quite parallel with the tube. Anyway, we took great delight in the ladder all summer. I even forgot to pull it in a couple times went full speed with it dangling out the back. And it survived. (I did have to tap one of the spindles back into place after doing so. I'll own that one).

Winter here so it will be a few months yet before we actually try this out. My wife has difficulty getting into the boat if we swim, so I was looking for a solution that didn't clutter things up. From a design viewpoint this ladder solves that problem. Installation was reasonable working through the transom of a welded aluminum hull. Having a bit of an issue with ladder sticking when it is first released, but I think it's a matter of adjusting the tension on the 4 bolts. Will give an update when the water is warm!

This item has been back ordered. Hopefully I will get an opportunity to rate this item this summer. Unless they put it on further back order. This seems to be the new way of doing business. I have been experiencing this with several other companies in the last 6 months. It seems like no one likes to inventory anything anymore resulting in long delays in acquiring items.