The FenderStep — seen here hung from the sheer of a Catalina 42 — isn't suited for the freeboard of every vessel, but two or more tied together in a series should allow this device to work as a ladder on boats up to 60 feet.

We once had a boat with considerable freeboard. When anchored out, getting aboard from a dinghy was done by rigging a folding teak boarding ladder, a very heavy piece of gear that was kept deep in a cockpit locker. But at the dock, a boarding ladder was not a good idea. It required too much fussing.

Nevertheless, when climbing aboard from a low dock, that big step, from dock to deck, was a knee-to-chest grunt. It wasn't pesky enough to require a little box or stool. However, there was an elderly guest or two who simply couldn't make it. Getting them aboard involved turning them back-to-the-boat and hoisting them by their…