I don't have a solution for your question But I think that whatever you come up with the FIRST STEP shoul be at least 12" below water level. Did you buy the blue boat from Alameda? Tom Fun Zone #664

:: I recently bought a used 2002 Santana 22 .
::
:: I will be sailing the boat in the south part of San
:: Francisco Bay, a more benign area than the upper and
:: central part of the Bay,doing day sailing only. A
:: problem comes because my wife is definitely not
:: interested in sailing; therefore I often must go out
:: solo during the week. I am 72, so am more cautious than
:: the younger guys, both because of balance limitations
:: and because it would be difficult to pull myself back
:: into the boat were I to end up in the drink. The natural
:: thing (beyond the harness I use whenever I am out alone,
:: thanks to a padeye in the cockpit) is to have a swim
:: ladder to get myself back into the boat.
::
:: The commercial ones are wide; the Santana 22's stern is
:: narrow at the sides and putting any "pullable" ladder in
:: the well with the motor is impractical. I don't have
:: stanchions, and putting a collapsible ladder on the deck
:: is impractical. I know of the device ($200) that
:: contains, in a bag, plastic triangles attached to the
:: collapsible ladder, with a trailing rope; the idea is
:: that it hangs from the shrouds, I guess. But what I
:: wonder is if any of you are aware of any swim ladder
:: that would be more practical than that?