STAIR AND LADDER HANDRAILS

The picture shows the cockpit stairs leading to the flying bridge aboard a large yacht. There is a handrail on the inboard side, per American

Boat and Yacht Council standards. According to ABYC H-41, such handholds are required on “weather decks” (areas exposed to weather where crew walk or stand); to assist crew using companionways, ladders and stairways; and in exterior seating areas used when the vessel is underway. In addition, any grab rail must meet a minimum height requirement of 24 inches above the deck. On a boat with only handholds, “the maximum spacing between handholds must not exceed 4 feet.” A handhold should also be within reach of any boarding ladders.

The rail on the outboard side of the steps measured just less than 4 feet from either the top or bottom of this set of steps, meaning the installation likely complies with ABYC standards. Still, we think this instance serves to prove that standards are minimum requirements—not guarantees of safety. Boaters and boatbuilders should adhere to available standards and use them as a foundation rather than an end goal to be met and forgotten.

Few will disagree that using the steps shown in any kind of active seaway will prove uncomfortable, if not dangerous. It is for this reason that, though they appear to be compliant with standards, we are calling the lack of a banister or railing a nautical no-no.