Got here very fast. Great price. Way cheaper than any place local. Unfortunately things came up and I was unable to install it right when it arrived, so it was not until just this weekend that I got around to it. Kind of hard to reach the wiring, but once I got it hooked up it turned over well. Now I need to get the fuel pump fixed to make the thing actually run.
No shield over catalytic converter. Some of the welds were too close to the bolt holes, so had to fabricate and grind down washers in order to make socket fit over bolts.
Seemed just a little short when attaching to headers. Did not tighten down well on first attempt so I had to use gasket sealant and reinstall pipe.
Got here faster than anticipated. Was of good, stainless steel construction. Seems to be solidly built. I mounted it on me existing swim platform, which had no ladder. (Had been broken off)
Unfortunately the holes in the mounting brackets didn't align exactly with the flat spots underneath my old platform so I had to either drill new holes or cut into the ribs of the fiberglass platform to form a flat spot to put a sturdy metal bracket underneath.
Ladder comes with screws, which would work fine if mounting into the transom, I would think, but needed to replace screws with nuts and bolts and fabricate two metal brackets to span the slots my original ladder used. Could have supplied those with the ladder, but as that is an optional method of mounting the bolts and brackets would have to be custom sized anyway in order to fit various applications.
So I have needed to purchase some stainless steel bolts to replace the rusty zinc ones I had on hand at the time.
No big issue, really.
Only real drawback is it has to mount on top of the platform, which means there are four vertical metal edges atop the otherwise flat platform. Just have to be careful about not stepping on them. They are plenty sturdy, but would not want to place bare feet on them.
Ladder telescopes for use, then slides back together for compact storage. Uses a bungy cord to keep it together.
Perhaps a latch of some sort to keep it snapped down when folded would be handy, although it seems to ride well without any special holder. Works well over all.
Just have to remember to fold it back up before taking off! Makes a good bit of drag if one forgets to do so in the water, and certainly would not fare well if left extended while towing!
All in all it is vastly superior to the temporary ladder that hang over the side of the ski boat. My wife has a bad knee and the over the side method was difficult to manage getting back in the boat, so this new four step ladder works much better, and as it is permanently attached the tendency to lose it is vastly reduced.
In conjunction with the old handrail of my existing swim platform it is much easier to get in the boat from both the water AND while on the trailer. No more having to get a step stool to climb in while working on it in "dry dock."
As far as price goes it was very reasonable. Cheaper than I could find anywhere else, either on line or at local stores.
Steve