Both for me. Depends on the pier or float.

Step/handles on the Port side of the cockpit.

Any side or back from the swim platform. Door into the cockpit from the swim platform.

Most of the time step over the side at the transom walk through. Occasionally board from the bow by stepping on the spare tire and climbing in when launching.

It all depends on the situation. When the boat is on the trailer, I step on the spare tire and into the bow. When at the slip, step on the bow and then in. When beach I will pust the boat out then up on the swim platform.

Both for me. Depends on the setup. At launch or when beached, over the bow. Otherwise, I use the stern, sometimes with the ladder, if needed. If I am picking my kids/wife up from the pier, I nose up to the edge and they hop over the bow.

I usually board from the aft at the swim platform, then up the rear steps, but the admiral prefers the side entry.

On my boat the stern ESP is the preferred method, then starboard side and last is the bow. If at anchor most folks prefer to use the ladder on the stern as the anchor is usually tied off to the bow ladder.

I board from aft if we're tied up in a slip. From the bow when boarding after launch; the Admiral comes right up to the dock, I step on and in and she backs away.

Almost always from the swim platform and transom door. The only exception would be if we were side tied to a very high dock, then it would be over the gunwale near the stern.

From all over depending on situation. When stepping from dock or climbing in from shore when camping, I'll put a throw cushion down for folks to step on instead of stepping on my upholstery. What's funny is that some folks think they shouldn't step on the throw cushion and will try step stepping around it. Maybe I should stencil "Step Here" in big black letters onto it

When you say board, it leaves a myriad of options of just what boarding means. From the slip? From the trailer? Are you beached?

Hsving said that, I would assume you mean from a dock/slip.
Normally, I pull the bow up to the dock cleat, then tie off tight the after cleats, both stbd and port, with the fenders amidship to aft. That allows easy access to bow loading from the docks, either stbd or port.

If we're beached, its over the bow, and from the trailer, from the tongue or aft swim ladder.

So I guess to answer your questions, all the above!

Most of the time boarding is done from the bow via the touch and go method.

Yes, the size of the boat makes a difference as well where you are boarding from and if your boat has a "back door" into the cockpit from the swim platform or not.

I'll go here;

33' model (LOA 35' 3" by the CG) that is an express cruiser

She has a back door from the wide swim platform into the cockpit that is the mainly used boarding path

She also can side board using handles and steps from the port side if it's a wall tie-up or fixed pier (fairly common in much of my cruising grounds). Seating needs to be stepped on if its to starboard.

The anchor system and waist high railings limit boarding from the bow, but its been done for food when a poor slip is the only choice at a dockside dinning opportunity.

Starboard swim platform through port transom door almost 100% of the time. I back into my slip and the starboard side is next to the pier.

we board from the side when boarding from a dock. The flip-over seat at the back of our boat is a great feature for having a grippy entrance surface, and it keeps the vinyl clean and tidy.

On the trailer, either over the stern via the swim platform or over the bow.

Beached, over the bow, unless it is anchored stern in and then it's over the stern via the swim platform.

Water sports or swiming on the hook, its over the stern via the swim platform.

In a slip, via the swim platform at the stern.

Doing a touch and go at the courtesy dock, its via the bow.

There is no side entry on this boat so it's either the bow or the stern and it depends on the situation.

If you boarded over the side, would you have a high step over the gunnel and then almost have to step on some seats?

We have a short step over the gunnel, onto the reversed seat, like this:



(photo credit to the Four Winns Website )

Works quite well, makes for easy entry.

That's real nice! ! ! for a jump seat solution.

It is really hard to enter on the side as it is a bit too high and the bimini is a bit too low; so entry through the bow or stern is really the only way to go. It is real easy to enter from a slip or fuel dock, etc from the stern via the platform.

Same here. Entry points are only from bow or stern.

Of course, our boat is the size and shape to make this work, but one of the features we really liked was the two-level entry.

In our ventures around Lake Michigan, there are a mix of floating and fixed docks. When you transient, you don't know which you will get.

Our home marina has a floating dock, so the swim platform, which is big (but not quite as big as since we put our davit system in), allows step on boarding, then up a flight of stairs to the rear deck.

If we are on a fixed dock, there are side entryways at about the 4ft high level.

However, the admiral prefers to have a step-stool on the dock, then monkey-bar herself up the side of the boat rather than take the swim platform route. I have no idea why she prefers this, as usually she is not that "gymnastic", if you know what I mean. But hey, whatever it takes, I guess.

One issue I hope won't limit our boating years is that with an aft cabin, we have 3 steps up the swim platform to the rear deck, 4 steps up to the bridge, or three steps down to the main salon, then three steps down to either the aft cabin to the rear, or the galley area to the front. So we actually have 4 occupant levels on the boat, 5 levels if you count the swim platform.

In our old boat, if we were on a fixed dock, we would usually step on board at the bow, as that would usually be at dock height, then enter through the windshield into the boat.

The same for me, one with the bowrider, two with the express cruiser. They designed-in access and steps-handholds for the side, high boarding as well as a transom door from the swim platform.

Stern via the swim platform. It's possible to boad via the side but it's inconvenient.

That's how most of the trailer boaters do it around here. Fun to watch though. I watched a guy jump from his boat's bow to the wet floating metal dock the other day. Slipped, fell, and nearly slid off the other side.

Ouch!