Resetting the ladder hardware.
All, This is a little off topic but relevant in part. A friend, owner of a 1977 E27 had the same problem and when we talked it over, I offered to make the ladder able to swing out of the way for ease of access aft of it. I removed the wedges identical to those seen earlier in this thread and reinstalled them on a length of mahogany, say..... 1 X 3 or 4 X the width of the companionway tread. I mounted the wedges to the varnished board and to that, added a piano hinge on the upper back edge. I attached that to the original location, the companionway tread, and relocated the wood ladder leg "keepers" on the cabin sole accordingly. One of the steps coincidentally aligned perfectly with the forward edge of the sliding hatch inner fixed frame (abutting the headliner). That allowed us to add a hook to the step and an eye to the hatch frame (the aft side so as to prevent one's head from getting whacked) and that was it. He now has a secure ladder, the result of resetting the wedges with the added ability of being able to swing the ladder up, hooking it out of the way while accessing the engine room space. Does this make sense to anyone else but me??? Sorry if it doesn't, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA