The ladder is eight feet tall. If the water rises four feet, how much of the ladder will be on top of the water?
Insufficient information in order to answer accurately.
It depends on the type and the size (height) of the boat, and on where the ladder is attached to it. Also, this may be a trick question, because you didn’t state how the ladder is attached. If it’s vertically mounted on the boat’s hill hull and ready for immediate use, that’s one thing. However, if it’s attached in a manner for storage, such as horizontally along a bulkhead for as-needed use or for emergency use, that’s different. Is it a folding ladder, or a flexible one, or a rope ladder that’s rolled up, or telescopic? Is it used to go from one deck to another? (If so, it might not extend to the water at all.)
Far too many possibilities and probabilities that haven’t been addressed.
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All those years of maritime service, all those overseas deployments aboard ship, my love of nautical terminology; it all pays off.
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There are numerous ways:
In maritime lingo, all stairways and stairs aboard a ship are called ladders. All walls aboard a ship are called bulkheads. Also, aboard ship, the primary method for getting from one deck to another or in some instances, getting from the pier to the ship or getting to and from any of the spaces inside the ship is by using a ladder, and that ladder is either attached to the ship permanently or temporarily by some such method; welded, soldered, screws, tied, etc.
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Randy D 