A telescopic ladder apparatus can be deployed from a closed receptacle on the stern portion of a boat. The ladder is formed with telescopic side rails supporting transverse treads that can collapse into a stored position in which the treads are placed adjacent one another. The side rails are mounted to a slide mechanism that is mounted in the receptacle for sliding movement relative to the boat. The slide mechanism supports the side rails for a linear sliding movement to permit the deployment of the ladder externally of the receptacle to be telescopically extended toward the water. The side rails are pivotable downwardly to position the ladder into a generally vertical deployed position from the generally horizontal stored position. The receptacle housing the telescopic ladder and slide mechanism is opened for access to the ladder through a generally vertically oriented door that provides a clean aesthetic appearance for the boat.