Has anyone used an ATN Top Climber? Did you find it easy to use? Is it worth the money or is it easier to just pull the mast? I need to work the anchor light, the spreader covers and a flag hoist halyard.
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Eventually, if you're planning on sailing more than just afternoons, you're going to have to go up the mast.... so getting used to doing it is probably a really good idea, before you have to do it when is really nasty out. The ATN TopClimber is a pretty good device if you have to climb the mast single-handed. I highly recommend rigging a second halyard for use as a safety line.
BTW, what kind of boat do you have, and is it in the water?? I wouldn't recommend going aloft if the boat is on the hard... it isn't safe generally. Also, if your boat is too small, going aloft isn't a good idea.
BTW, what kind of boat do you have, and is it in the water?? I wouldn't recommend going aloft if the boat is on the hard... it isn't safe generally. Also, if your boat is too small, going aloft isn't a good idea.
you can make your own for half the price.... buy a pair of ascenders and some webbing from a climbing store. Hook you bosun's chair to one and some web foot loops to the other and up you go. Unlike a bosun's chair you can't wrap you legs around the mast to keep from swinging, so the hardest thing about this method is keeping the ascending line static to reduce the sway.
http://www.rei.com/category/4500694
http://www.rei.com/category/4500694
Why can't you wrap your legs around the mast with this method? After all, you are still in a bosun's chair. BTW, I would recommend a safety loop that goes around the mast and keeps you from swinging too much, you'll have to detach it and re-attach it at the spreaders but it beats swinging around and bashing into the mast.
Why not use the TopClimber on the hard?
Just curious Sailingdog. I did this once, only to the spreaders. Don't want kill myself if I don't have too.
Just curious Sailingdog. I did this once, only to the spreaders. Don't want kill myself if I don't have too.
It is pretty easy to rig a second halyard that is fixed at top and bottom and use a climbing ascender, like a Petzl, to secure the TopClimber chair or a bosun's chair or climbing harness to the line as a safety measure.
Your boat generally has NO RIGHTING ABILITY on the hard, and falling off and hitting the ground is probably fatal. Having the boat heel over and hitting the water will probably hurt, but usually won't kill you.
When a boat is on the hard, most of the weight is supported by the blocks under the keel... that means that the center of gravity is higher than the support point. Climbing the mast gives you a lot of leverage to tip the boat. If a boat stand shifts as your climbing the mast, it could possibly lead to the boat tipping...and as I said above, falling and hitting the ground is generally a really bad thing.
There are some exceptions to this rule, like if you own a large catamaran or trimaran....since the boat's width and form stability work on land as well as water... but that is about the only case. If for some reason, you really have to work on the rigging when the boat is on the hard, hire a bucket truck to do it.
When a boat is on the hard, most of the weight is supported by the blocks under the keel... that means that the center of gravity is higher than the support point. Climbing the mast gives you a lot of leverage to tip the boat. If a boat stand shifts as your climbing the mast, it could possibly lead to the boat tipping...and as I said above, falling and hitting the ground is generally a really bad thing.
There are some exceptions to this rule, like if you own a large catamaran or trimaran....since the boat's width and form stability work on land as well as water... but that is about the only case. If for some reason, you really have to work on the rigging when the boat is on the hard, hire a bucket truck to do it.
Depends on the boat... the person, and what kind of work you're doing. If you're only working on the masthead instruments or something like that, you can do that on a smaller boat than if you're working out on the spreader tips. The further you are from the centerline of the boat, the heavier you are, the higher up you are working are all going to affect how much stability the boat needs.
here's another discussion on all mast climbing methods and devices...
http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietrich/ClimbingTheMast.html
to answer your question sailingdog..... wrapping your legs around the mast while trying to use the ascenders may be difficult for anyone under 7 feet tall. Once you've stopped to work, that may be a different story.
http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietrich/ClimbingTheMast.html
to answer your question sailingdog..... wrapping your legs around the mast while trying to use the ascenders may be difficult for anyone under 7 feet tall. Once you've stopped to work, that may be a different story.
I'm not impressed. A ladder isn't as useful as a bosun's chair or similar device, since your hands aren't free to do the work you need to do. Also, if the mainsail is up, the mastmate can't be hoisted along the mainsail track, making it less stable.
Bosun's chair
As for having hands free - I have a safety belt from my days working construction, so I'd just use that to allow my hands to be free.
What do you think of those points?
you have a good point about using the mast-mate when the sail is up. However, the problem with a bosun's chair is that you can't get it all the way to the top of the mast. For short people like me, this means that I can't see the top of the mast while sitting in the bosun's chair. This is one of the main reasons I was considering getting the mast mate.
As for having hands free - I have a safety belt from my days working construction, so I'd just use that to allow my hands to be free.
What do you think of those points?
Re: Bosun's chair
From an old rock climber, I would suggest a set of 3 prussik knots. They work just like the top climber, but are made from loops of medium sized cord. 6-8 mm or so in diameter.
http://www.lasr.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/prusik_knot.html
If you have a safety harness or a bosuns chair, you can use that for the waist and slings for the feet.
Also, once at the top of the mast, take along a set of "aiders" which are just short rope ladders made of wedding. See http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/product.asp/item/613109/N/0/cmpn/97952 for store made, or just make your own.
Get to the top with a bosun chair, then clip the aiders to something solid at the top of the mast. You can then climb higher using the aiders.
Be careful and make sure you have at least 2 points of safe connection.
Todd
From an old rock climber, I would suggest a set of 3 prussik knots. They work just like the top climber, but are made from loops of medium sized cord. 6-8 mm or so in diameter.
http://www.lasr.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/prusik_knot.html
If you have a safety harness or a bosuns chair, you can use that for the waist and slings for the feet.
Also, once at the top of the mast, take along a set of "aiders" which are just short rope ladders made of wedding. See http://www.mountaingear.com/pages/product/product.asp/item/613109/N/0/cmpn/97952 for store made, or just make your own.
Get to the top with a bosun chair, then clip the aiders to something solid at the top of the mast. You can then climb higher using the aiders.
Be careful and make sure you have at least 2 points of safe connection.
Todd
You can use webbing loop footstraps with any bosun's chair. If you're using the mainsail halyard to lift the chair, and have an ascender with webbing footloops attached to the line, there's no reason you couldn't just stand up in the foot loops and do the work. You'd still need a safety belt around the mast IMHO, but if your feet were to slip, you'd be caught by the safety belt and/or the bosun's chair itself.
Also, most bosun's chairs have pockets and loops for attaching tools and such, which isn't the case with the mast-mate. One of my friends, who does a lot of work on rigging for a bunch of us, has an 100' coil of 3mm line in one pocket of his bosun's chair, which can be used to retrieve tools and supplies from someone helping out on deck without having to go up and down the mast repeatedly. He's shorter than me and about 50 lbs. lighter too boot... and I'd rather haul his scrawny carcass up the mast than go myself.
If you want to use a ladder, why not just add mast steps to the mast??? Then you wouldn't have to hoist the mastmate up a halyard or worry if the mainsail were in use. Yes, mast steps are additional weight aloft, and they can catch halyards...but they're probably more useful than the mastmate is IMHO.
I'd point out that I generally recommend installing two or three mast steps up near the top of the mast as well as several near the bottom of the mast. These can come in handy for a lot of things, like using the mast top ones for getting the weight off your butt and legs when working on the mast top and the ones at the base of the mast for climbing up to get a better vantage to look for coral heads and such or working on the headboard of a lowered mainsail.
Also, most bosun's chairs have pockets and loops for attaching tools and such, which isn't the case with the mast-mate. One of my friends, who does a lot of work on rigging for a bunch of us, has an 100' coil of 3mm line in one pocket of his bosun's chair, which can be used to retrieve tools and supplies from someone helping out on deck without having to go up and down the mast repeatedly. He's shorter than me and about 50 lbs. lighter too boot... and I'd rather haul his scrawny carcass up the mast than go myself.
If you want to use a ladder, why not just add mast steps to the mast??? Then you wouldn't have to hoist the mastmate up a halyard or worry if the mainsail were in use. Yes, mast steps are additional weight aloft, and they can catch halyards...but they're probably more useful than the mastmate is IMHO.
I'd point out that I generally recommend installing two or three mast steps up near the top of the mast as well as several near the bottom of the mast. These can come in handy for a lot of things, like using the mast top ones for getting the weight off your butt and legs when working on the mast top and the ones at the base of the mast for climbing up to get a better vantage to look for coral heads and such or working on the headboard of a lowered mainsail.
I like Mine
I thought of trying to save some money and do the assenders and make some stuff but after looking at it I bought the "real thing" I am glad I did I like the way it works. I also bought a safety harness the type used in construction. As I climb up my wife pulls the halyard that is hooked to the safety harness I feel much better knowing I have much less a chance of going splattttt all over my deck (why ruin a good sailboat) I can get to the top of my mast by just standing up in the foot loops. I also feel better about not relying on someone below to safely hauling me aloft. :dance:
I thought of trying to save some money and do the assenders and make some stuff but after looking at it I bought the "real thing" I am glad I did I like the way it works. I also bought a safety harness the type used in construction. As I climb up my wife pulls the halyard that is hooked to the safety harness I feel much better knowing I have much less a chance of going splattttt all over my deck (why ruin a good sailboat) I can get to the top of my mast by just standing up in the foot loops. I also feel better about not relying on someone below to safely hauling me aloft. :dance:
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