Climbing the mast the easy way?

V

Vega1447

.
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
When my Vega is tied up but still afloat I occasionally need to go to the masthead to refit wind instrument or fit spinnaker swivel block etc..Craning the mast down and back up is expensive and time consuming,.I one got a friend to winch me up in a bosun's chair (with a safety line) but that was uncomfortable for me & very hard work for the (ex)friend. :)So now I use ladders!I use the main halyard to hoist a 6 metre (approx) light alu (5kg or less) "painter's ladder" to about a metre short of the mast head. Secure the other end of halyard to a strong cleat!Then use a light (alu again) 3 metre approx folding step ladder to reach the foot of the upper 5 metre ladder.I lash the top rung of the lower ladder to the bottom rung of the upper and lash both to the mast.Then mount to top of the upper ladder and lash the top couple of rungs to the mast.So even if masthead sheave failed the upper ladder will not slide down and most of my weight in any case is passed to the lower ladder and so to the deck.Works fine for me. I can set it up in 10 minutes and now have stable platform to get to all parts of mast.is this common practice?Thanks,John V1447 Breakaway
 
T

tim_klynn

.
Feb 12, 2008
337
I have seen guys use an extension ladder hoisted up, but not a 2 ladder system.My boat came with a mast mate: Mastmate | A Skippers' First Mate is Self-Reliance , which works well and is easy to use. Tim From: "John.Kinsella@... [AlbinVega]" AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 2:28 AM Subject: [AlbinVega] Climbing the mast the easy way?




When my Vega is tied up but still afloat I occasionally need to go to the masthead to refit wind instrument or fit spinnaker swivel block etc..Craning the mast down and back up is expensive and time consuming,.I one got a friend to winch me up in a bosun's chair (with a safety line) but that was uncomfortable for me & very hard work for the (ex)friend. :)So now I use ladders!I use the main halyard to hoist a 6 metre (approx) light alu (5kg or less) "painter's ladder" to about a metre short of the mast head. Secure the other end of halyard to a strong cleat!Then use a light (alu again) 3 metre approx folding step ladder to reach the foot of the upper 5 metre ladder.I lash the top rung of the lower ladder to the bottom rung of the upper and lash both to the mast.Then mount to top of the upper ladder and lash the top couple of rungs to the mast.So even if masthead sheave failed the upper ladder will not slide down and most of my weight in any case is passed to the lower ladder and so to the deck.Works fine for me. I can set it up in 10 minutes and now have stable platform to get to all parts of mast.is this common practice?Thanks,John V1447 Breakaway






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B

btfag0s

.
Sep 13, 2002
203
I use a couple of lengths of rope with prusik knots onto a halyard. One pair of ends attaches to the bosun's chair, the other makes a pair of stirrups. Stand up, sit down a few times and you are the top of the mast in a jiffy. I also have a harness attached to a separate halyard for safety.Beats buying a couple of ascenders that are only used a couple of times and corrode at the bottom of a locker.Alisdair
 
V

Vega1447

.
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
Thanks Tim.
Obviously you aren't going to use ladders at sea so Mast Mate wins
when away from the dock.

On my berth I prefer a ladder as it gives a rigid work platform.

I suppose I also like the fact that I don't have to open the gate on
the mast and remove the mainsail slugs from the mast slot. But
that's pretty minor..

John

On 26/10/16 16:17, Tim Klynn
tim_klynn@... [AlbinVega] wrote:
 
V

Vega1447

.
Oct 19, 2019
921
Albin Vega 27 Limerick
Is that "Idiot, everyone knows that"? :)Or "Genius, if foreigners could run for POTUS you'd be a shoo-in"? :):)--
John A. Kinsella Ph: +353-61-202148 (Direct)
+353-61-333644 x 2148 (Switch)
Mathematics Dept. e-mail: John.Kinsella@...
University of Limerick FAX: +353-61-334927
IRELAND Web:

John Kinsella's Website

jkcray.maths.ul.ie jkcray.maths.ul.ie
 
P

pelagicasd

.
Jan 28, 2001
694
Prusiks are very useful. We have them on our tethers. They allow shortening of the tether to whatever length is needed. I've also used a prusik to take tension of a sheet that had an overwrap on a winch. Also used them a lot in rock-climbing as I couldn't
afford ascenders back then!From: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com on behalf of yahoo@... [AlbinVega] AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2016 3:52 PM
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Climbing the mast the easy way?




I use a couple of lengths of rope with prusik knots onto a halyard. One pair of ends attaches to the bosun's chair, the other makes a pair of stirrups. Stand up, sit down a few times and you are the top of the mast in a jiffy. I also have a harness attached
to a separate halyard for safety.Beats buying a couple of ascenders that are only used a couple of times and corrode at the bottom of a locker.Alisdair
 
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