After getting in late I accepted the help of my freind in stowing the sails. Instead of securing the Halyard to the mast, he clipped it around the front mast stay and now it has slid all the way up to the top of the mast. What is the most effecient way of getting it? My mast doesn't step down and I don't really want to invest in expensive climbing gear. Thanks, Tom
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Larry Watkins
up the mast
Tom; Welcome to sailboat ownership! Unless you have a trained monkey, someone is going up the mast, get used to it. Buy a bosun's chair, you'll need it again before long.
Tom; Welcome to sailboat ownership! Unless you have a trained monkey, someone is going up the mast, get used to it. Buy a bosun's chair, you'll need it again before long.
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hp (Gary Jensen)
Up the Mast
Tom, I'm in Alameda and have a bosun's chair. You can email me if you want to use it (sail1752@aol.com). What size boat / mast do you have? If you want to attempt it without a bosun's chair, you could make up a rescue tie (through both legs and a half hitch around your torso) and get winched up the mast. Its not very comfortable but that will work. If you do, remember to have a belay line.......Good luck Gary
Tom, I'm in Alameda and have a bosun's chair. You can email me if you want to use it (sail1752@aol.com). What size boat / mast do you have? If you want to attempt it without a bosun's chair, you could make up a rescue tie (through both legs and a half hitch around your torso) and get winched up the mast. Its not very comfortable but that will work. If you do, remember to have a belay line.......Good luck Gary
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Steve Growcock
up a pole
This sounds oh so familiar. Have you a climbing tower next to the marina to make a recovery of the halyard a bit less troublesome? Else, "the chair" is in your future. Also, you may consider a shimmy up a neighbor's mast and list your boat over a bit to connect a recovery line to the errant halyard. This sometimes works on groundings, in reverse it may work on halyards. Make sure he is a good friend! steve growcock
This sounds oh so familiar. Have you a climbing tower next to the marina to make a recovery of the halyard a bit less troublesome? Else, "the chair" is in your future. Also, you may consider a shimmy up a neighbor's mast and list your boat over a bit to connect a recovery line to the errant halyard. This sometimes works on groundings, in reverse it may work on halyards. Make sure he is a good friend! steve growcock
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mark v.
serviced the mast head latley?
the silver lining is that if you've never seen the top of your mast or spreaders nows the chance! if you get a chair bring some amalgamating/rigging tape and some lube of some sort. don't let anyone stand below you! if your not up to the task theres sure to be someone around you can negotiate the job with......welcome to yatching!
the silver lining is that if you've never seen the top of your mast or spreaders nows the chance! if you get a chair bring some amalgamating/rigging tape and some lube of some sort. don't let anyone stand below you! if your not up to the task theres sure to be someone around you can negotiate the job with......welcome to yatching!
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Greg Jones
How steady are your hands?
Tom, Before you invest in a bosun's chair or have the yard retrieve your halyard what I did when faced with a similar situation on my O'Day 26. I taped two extendable boat poles toegther with duct tape which gave me about 20 feet or so of height. To this I taped a metal coat hanger fully extended with a loop bent into the end - now I had about 23 feet of pole. I then stood on top of my boom which got me about four more feet of height added to my fully extended reach of about seven feet. After two inital attempts which found the pole swinging into the water w/o the halyerd the third attempt was a charm and I hooked the clip with the loop in the clothes hanger. Bring it down very gingerly so as not to loose it as I almost did. I was amazed at my luck and thankful I didnt have to bring it to the yard. I probably looked pretty foolish balancing on the boom with one arm wrapped around the mast and the other inching this jerry rigged contraption up the pole - but it worked! Good luck Greg Jones
Tom, Before you invest in a bosun's chair or have the yard retrieve your halyard what I did when faced with a similar situation on my O'Day 26. I taped two extendable boat poles toegther with duct tape which gave me about 20 feet or so of height. To this I taped a metal coat hanger fully extended with a loop bent into the end - now I had about 23 feet of pole. I then stood on top of my boom which got me about four more feet of height added to my fully extended reach of about seven feet. After two inital attempts which found the pole swinging into the water w/o the halyerd the third attempt was a charm and I hooked the clip with the loop in the clothes hanger. Bring it down very gingerly so as not to loose it as I almost did. I was amazed at my luck and thankful I didnt have to bring it to the yard. I probably looked pretty foolish balancing on the boom with one arm wrapped around the mast and the other inching this jerry rigged contraption up the pole - but it worked! Good luck Greg Jones
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Jack
PVC PIPE
WE used to have a series of PVC plumbing pipe with connectors at my old club. You could build a pretty lenghthy extension which had a hook taped on the end. It was good to a height of at least 40 ft. You did have to steady it by resting it against the mast but it did work and it was pretty cheap.
WE used to have a series of PVC plumbing pipe with connectors at my old club. You could build a pretty lenghthy extension which had a hook taped on the end. It was good to a height of at least 40 ft. You did have to steady it by resting it against the mast but it did work and it was pretty cheap.
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LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners
Suck it up
If you don't have a bosun's chair, it's time to invest. And I do mean "invest." It really is an essential part of your maintenance gear. You should check your rigging once a year or so and that means taking a trip to the top. You should check your spreaders, antennae connections, windvane, sheaves, etc. You never know when something is going to get stuck - usually at the worst possible moment - and you'll need a way up the mast. Suck it up
If you don't have a bosun's chair, it's time to invest. And I do mean "invest." It really is an essential part of your maintenance gear. You should check your rigging once a year or so and that means taking a trip to the top. You should check your spreaders, antennae connections, windvane, sheaves, etc. You never know when something is going to get stuck - usually at the worst possible moment - and you'll need a way up the mast. Suck it up
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Chris
We have a tradition...
at our marina. First of all, the person who ran the halyard up the mast is the one who rides the bosuns chair. Second, once he or she grabs the halyard, lower them down to the 1st spreader and tie them off while you and your other marina buddies have a beer. Lots of fun....and lessons learned.
at our marina. First of all, the person who ran the halyard up the mast is the one who rides the bosuns chair. Second, once he or she grabs the halyard, lower them down to the 1st spreader and tie them off while you and your other marina buddies have a beer. Lots of fun....and lessons learned.
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hp (gary Jensen)
task is done
Tom's halyard is back where he needs it. I lent him a bosun's chair and he had a lighter weighted person winched up the mast. The boat is a 27 Catalina, so the height wasn't a problem. The winches are small on those boats and he needed the person to pull and be winched at the same time. I had a friend try to winch me up a 35 foot Erickson two years ago and we had the same problem Toooooo much weight!!!
Tom's halyard is back where he needs it. I lent him a bosun's chair and he had a lighter weighted person winched up the mast. The boat is a 27 Catalina, so the height wasn't a problem. The winches are small on those boats and he needed the person to pull and be winched at the same time. I had a friend try to winch me up a 35 foot Erickson two years ago and we had the same problem Toooooo much weight!!!
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Tom
Thanks Gary
See, that is why I like sailboats, the sense of community. I appreciate you lending me that bosun's chair. One day I will make it up to you, or it will come around. Happy sailing, Tom
See, that is why I like sailboats, the sense of community. I appreciate you lending me that bosun's chair. One day I will make it up to you, or it will come around. Happy sailing, Tom
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