Mast Mate

Sailm8 · Jun 2, 2009

Several of us went together and bought a mast mate. We love it. We do have someone tail us up in a bosun's chair as a safety. By using an assortment of slugs we can fit it to most masts. The best part is being able to stand above the top of the mast and use your legs to apply leverage. No swinging around in a chair.

Ther is some comfort in having your own fate in your hands rather than the folks on the ground. It is very easy to use and very well made.

seadaddler · Jun 2, 2009

Like it

I did use the maste mate on my 29 hunter with great success,you can do it all all by yourself with out help and the safety belt with bag to carry tools and what not.
Nick

Blitz · Jun 2, 2009

I like Mast Mate but it could be hard on the legs if you plan on spending any time up there. So I agree with the others who indicate they use it in conjunction with a chair for confort once you reach the point in which you want. Using the chair also frees up your hands some due to the comfort level (with mast mate I find that you tend to hold on for dear life a little more than a chair - maybe this is just me)

Alan · Jun 2, 2009

I used it several times and never liked it. I then went to a pair of Petzl ascenders and climbing harness. Using the main halyard I hoist a dedicated climbing rope to the masthead and 'walk up; the rope with the ascenders. Real easy and very safe. With a quality harness on falling is never an option.

cbsailor · Jun 2, 2009

Mast Mate Opinions

As I have posted in previous threads, there are pros and cons to every ladder, climber, boson's chair for servicing mast problems. You're sure to get lots of varying opinions on this subject and you will find several instances in the archives. As others have stated, a combination of a harness and/or a boson's chair along with the Mast Mate can usually cover any situation or area of the mast you need to service plus address safety issues.

The Mast Mate excels in situations when you do not have sufficient help to crank and tail a bosun chair. I also like the fact that there are no additional holes in the mast for steps and addage windage effects.

I cruise with the wife, who cannot raise me in the boson chair and refuses to go aloft, so I am very pleased with my choice of the Mast Mate and what I have been able to accomplish with it. Once I got the hang of the "climbing rhythm" trips up and down became fairly easy. I once made 6 trips up and down the mast over a couple of days while I replaced the mast head sheaves, anchor light and VHF antenna. Everything was done solo and at age 62, I was quite proud of the accomplishment.

Back at home from our FL cruise, one of the first comments from club members was a request to borrow the Mast Mate. It's been used by three other boaters already this spring. If you do buy one, don't be surprised to get requests to borrow it, even from those who poo-pooed it in the beginning.

Scott T-Bird · Jun 2, 2009

Alan ... hoisting dedicated climbing rope?

Do you use a knot to attach the end of the halyard to the end of the climbing rope or do you have a shackle attached to the climbing rope to attach to the shackle at the end of the halyard?

sailingdog · Jun 2, 2009

I'd second using a climbing harness and ascenders... much safer than using the MastMate.

DannyS · Jun 2, 2009

I went with the ascenders/climbing harness route as well and finally had a chance this past weekend to use them. I also wore my body harness with a strap around the mast so I could lay back on the harness for leverage while drilling holes for some new hardware up high. It worked great. I'll tweak my system as needed but the beauty of it is that you have the ability to stand up and be at least eye level if not higher than eye level to the top of the mast.

DannyS · Jun 2, 2009

Here's what I have...
Two ascenders, one right and one left http://www.rei.com/product/782459 $140 for both.
Four or five climbing grade caribeners, at least one of which should be a locking style $35.
Climbing harness $40-120.
Webbing to make footloops $25.
Dedicated climbing line is optimal, but not required.
The ascenders are attached to the halyard one above the other,or climbing rope which is cleated off so it is a static line. The top ascender is attached to your harness via webbing and two caribeners. The lower ascender is attached to the webbing footloops with two caribeners. Put your feet into the loopswhile standing on the deck, with everything attached, slide the upper ascender up as far as you can (this is where you'll have to play with the length of the webbing to get it right) then sit and pull your legs up while you slide the lower ascender up. Stand up on the footloops and slide the upper ascender up, repeat and inchworm your way up. It takes a little getting used to the routine and going up is quite a bit easier than coming down. As I said before, I used a body harness with a strap around the mast to keep me close to the mast. I also has a backup halyard and a friend belaying me on deck. You can't have too many redundancies here.
Clear as mud?

DannyS · Jun 2, 2009

FYI, on the ascenders in the REI link, the caribeners are attached to the TOP of the ascender. The caribener goes through the hole which, in turn keeps the halyard or climbing line captured in the cam mechanism. If you attach the caribener to the bottom, you run the risk of having the rope slip out while sliding up or down. This is very important!

Keith13315 · Jun 2, 2009

ATN Top climber

I bought the ATN top climber and like it a lot it's $3XX.00 depending on where you get it and it is complete. I bought a body harness and my wife controls that line while I climb it goes well . Except I bought a dedicated static line I attach to the Main Halyard.

DannyS · Jun 3, 2009

a couple of photos

Here are a couple of shots from the past weekend. In the closeup, you can get an idea of the setup.

Steve Christensen · Jun 3, 2009

Not a fan of the Mast Mate

As I've written before ( http://www.boatus.com/goodoldboat/upthemast.asp ) I am not really a fan of the Mast Mate, as I found the lack of security a bit terrifying. Note that it also doesn't work if you have any type of a batten car track mounted on your boat, such as the Harken system.

It can be useful if you combine it with a bosun's chair for use while aloft, but for most folks I would recommend a top climbing like arrangement instead - either the commercial ATN, or one you put together yourself.

Steve Christensen

Steve Christensen · Jun 3, 2009

BobM said:
Hmmm...ascenders sound like the way to go, but just to be clear...I don't have to pull myself up with my arms?...I have nasty tennis elbow at the moment in my left arm (that may require surgery after the sailing season) and can't hack pulling my body weight up right now.

Thanks!

Bob

It depends on how your arrange your rig. The ATN Topclimber is essentially just a bosun's chair attached to a static line with one ascender. To climb you position a pair of loops or stirrups attached to tjhat same static line with a second ascender, and then stand up in the loops. You then slide the ascender you are attached to up the static line, sit down in the now-higher chair, slide the stirrups up, stand up in them, slide the upper ascender up, and repeat the inch worm like process. It does take some strength to balance, but you are not using arm strength to ascend, but rather length strength.

DannyS · Jun 3, 2009

The ATN Topclimber and the ascender rig are essentially the same thing. Rather than a bosuns chair to sit in (ATN) you use the climbing harness to sit in. Neither of which use arm strength to haul yourself up, either going up the line or having someone grind you up via a winch. That's the beauty of these systems, they both use leg strength to haul up and arms to balance.

MacMikey · Jun 3, 2009

I may be missing something here, but it seems to me that the best arrangement here for normal planned maintenance would be to hire a kid out of shop class and host his butt up there in a bosun's chair.

Understand that I am speaking to us sailors topping out the 60's scale.

I did a lot of skydiving when I was in my 20's but was always affraid of heights....I still am.

Plan B.....park next to a tall bridge and work from the bridge...

Mast Mate

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