I need to do some work up the mast and need a way to get up without help. I can't get to the boat on the weekends when others are around to hoist me up. I do all my sailing during the week when most others are at work. So..... I know there are products out there designed for my needs but don't know where to start to look. Any advice on what is working for some of you would be greatly appreciated. BTW: I'm 6'1" tall and weigh 195 lbs. Thanks, Joe Mullee
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Tim Welsh
Rappelling Equipment
A friend of mine has some climing equipment that he shimmys up one of the halyards with. Go to you local hiking store and ask about climing equipment that you use with ropes. Don't know the technical name for the equipment. Tim Welsh H34 AKA Cabo Wabo
A friend of mine has some climing equipment that he shimmys up one of the halyards with. Go to you local hiking store and ask about climing equipment that you use with ropes. Don't know the technical name for the equipment. Tim Welsh H34 AKA Cabo Wabo
Top Climber
ATN makes a product called the Top Climber. It allows a user to get themselves up and down the mast without help. Some people love them and seem to be able to get up and down without serious issues. Others hate them as they found them very difficult to use. I suggest you check the archives for Top Climber to get all the varying opinions. I'm sure you will find a lot of information on them. I see them on eBay every once in a while at about $100 cheaper than retail. BTW - I have recently acquired one. I haven't used it to get up and down my mast as my boat is still on the hard. However, I did use it to get up and down a forty foot rope attached to a tree in my backyard. Once I got the knack, it didn't seem too difficult (I'm 5'11", 200 lbs, 49, and reasonably athletic). Dave S/V Benediction
ATN makes a product called the Top Climber. It allows a user to get themselves up and down the mast without help. Some people love them and seem to be able to get up and down without serious issues. Others hate them as they found them very difficult to use. I suggest you check the archives for Top Climber to get all the varying opinions. I'm sure you will find a lot of information on them. I see them on eBay every once in a while at about $100 cheaper than retail. BTW - I have recently acquired one. I haven't used it to get up and down my mast as my boat is still on the hard. However, I did use it to get up and down a forty foot rope attached to a tree in my backyard. Once I got the knack, it didn't seem too difficult (I'm 5'11", 200 lbs, 49, and reasonably athletic). Dave S/V Benediction
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Tom s/v GAIA
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Richard
4:1 block and tackle..
with 5/8" (or better) so it's comfortable in your hand and 3 strand so it won't slip thru your hand as easily.
with 5/8" (or better) so it's comfortable in your hand and 3 strand so it won't slip thru your hand as easily.
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nick maggio
Mast Mate.com
Check it out Ithink its the best set up and safe to use by yourself,I will be using mine hopefully this weekend. nick
Check it out Ithink its the best set up and safe to use by yourself,I will be using mine hopefully this weekend. nick
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Daryl
Top Climber ....
works great but is a bit over priced at $300. I'm your size and get up the 45' stick no problem by myself. Each time I use it I get a bit faster. I also own a mast ladder which is a hazard so it will be on ebay soon
works great but is a bit over priced at $300. I'm your size and get up the 45' stick no problem by myself. Each time I use it I get a bit faster. I also own a mast ladder which is a hazard so it will be on ebay soon
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Chris Burti
Actually, it doesn't have to involve ...
expensive equipment. First, a warning, it is not real smart to go up the stick alone for safety reasons. That said, I've done it. But then, who said I was very smart? Here is a link to a site that demonstrates climbing knots. The Prusik loop is used in pairs, one for your feet and one for your hands. You stand pushing the hand knot up. Then pull the foot knot up. Takes a bit of practice. You will want to practice descending before you get too high. It also takes a bit of athleticism. The difficult part is securing a second halyard as a safety line without getting tangled up.
expensive equipment. First, a warning, it is not real smart to go up the stick alone for safety reasons. That said, I've done it. But then, who said I was very smart? Here is a link to a site that demonstrates climbing knots. The Prusik loop is used in pairs, one for your feet and one for your hands. You stand pushing the hand knot up. Then pull the foot knot up. Takes a bit of practice. You will want to practice descending before you get too high. It also takes a bit of athleticism. The difficult part is securing a second halyard as a safety line without getting tangled up.
Joe, I see a used Top Climber being sold...
...on the SSCA website if you're interested. It's in the Marine Flea Market section. FWIW I've done the block & tackle thing for many years, recently switched to a Top Climber and generally find it much easier. Jack
...on the SSCA website if you're interested. It's in the Marine Flea Market section. FWIW I've done the block & tackle thing for many years, recently switched to a Top Climber and generally find it much easier. Jack
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Joe Mullee
Jack Tyler, Can't Find The Link
Jack, Thanks for the info but I can't find the link to "Marine Flea Market". Can you help me out? Thanks, Joe
Jack, Thanks for the info but I can't find the link to "Marine Flea Market". Can you help me out? Thanks, Joe
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Joe Mullee
climbing options
I've used the TopClimber with great success. Takes a while to rig it and climb but it's comfortable and works well. Have also used MastMate with equal success - a little easier to rig, faster to climb, but not nowhere to sit if you need a rest.
I've used the TopClimber with great success. Takes a while to rig it and climb but it's comfortable and works well. Have also used MastMate with equal success - a little easier to rig, faster to climb, but not nowhere to sit if you need a rest.
Going aloft with climbing gear
Chris has the right idea, although I'd recommend using three prussiks, two for your feet and one for your harness. The line used for the prussiks needs to be sized to the line your climbing (in this case, the main halyard), generally, the prussik line will be one half to two thirds the diameter of the line to be climbed. It does take a bit of practice to get good at climbing this way, if there is a rock climbing gym in your area you may want to go over there and practice for a few hours with a spotter to top rope belay you in case you have any problems. Also, I'd make sure to have a proper harness, with both a seat and chest harness to prevent 'going inverted' in case of a fall. Check out the harness systems from 'Black Diamond' they are good quality and my personal choice. It's also a good idea to wear a helmet. If you do have a rock gym in the area, they should also have a pretty good selection of gear and enough 'rockheads' hanging around to help you get what you'll need to do the job safely. Ask them to show you a pair of 'ascenders' which is basically a form of jam cleat that replaces the prussiks. You may also want to look at a variety of self-belay devices. Whatever you choose, get some professional instruction and practice before you start, a fall from even 20' can have devastating effects! BTW, for what it's worth, I'm a certified Cliff Rescue Technician for El Dorado Search and Rescue and have been a climber for over 20 years Jeff
Chris has the right idea, although I'd recommend using three prussiks, two for your feet and one for your harness. The line used for the prussiks needs to be sized to the line your climbing (in this case, the main halyard), generally, the prussik line will be one half to two thirds the diameter of the line to be climbed. It does take a bit of practice to get good at climbing this way, if there is a rock climbing gym in your area you may want to go over there and practice for a few hours with a spotter to top rope belay you in case you have any problems. Also, I'd make sure to have a proper harness, with both a seat and chest harness to prevent 'going inverted' in case of a fall. Check out the harness systems from 'Black Diamond' they are good quality and my personal choice. It's also a good idea to wear a helmet. If you do have a rock gym in the area, they should also have a pretty good selection of gear and enough 'rockheads' hanging around to help you get what you'll need to do the job safely. Ask them to show you a pair of 'ascenders' which is basically a form of jam cleat that replaces the prussiks. You may also want to look at a variety of self-belay devices. Whatever you choose, get some professional instruction and practice before you start, a fall from even 20' can have devastating effects! BTW, for what it's worth, I'm a certified Cliff Rescue Technician for El Dorado Search and Rescue and have been a climber for over 20 years Jeff
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nick maggio
Went up my mast mate today
I found the mast mate to set up very easy and also easy to climb up the mast. It was very windy today and so I did not stay up long also because the marina was not happy with me going up the mast with so much wind while the boat was on the hard on jack stands. I guess I'll wait for less of a windy day or wait for it to go in the water. I did get the mast mate with with the safety belt and will use the jib halyard for safety also. nick
I found the mast mate to set up very easy and also easy to climb up the mast. It was very windy today and so I did not stay up long also because the marina was not happy with me going up the mast with so much wind while the boat was on the hard on jack stands. I guess I'll wait for less of a windy day or wait for it to go in the water. I did get the mast mate with with the safety belt and will use the jib halyard for safety also. nick
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Joe Mullee
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nick maggio
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Chris Burti
Going aloft with climbing gear
I have no argument with Jeff's points, but having used the knots to climb a stick, I do have a slightly different preference. A good bosun's chair is more comfortable than a harness when working aloft and when properly belayed to your safety line is a good substitute for a climbing harness. You can use a single prusik with two loops for the feet and it is a bit simpler than two knots.
I have no argument with Jeff's points, but having used the knots to climb a stick, I do have a slightly different preference. A good bosun's chair is more comfortable than a harness when working aloft and when properly belayed to your safety line is a good substitute for a climbing harness. You can use a single prusik with two loops for the feet and it is a bit simpler than two knots.
I wasn't suggesting NOT using a bosuns chair...
Hey Chris-you're absolutely right, a bosuns chair is definitely needed if you're gonna be uo there for more than just a few minutes. What I was suggesting is that you have a full harness on for safety's sake, the chair is for comfort. Also, sitting in a fall harness for very long is not only real uncomfortable, but can also lead to numbness in the legs, due to the harness straps impeding blood circulation. We've rescued stuck climbers who were completely unable to move their legs because they had been hanging in the harness for so long that their legs had 'gone to sleep'. In these cases, the first thing you have to do is get them into a litter and get the pressure off of the harness so that blood flow can resume before complications set in. That's why, if I had to go up a mast without assistance from the ground, I'd also want some way to 'self-rescue' in case something went wrong. A second line and a rappel ring could come in mighty handy if you have to get down in a hurry!
Hey Chris-you're absolutely right, a bosuns chair is definitely needed if you're gonna be uo there for more than just a few minutes. What I was suggesting is that you have a full harness on for safety's sake, the chair is for comfort. Also, sitting in a fall harness for very long is not only real uncomfortable, but can also lead to numbness in the legs, due to the harness straps impeding blood circulation. We've rescued stuck climbers who were completely unable to move their legs because they had been hanging in the harness for so long that their legs had 'gone to sleep'. In these cases, the first thing you have to do is get them into a litter and get the pressure off of the harness so that blood flow can resume before complications set in. That's why, if I had to go up a mast without assistance from the ground, I'd also want some way to 'self-rescue' in case something went wrong. A second line and a rappel ring could come in mighty handy if you have to get down in a hurry!
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