I am interested in any and all feed back regarding the "Top Clinber" system for going up the mast. Thanks, Jeff
Top Climber ?
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It works
I have one and it works. Not as easily as the ads lead you to believe, but you can get to the top yourself. You can also put together a similar kit using climbing gear for less money and get better gear.
I have one and it works. Not as easily as the ads lead you to believe, but you can get to the top yourself. You can also put together a similar kit using climbing gear for less money and get better gear.
Easy
Jeff - A friend used it last weekend on my boat - it's an excellent system in that you can get on top of the mast by yourself and not rely on someone wiching you up. I too agree that you can visit REI.Com and buy the gear for a much lower price - 2 ascenders should cost you 75 - 100$. You'll also need a harness and - figure another 45 - 60$ for entry level.
Jeff - A friend used it last weekend on my boat - it's an excellent system in that you can get on top of the mast by yourself and not rely on someone wiching you up. I too agree that you can visit REI.Com and buy the gear for a much lower price - 2 ascenders should cost you 75 - 100$. You'll also need a harness and - figure another 45 - 60$ for entry level.
Look at the video
The top climber is made by ATN inc, their site can be found at www.atninc.com. As I remember there is a video of the chair being used. I have their tack and snuffer for my A sail.
The top climber is made by ATN inc, their site can be found at www.atninc.com. As I remember there is a video of the chair being used. I have their tack and snuffer for my A sail.
I use assenders and a three part tackle, with a
climbers harness. The assenders are on the fall and clipped onto my harness. I pull a lot of line but the force of the fall is only about 40 pounds and that also lightens the load on the tackle until I stop pulling.
climbers harness. The assenders are on the fall and clipped onto my harness. I pull a lot of line but the force of the fall is only about 40 pounds and that also lightens the load on the tackle until I stop pulling.
I bought a Top Climber at the Oakland Boat Show
from Etienne himself, after trying it out on his test setup. It works fine, although the motion takes a little getting used to. I knew I needed something after winching my oldest son up the mast in a bosun's chair. Feeling the strain on the winch, hearing the creaking and groaning of the tackle and watching him pulling on the spreaders and intermediate stays made me realize that there was NO WAY my wife could ever get ME up the mast. I also agree that it's more expensive than a 'do it yourself' setup, but consider that the Top Climber is a PROVEN concept in use by at least several thousand sailors around the world. If you're confident that you can design and implement your own mast climber, go for it..... but for the rest of us, myself included, it makes sense to go with something that has been proven to work. Cheers, BobW
from Etienne himself, after trying it out on his test setup. It works fine, although the motion takes a little getting used to. I knew I needed something after winching my oldest son up the mast in a bosun's chair. Feeling the strain on the winch, hearing the creaking and groaning of the tackle and watching him pulling on the spreaders and intermediate stays made me realize that there was NO WAY my wife could ever get ME up the mast. I also agree that it's more expensive than a 'do it yourself' setup, but consider that the Top Climber is a PROVEN concept in use by at least several thousand sailors around the world. If you're confident that you can design and implement your own mast climber, go for it..... but for the rest of us, myself included, it makes sense to go with something that has been proven to work. Cheers, BobW
A Good investment!
The ATN top climber is probably one of the best investments that I have made and I have definitely got my money's worth from the many times I have used it. Personally, I think it's very easy to use. I go up and down my 35' mast with no trouble at all and I weigh in at 215lbs. I've read many times how much cheaper you could make one yourself , but I decided to go with the real deal and I have no regrets. Good luck and fair winds!!
The ATN top climber is probably one of the best investments that I have made and I have definitely got my money's worth from the many times I have used it. Personally, I think it's very easy to use. I go up and down my 35' mast with no trouble at all and I weigh in at 215lbs. I've read many times how much cheaper you could make one yourself , but I decided to go with the real deal and I have no regrets. Good luck and fair winds!!
REI climbing gear is not inferior to TC
It is much better, just not as expensive. I use a regular rock climbing harness which is impossible to fall out of in any position. I have two ascenders, one attached to my harness and the other attached to a "rope ladder" used by rock climbers. The ladder has flat nylon tubing with stiffeners to keep the loops open. I have rappelling hardware connected to my harness for coming back down in a hurry. I also bought 100 ft of rope designed for ascenders (low stretch and abrasion resistant. I tied a figure eight knot on the bight halfway along the length and raise this to the top of the mast with my main halyard. The rappelling hardware is one one side and the rope ladder is on the other. The extra acender attached to my harness is just back-up in case my main halyard were to break (fat chance). The back-up ascender is on my spinnaker halyard and I just slide it up as I climb. The fun part is definetly the way down. It's worth the climb just to rappell back down the mast fast as you dare from freefall to a snail's pace. For this short trip down I release the other two peices of hardware and depend soley on the rappelling hardware.
It is much better, just not as expensive. I use a regular rock climbing harness which is impossible to fall out of in any position. I have two ascenders, one attached to my harness and the other attached to a "rope ladder" used by rock climbers. The ladder has flat nylon tubing with stiffeners to keep the loops open. I have rappelling hardware connected to my harness for coming back down in a hurry. I also bought 100 ft of rope designed for ascenders (low stretch and abrasion resistant. I tied a figure eight knot on the bight halfway along the length and raise this to the top of the mast with my main halyard. The rappelling hardware is one one side and the rope ladder is on the other. The extra acender attached to my harness is just back-up in case my main halyard were to break (fat chance). The back-up ascender is on my spinnaker halyard and I just slide it up as I climb. The fun part is definetly the way down. It's worth the climb just to rappell back down the mast fast as you dare from freefall to a snail's pace. For this short trip down I release the other two peices of hardware and depend soley on the rappelling hardware.
I bought one 3 years ago.....
..after all, you are not a real sailer until you climb the mast. Set it up, ready to go up...got a little scared so I poured a glass of wine to ease the nerves. Got more scared...wife and son watching...tried to get them to go up. They laughed at me. Had to return the unit...WM very understanding. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am scared of heights. abe
..after all, you are not a real sailer until you climb the mast. Set it up, ready to go up...got a little scared so I poured a glass of wine to ease the nerves. Got more scared...wife and son watching...tried to get them to go up. They laughed at me. Had to return the unit...WM very understanding. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am scared of heights. abe
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