Silly question but the anchor light on the top of my mast is burnt out. How do you operate a bosuns chair to go up and fix it?
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not silly
Better to ask first when doing something that could be dangerous if not done properly. Don't do this if you are afraid of heights or unsure of yourself. First, make sure your halyards are in good shape, not worn or frayed. Get a strong buddy (or two) and clip AND TIE the main halyard to the bosun chair. Take the tools and parts you need with you and don't drop them on your buddy or your boat. Use the jib or spinnaker halyard for a back-up line securing it at each stop along the way. Have your buddy crank you up and have the second buddy (or wife or girlfriend, but not both) tail the halyard, meaning secure it should the winch or grinder fail. Stop and rest at each set of spreaders--Hunter has conveniently provided two sets for this purpose. Make the repair and check all fittings and sheaves and lube the sheaves while your'e up there. Maybe take a camera with you for an aerial shot. Come down slowly and safely, and congratulate yourself and your buddies.
Better to ask first when doing something that could be dangerous if not done properly. Don't do this if you are afraid of heights or unsure of yourself. First, make sure your halyards are in good shape, not worn or frayed. Get a strong buddy (or two) and clip AND TIE the main halyard to the bosun chair. Take the tools and parts you need with you and don't drop them on your buddy or your boat. Use the jib or spinnaker halyard for a back-up line securing it at each stop along the way. Have your buddy crank you up and have the second buddy (or wife or girlfriend, but not both) tail the halyard, meaning secure it should the winch or grinder fail. Stop and rest at each set of spreaders--Hunter has conveniently provided two sets for this purpose. Make the repair and check all fittings and sheaves and lube the sheaves while your'e up there. Maybe take a camera with you for an aerial shot. Come down slowly and safely, and congratulate yourself and your buddies.
Good question
First, you have to buy a bosun's chair. Don't get the el cheapo version, it's uncomfortable. I wouldn't buy the most expensive one either, it's more appropriate for people who go up often. Choose a halyard that goes all the way to the top, this is usually the mainsail halyard. Shackle this halyard to the bosun's chair, load the halyard on a winch, and find someone strong enough to crank you up. Make sure you have a plan if you get an override or have other troubles with the halyard or winch. If you don't have self-tailing winches, you need someone to tail. It's dangerous for one person to crank you up without a tailer. I ALWAYS rig a second safety line. I use either the topping lift or the jib halyard. Shackle the safety line to your chair and load it on another winch or lead it to a cleat. If you have only one person helping you, they'll have to crank you up for a while, then go tighten and secure the safety line. If you have two people, then it goes faster. Before you go all the way up, practice going up a little way and then coming down. Make absolutely sure that your ground crew can get you down as well as they can get you up. This sounds like a lot of stuff to do, but I enjoy my trips up when I know that I am really safe. Help out by climbing when you can. Choose a calm day for your first ascent. Good luck and enjoy the view. Paul sv Escape Artist h336
First, you have to buy a bosun's chair. Don't get the el cheapo version, it's uncomfortable. I wouldn't buy the most expensive one either, it's more appropriate for people who go up often. Choose a halyard that goes all the way to the top, this is usually the mainsail halyard. Shackle this halyard to the bosun's chair, load the halyard on a winch, and find someone strong enough to crank you up. Make sure you have a plan if you get an override or have other troubles with the halyard or winch. If you don't have self-tailing winches, you need someone to tail. It's dangerous for one person to crank you up without a tailer. I ALWAYS rig a second safety line. I use either the topping lift or the jib halyard. Shackle the safety line to your chair and load it on another winch or lead it to a cleat. If you have only one person helping you, they'll have to crank you up for a while, then go tighten and secure the safety line. If you have two people, then it goes faster. Before you go all the way up, practice going up a little way and then coming down. Make absolutely sure that your ground crew can get you down as well as they can get you up. This sounds like a lot of stuff to do, but I enjoy my trips up when I know that I am really safe. Help out by climbing when you can. Choose a calm day for your first ascent. Good luck and enjoy the view. Paul sv Escape Artist h336
Hi Bob, I just finished a job at the top of our...
P42 mast (62 feet). I rounded up two sail boat skippers (they are familiar with sheets, winches, etc.). One hoisted me up using the main halyard and the other used the topping lift as a safety line. The bosun's chair worked great. The first order of business when they lowered me was several cold Coronas. They used the windlass electric winch to hoist me. A regular winch works, just takes longer. Terry
P42 mast (62 feet). I rounded up two sail boat skippers (they are familiar with sheets, winches, etc.). One hoisted me up using the main halyard and the other used the topping lift as a safety line. The bosun's chair worked great. The first order of business when they lowered me was several cold Coronas. They used the windlass electric winch to hoist me. A regular winch works, just takes longer. Terry
Hey Guys - Have a heart
All advice to date is good, but to ease the load on the winchers so try to CLIMB as well. Haul yourself up on spreaders and lowers. Don't just hang like a sack of potatoes. Life is hard enough as it is. Good luck and I hope you develop a head for heights.
All advice to date is good, but to ease the load on the winchers so try to CLIMB as well. Haul yourself up on spreaders and lowers. Don't just hang like a sack of potatoes. Life is hard enough as it is. Good luck and I hope you develop a head for heights.
First Trip: Find An Experienced Climber
For the first trip one should find an experienced rock/mountain climber. This would be someone who has been climbing for a while and has had training in that sport. There is so much to learn and the tidbits one picks up on a typical web site like this is the tip of the iceberg about stuff you should know about safely going up. For example, the main attachment to the bosuns chair should be a knot and not a shackle. An experienced and trained climber can explain all this and the reasons why. Climbing is a whole 'nother field and has it's own ways of doing things and doing them safely. Suggest visiting a store that is tops for selling climbing gear, check yellow pages, and talk to the salesman. Maybe suggest a trade - help with your mast climbing in exchange for going out on the boat and maybe some sailing lessons.
For the first trip one should find an experienced rock/mountain climber. This would be someone who has been climbing for a while and has had training in that sport. There is so much to learn and the tidbits one picks up on a typical web site like this is the tip of the iceberg about stuff you should know about safely going up. For example, the main attachment to the bosuns chair should be a knot and not a shackle. An experienced and trained climber can explain all this and the reasons why. Climbing is a whole 'nother field and has it's own ways of doing things and doing them safely. Suggest visiting a store that is tops for selling climbing gear, check yellow pages, and talk to the salesman. Maybe suggest a trade - help with your mast climbing in exchange for going out on the boat and maybe some sailing lessons.
IMHO there are very few similarities between...
a skilled rock/mountain climber and a person being winched up the stick for repairs. The equipment, methods, environment, purpose, to name a few, are all different. I fail to understand the rationale for becoming a skilled moutain climber before attempting to be winched up the stick. I felt perfectly safe and comfortable with the measures and preparations I made before going up. I did not hire, consult with or become a mountain climber, but I did research from this site, other skippers and books before making the attempt. Terry
a skilled rock/mountain climber and a person being winched up the stick for repairs. The equipment, methods, environment, purpose, to name a few, are all different. I fail to understand the rationale for becoming a skilled moutain climber before attempting to be winched up the stick. I felt perfectly safe and comfortable with the measures and preparations I made before going up. I did not hire, consult with or become a mountain climber, but I did research from this site, other skippers and books before making the attempt. Terry
Terry, I think John just learned some stuff
that makes the process safer. Climbers rely on their ropes, knots, anchors all the time and therefore they have developed a standard with redundancy that works, i.e. prevents falls to the ground and minimizes weak links.. The typical boater goes up 1 -2 times every few years and is likely to forget one safty step. Bosun's chair shackled to two halyards is "safe". Chair tied to 2 halyards is "safer". Chair clipped into a "climbing" harness is safer than no harness. Climbers use a "personal anchor" when they get to the top and other places. A personal anchor is redundant to the climbing rope. A climber could show the boater how to set up a personal anchor with a prussik (sp?) knot, that is superior to merely a sling around the mast (as used by telephone pole climbers) which is the norm recommended by boater publications. Also the advantage of seeking advise from a climber, it that the climber may not be able to resist going for a climb and show you how to do it by climbing the halyard,( rather than being hoisted up) which I think, if not the safest way to get up, can also greatly assist the hoisters. Scott
that makes the process safer. Climbers rely on their ropes, knots, anchors all the time and therefore they have developed a standard with redundancy that works, i.e. prevents falls to the ground and minimizes weak links.. The typical boater goes up 1 -2 times every few years and is likely to forget one safty step. Bosun's chair shackled to two halyards is "safe". Chair tied to 2 halyards is "safer". Chair clipped into a "climbing" harness is safer than no harness. Climbers use a "personal anchor" when they get to the top and other places. A personal anchor is redundant to the climbing rope. A climber could show the boater how to set up a personal anchor with a prussik (sp?) knot, that is superior to merely a sling around the mast (as used by telephone pole climbers) which is the norm recommended by boater publications. Also the advantage of seeking advise from a climber, it that the climber may not be able to resist going for a climb and show you how to do it by climbing the halyard,( rather than being hoisted up) which I think, if not the safest way to get up, can also greatly assist the hoisters. Scott
Terry - "Becoming" vs "Finding"
Didn't say anything about BECOMING a skilled rock/mountain climber, only about FINDING one who would provide some good pointers, a big difference. I see nothing wrong with this recommendation for someone who has never been up a mast before and may know nothing about safe climbing techniques. While having done rock climbing in my earlier days under the tutelage of an experienced climber I found there were valuable new things to learn recently when I went up with someone having more recent techniques. Consider also, the 29.5 is a fractionally rigged boat which can present a safety problem when the forestay is passed. The 29.5 is an older boat produced from '93 to '97 which may have an old halyard with reduced strength from damage or that has been sitting in the sun or the halyard may be a bit small for the size person going aloft. An experienced climber could help assess the situation in a detail which is unavailable here in a few posts. 'Stuff' happens. If one should err it would be best if it was on the side of safety and not learn through the road of hard knocks.
Didn't say anything about BECOMING a skilled rock/mountain climber, only about FINDING one who would provide some good pointers, a big difference. I see nothing wrong with this recommendation for someone who has never been up a mast before and may know nothing about safe climbing techniques. While having done rock climbing in my earlier days under the tutelage of an experienced climber I found there were valuable new things to learn recently when I went up with someone having more recent techniques. Consider also, the 29.5 is a fractionally rigged boat which can present a safety problem when the forestay is passed. The 29.5 is an older boat produced from '93 to '97 which may have an old halyard with reduced strength from damage or that has been sitting in the sun or the halyard may be a bit small for the size person going aloft. An experienced climber could help assess the situation in a detail which is unavailable here in a few posts. 'Stuff' happens. If one should err it would be best if it was on the side of safety and not learn through the road of hard knocks.
On belay!
I have climbed, rappelled, and done both in the open and in a dark cave-but there is nothing like the "thrill" of going up the stick! Remember, the boat heels! The higher you go the more affect (effect) your weight will have-so stay centered and ask your winch grinders to move about tenderly! Best of all, after its done you can say you did it-but do consider the beforementioned safety tips.
I have climbed, rappelled, and done both in the open and in a dark cave-but there is nothing like the "thrill" of going up the stick! Remember, the boat heels! The higher you go the more affect (effect) your weight will have-so stay centered and ask your winch grinders to move about tenderly! Best of all, after its done you can say you did it-but do consider the beforementioned safety tips.
Going up the stick
As stated in the previous posts, you can sit in the Bosun’s chair and be hauled up using the winch. You should have two people, one to operate the winch to haul you up and another one on the backup safety line. As stated in the earlier posts, check your gear and halyards before going up. If you use rope climbing equipment such as climbing harness and rope accenders/decenders to go up the mast, then all you than need is just one other person to operate the safety line as you climb. You can get rope climbing equipment at an outdoor stores such as REI. There is a company called ATN that sells a modified Bosun’s chair with rope climbing gear. I haven’t used it, so I don’t know how well they work, but it looks more comfortable going up than regular rope climbing gear. The regular rope climbing gear uses a climbing harness that straps around your chest and legs; the ATN “Top Climber” has a Bosun’s chair to sit your butt on as you rest without having the legs straps pinching your legs as you sit. The “Top Climber” cost a lot more than rock climbing equipment. The easiest option would be to pay someone to go up the stick and change the bulb. Fair Winds, Clyde
As stated in the previous posts, you can sit in the Bosun’s chair and be hauled up using the winch. You should have two people, one to operate the winch to haul you up and another one on the backup safety line. As stated in the earlier posts, check your gear and halyards before going up. If you use rope climbing equipment such as climbing harness and rope accenders/decenders to go up the mast, then all you than need is just one other person to operate the safety line as you climb. You can get rope climbing equipment at an outdoor stores such as REI. There is a company called ATN that sells a modified Bosun’s chair with rope climbing gear. I haven’t used it, so I don’t know how well they work, but it looks more comfortable going up than regular rope climbing gear. The regular rope climbing gear uses a climbing harness that straps around your chest and legs; the ATN “Top Climber” has a Bosun’s chair to sit your butt on as you rest without having the legs straps pinching your legs as you sit. The “Top Climber” cost a lot more than rock climbing equipment. The easiest option would be to pay someone to go up the stick and change the bulb. Fair Winds, Clyde
One more thing....
Remind those hoisting and letting you down that if they are not diligent, they will most likely break your fall.
Remind those hoisting and letting you down that if they are not diligent, they will most likely break your fall.
Topclimber
Since Clyde mentioned it I thought I'd chime in. I use my Topclimber regularly. Pros: Allows you to stand in the foot straps at the top so you can get over the top of the mast and see what you're working on. No way could my girlfriend haul my ass up in a remote anchorage. There have been times we couldn't have fixed problems on our own otherwise. I can go the mast with reasonable safety by myself. With the two of us she can easily belay me with a safety line. Cons: I have to do all the climbing. It helps to be in decent shape to go all the way up. Fortunately, it's comfortable so I can take breaks when I want. The trip down is almost as strenous as the trip up, but hey, it doesn't hurt to burn a few calories. I will use a bosun's chair but I like the Topclimber because it puts my safety exclusively in my hands.
Since Clyde mentioned it I thought I'd chime in. I use my Topclimber regularly. Pros: Allows you to stand in the foot straps at the top so you can get over the top of the mast and see what you're working on. No way could my girlfriend haul my ass up in a remote anchorage. There have been times we couldn't have fixed problems on our own otherwise. I can go the mast with reasonable safety by myself. With the two of us she can easily belay me with a safety line. Cons: I have to do all the climbing. It helps to be in decent shape to go all the way up. Fortunately, it's comfortable so I can take breaks when I want. The trip down is almost as strenous as the trip up, but hey, it doesn't hurt to burn a few calories. I will use a bosun's chair but I like the Topclimber because it puts my safety exclusively in my hands.
Second vote for the Topclimber
I've used the ATN Topclimber for the past 5 years or so. I agree with Rick on all of the pros and cons. The climb isn't too bad if you remember to bring all of your tools the "first" time up. Bill Bell S/V Bella
I've used the ATN Topclimber for the past 5 years or so. I agree with Rick on all of the pros and cons. The climb isn't too bad if you remember to bring all of your tools the "first" time up. Bill Bell S/V Bella
Question regrading Topclimber?
How do yo handle working on/inspecting out on the end of the spreaders. Say you are inspection the shrouds. If you are climbing the Mainsheet do you have a lot of slack in it so you can swing out?
How do yo handle working on/inspecting out on the end of the spreaders. Say you are inspection the shrouds. If you are climbing the Mainsheet do you have a lot of slack in it so you can swing out?
All tools not needed
I too use an ATN TopClimber, but have found that I can leave many tools on deck in a closed bag tethered to a line that I bring with me. If it turns out I need a tool from that bag, I simply haul up on the line, or if someone is on deck, I have them clip the tool I need to the line, and I haul up only that tool. Before coming down, I lower the tools to the deck. In this way, I only have to worry about hauling myself up or down the main line. BTW, that line can also be use to haul up any parts that may be needed. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
I too use an ATN TopClimber, but have found that I can leave many tools on deck in a closed bag tethered to a line that I bring with me. If it turns out I need a tool from that bag, I simply haul up on the line, or if someone is on deck, I have them clip the tool I need to the line, and I haul up only that tool. Before coming down, I lower the tools to the deck. In this way, I only have to worry about hauling myself up or down the main line. BTW, that line can also be use to haul up any parts that may be needed. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
To work on spreaders ...
I usually have someone on deck ready to move the climbing line to a position that will allow me to "swing" over to the spreaders. Once I have a hold on the spreader, I clip myself to one of the standing rigging cables. When done, I unclip and swing back to the mast, then have the deck person reset the climbing line. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
I usually have someone on deck ready to move the climbing line to a position that will allow me to "swing" over to the spreaders. Once I have a hold on the spreader, I clip myself to one of the standing rigging cables. When done, I unclip and swing back to the mast, then have the deck person reset the climbing line. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
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