Mast Climbing

[Boracay]

I am contemplating folding mast steps for Boracay.

How would they go combined, say, with a climbers harness for extra safety?

Would they weaken the mast significantly?

[Lancerbye]

Boracay
That's what I use. 38 of them. Two side by side 36 in. from the top of the mast as a standing platform. I use a climbing harness with a safety slip knot tied to a spare tightened halyard running from the mast plate. I spaced them 20 in apart staggered. A bit of a stretch but good exercise. I am 65 and go up at least once a day for inspection( actually more for excersise ) I love the view from the top.

[Hud3]

I've found the Klemheist climbing knot to be a good choice for attaching to the safety halyard. I tested it close to the deck, and it holds my weight without slipping, but is easy to slide up as I climb my Mast Mate steps. I use it with a climbing harness. I find a bosun's chair to be an exquisite instrument of torture.

[Lancerbye]

I use the Prusik knot, same idea.

[GordMay]

I’ve always used - and highly recommend - the “Triple Sliding Hitch”, which requires adding a third turn.

See also:
Prusik Knot described under Basic Roped Rescue Knots:
http://www.rescueresponse.com/html/n...technique.html
and:
Transferring a Load from Belayer to Anchor via a Prusik Sling
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca/article...nterTieOff.pdf

See also:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ety-15514.html

and my favorite 'knot' site:
“Animated Knots by Grog”
Animated Knots by Grog

[Lancerbye]

Yes. That is the one I use tied to my safety harness, moving it up and down the tight halyard as I climb using the mast steps. Works great. Thanks for those sites Gord.

[searcher]

All this info is very interesting, that you for your input everyone......Paulo NZ

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

I have used my Top Climber a couple of times when no one else was around. My preferred method is to be hoisted up in a bosun's chair by the topping lift run to the anchor windlass. Unlike Peter O (roverhi), I don't climb the mast just to look around or take pictures. The Top Climber only allows the user to rise about 6 inches (0.2 meters) with each cycle of the device. My mast is 65 feet high so getting to the top requires way more cycles than I am willing to do just for pictures.

[starfish62]

I use this caving gear with a Harken bosun's chair. Very efficient up & down, and very comfortable if I have to spend some time up the stick. The croll just rides up the line while ascending and is an extra safety, and with this system the ascender and the croll are always engaged. It just feels safe. Plus you can get above the top of the stick to play with the whirlybirds & sheaves & stuff. I haven't used the ATN, so can't comment on it, but I think this is probably quite a bit cheaper.

Petzl Frog Ascending System - Use coupon code KS97X4 for 10% off your order

PS: Nothing personal Gord, but Hud's knot is way cooler looking.

[Cap]

Hi All,

I've got a question regarding reaching the top on a in-mast furling system. What is the best product to use, and does it work?

Thanks...Jeff

[svstrider]

When using the Top Climber, how tight must the line you are using to ascend on have to be. I have found that unless the climbing rope is VERY tight, I end up wasting a lot of effort as when I use my legs to push up, the line & legs just go sideways. Am I doing something wrong. On my previous boat I was worried that I was putting too much downwards pressure on the mast as I had to have the climbing rope so tight.
Suggestions/ experience?

[roverhi]

The rope needs to well tensioned or you waste a lot of energy overcoming stretch in the rope. You can't put too much tension on the line with normal halyard winches. Think how much tension you put on the main or jib halyard getting the scalloping out of the luff when the wind pipes up.

I switched from StaSet X main halyard to one of the new super low stretch lines and it made using the Top Climber a lot better.

[theonecalledtom]

Originally Posted by roger.waite

I went that way as well ... very comfortable, very safe.

I went the way of a bosun's chair and pair of ascenders but hit this thread while looking for alternatives. My feelings:

• Bosuns chair is not secure, especially when standing at the top of the mast or swinging out to spreader tips
• While able to operate this on my own I felt I wanted someone with a safety line on a winch
• While reasonably fit I'm not a climber and on the third ascent in a row my operation of the ascenders was getting pretty ragged
• Modern climbing equipment must offer something more practical

So I'm now shopping for something more secure.

Looking at the ladder type solutions they look okay for at the dock but I want something I can operate, solo, at sea. They also look like they are aimed at the mast and access to spreader tips would be trickier.

[Jon Neely]

We have a top climber and it works fairly well. I think of myself as a fairly fit limber guy but I will have a sweet brewing by the time I get to the top of my 41' mast. Usually takes me about 10 minutes to do. Yesterday we replaced the outer shrouds and we ended up using the windlass after the first trip, just not enough energy to make three more trips. Old boat had folding steps and I miss them dearly. It was a breeze climbing the mast. When we get to Cali and drop the mast, I'll be installing steps, most likely capehorns.

[susswein]

As a rock climber I've been apalled at the high price and poor design of every mast climbing system I've seen. For about $150 you can put together a much better system using components bought from any climbing gear shop.

Specifically:

1) The key to ascending efficiently is fine tuning the lengths of the tethers that go to each of the ascenders. Most commercial mast climbing systems use fixed length tethers.

2) There's no good reason to use ascenders to go back down. It's time consuming, dangerous, and tiring. Using an autolock belay device in place of the upper ascender (the one attached to your harness) allows you to easily rappel back down the rope.