Mast Climbing on a 22' Boat

[tager]

Have children. Trust me you won't think twice about sending them up a mast, they live for danger.

[Sailbad]

Using a bridge or pier has already been suggested and I have used a tree to good effect.
The other way is to beach the boat if the tides are enough to allow it. That brings the masthead closer - even to use a boat hook to get the halyard if you are vertically challenged!

[tager]

I would just climb it, honestly, worst case scenario you go down slowly and get wet.

[CDunc]

I also would add that if you go up you will know and have confidence in your boat, what are you going to do when you have a like problem in some secluded place? and your main is stuck up there?

[New Swab]

Everyone, thanks for the advice and encouragement.


I ended up taking down the mast and making the repair. This was a reinforcement of a lesson I thought I had learned long ago. Don't trust “experts” simply because they are being paid and say they have the experience and know how. If you think about how things should go, and you think things arn't right, and your gut is giving you a bad feeling, go with your gut! To make a long story short, the rigging “experts” I hired dropped the mast on me! My right side got fairly banged up, but no damage to the boat or mast. It would have been far worse if they hadn't followed the suggestions I'd given. After that, I took charge and directed EXACTLY how it would go back up. We laid everything out and under my direction, she was back up and rigged tight in less than 5 min just as easy as pie. Now they want me to help them out when they work on other boats!


When in doubt, remember it's your boat and you've got to be comfortable with whats being done.


I still want to get (more like borrow) a top climber and see how it would be to go up. However, I want to do this with nothing wrong with the boat, out in the bay a little and with another boat and people standing by to help if needed.


I agree with you Cdunc that I would like to be able to do this when the need arises. But that is something to do a little more controlled and that being the only thing that needs to happen.


I have to disagree with Tager though. I was in a marina. Honestly, one of the best things that could have happened was coming down slowly and getting wet. The worse was coming down into the mast of another boat, falling on another boat or the dock, rolling the keel of my boat under the dock (causing unknown damage to both) and having to deal with the ramification of all of that. Also, the idea of coming down, maybe not so slowly, into the water while strapped into a restraint isn't a pleasant thought.


I would rather tackle the whole going up thing in a little more controlled manner.


Again, thanks to everyone!

[boden36]

Get a length of plastic electrical conduit of say 3/4 dia. Attach one end to a spare sail slide, and work it up the track to to the top of the mast. With some fiddling, and perhaps a cobbled up V piece attached to the top of the conduit, you may be able to lift the halyard back onto the sheave. Then modify the setup ( thicker halyard?) so it won't happen again.
Regards,
Richard.

[Mark1977]

Welcome aboard cf........

[hard aground]

I have to admit I'm surprised no one suggested tying up beside a bigger boat and going up their mast high enough and reaching over to the top of yours and straightening everything out. It is really easy. Good to hear you did get everyting sorted out though. When you are going to practice mast climbing do it at the dock, it's much safer there. Be friend a couple big stong guys too.

[CDunc]

Good job!