Climb mast - no ropes!

[Cracassis]

Maybe you lean against another sailboat's side and climb up his mast pulling up your mast to do the job at the top (português Google Translate)

ps.:Sorry, another similar answer had already been given

[StoneCrab]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

I don't know if you have seen your mast head close up, but there are 4 sheaves for the two factory halyards. The two sheaves for a single halyard are separated by a good 6 inches along the fore-aft axis of the boat. While there are cheek plates to keep lines on the sheaves (athwartships guidance), there is nothing to stop a rope inserted in the back/front of the mast from only going over one sheave and then down into the mast. I used a fid to thread my halyards back over the two sheaves

I use coat hanger, welding rod or fiberglass driveway markers to go over the sheaves. Stick the rod through, tape on the halyard, withdraw the rod, pulling the halyard through with it.

You can also use paracord as pulling line, which is easier to handle.

[Leee]

You could also determine the approximate height from masthead to bottom of your keel and bring your boat to a dock or pier at which the depth of water is a few feet less than that measurement. Sink your boat, keeping a line on the mast above the spreaders, lay a long plank on the dock and out over the edge to the mast. Have one of your weightier friends stand on the land end, walk out on the other end and work from there. About as practical as some of the more humorous suggestions I've enjoyed reading here. Fortunately there have been a number of excellent and practical solutions as well.



Yes, I am aware that this is not in the least bit helpful but still...

[wing15601]

Last time I climbed my mast, well, I didn’t. I’m 76 now and am limited in my ambition. I hired a rigger, paid him $150.00 and sat in the cockpit with a cigar and Woodford Reserve while he installed my new wind vane. If you haven’t done it before you must realize it’s a lot higher at the top looking down than at the bottom looking up. A lot. In your present case, your safety is compromised by the lack of lines. Hire a pro and avoid the ER. Or morgue.

[Big Ed]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I'll look into doing this. My brother is a rock climber, I'm sure he'll know how. To the others who suggested the yard taking the mast down, I would normally go that route but my marina's mast crane got destroyed in a flood a couple years ago. Hiring a crane to drive in costs $225. I think I can do this, I'm only 39 and not overly obese.

225 will seem like a small price if something goes wrong

[mikebikeboy]

Originally Posted by Leee

You could also determine the approximate height from masthead to bottom of your keel and bring your boat to a dock or pier at which the depth of water is a few feet less than that measurement. Sink your boat, keeping a line on the mast above the spreaders, lay a long plank on the dock and out over the edge to the mast. Have one of your weightier friends stand on the land end, walk out on the other end and work from there. About as practical as some of the more humorous suggestions I've enjoyed reading here. Fortunately there have been a number of excellent and practical solutions as well.

This answer should go down in the history books!!!!!!

I'm thinking of the 40 foot ladder idea, since my mast is only 38 feet from waterline. Rig something into the top rung so it hugs the mast tightly, then anchor the bottom with lines and a friend holding it in place. The halyards to not run inside the mast, they only go thru the masthead at the top so a coat hanger should work

[Sindbaad]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Agree with Jammer. That's a fairly small mast. Pretty easy to take it down. But if you don't want to do that you could still use the mast crane and hoist yourself up.

This happened to me and I found the easiest and safest way to work on the mast top to be the use of a crane if you had access to it.

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I'll look into doing this. My brother is a rock climber, I'm sure he'll know how. To the others who suggested the yard taking the mast down, I would normally go that route but my marina's mast crane got destroyed in a flood a couple years ago. Hiring a crane to drive in costs $225. I think I can do this, I'm only 39 and not overly obese.

I was up my 57 foot mast this morning.

I use rope climbing gear the 'Tree Doctors' use.

Petzl foot ascender, and
SAKA knee ascender to go up.

I also have a Petzl Zigzag ascender/ descender.

Harness, I'd have to look but it is quite comfortable with the wide padded thigh supports.

At 55 I'm still pretty fit but it is hard work.

I have x2 new lines, one with the climbing gear on the other for a Safety, that use for this sole purpose.

The Missus is not strong enough to grind me up using the winch, but if you can rustle up someone, or better a couple of muscles much easier.

But she tails (keeps the slack out of) the safety line up for me on the winch.

It's not that complex, but obviously it's a life and death thing so you have to know what your doing. I am not recommending you just try this. Work it out to your own satisfaction, close to the ground etc first. Even better talk to guys that do this. I have some climbing and rescue background so know what to do.

Even the knots for tying yourself onto the safety line. Most people use Bowlines. I use a double figure 8. Tie a single figure 8, put the tail through your harness and follow the tail through how the single figure 8 to make a double figure 8. Bowlines are ok, but reduce the line strength significantly with their tight turns. Can also take some getting undone.

The short version is-
Foot ascender on right, Knee ascender on left, harness caribinered to Zigzag.I have a strap tied for back of my harness to Zigzag, over my shoulder to trail the Zigzag up with me.

It's basically using your feet like a ladder. If/ when you get tired sit in the harness. You have to unclip the feet ascender to come down. With this method you can swing out to spreader tips etc.

If you need any other details let me know.

[JimmyDarci]

My 3 cents from a guy that went up mast three times last season:

1. Takes more energy than most think. Unless you are Tom.Brady (43 years old and SuperBowl #10) age 39 truly means something. No disrespect... but voice of reason. I suggest you motor the boat to neighboring marina with a small crane lift. Pay the guy $100 cash to lift you up for 10 minutes. OMHO You are the most precious cargo you will ever handle — So much safer than the other suggestions and you are free and have energy to bring a wire snake with you just in case. Hell, for $100 and a case of beer, the crane operator will likely get a buddy to go up for you and you stand on the ground holding a Benjamin and a cold beer.

2. Bring tools - a wire snake and a weighted thin line. Your odds of getting past spars, radar and wind instrumentation wiring and other lines (all potentially inside the mast) is greatly increased just by bringing the wiring snake. Also bring up a thin long and strong string to lower through. Place a lead weight on the end of the leader line and lower that through. This increase your odds. Once the thin and weighted leader line is through, then tape your halyard to the leader line and gently pull it back through. Murphy (the Murphy’s Law guy) hates good planning and will likely let the process occur without incident IF you are prepared.

3. First, what other lines go up there?? Unless your mast is set up sir asymmetric jib, what about using jib and/or the topping lift from the back of your boom??? You could run Dyneema though the topping lift to get a new amd super strong line prior to using topping lift pulley. Should put this as the first suggestion and save a $100 and a case of beer.

Nothing feels so far away as the top of the mast when something breaks up there. Been there. Good luck.

Jimmy

Shimmy up the mast and arriving exhausted is both counterproductive and dangerous.

[Kerry1]

Originally Posted by Benz

Two loops of line prussiked to the mast has got me up without halyards before. It's slow--you hang on one while bringing the other up, but it'll get you up safely.

I use a prussik loop tied to my bosun's chair on a tensioned, fixed halyard in conjunction with my home made "Easy Climb" See here: https://youtu.be/tLoG0Zg8yOo

My system differs from the "Easy Climb" because at a pinch I don't even need an assistant to take up slack on a separate halyard. One tensioned halyard will do it, though there is no safety backup on another halyard. In practice I get up unassisted using a single tensioned halyard, and an assistant takes up slack on another halyard tied to a safety harness.

Of course none of this is relevant to the situation of having no halyards.

My query to your idea of using prussik loops directly on the mast is: What do you do when you get to the shrouds where they join the mast and the spreaders? I think prussik loops are amazing but that seems to me to be a hitch (pardon the pun) in your solution.

Do you intend that you have more loops ready to place above the spreaders and transfer yourself to another loop each time you come across these impediments?

[Tanqueray]

Originally Posted by Benz

Two loops of line prussiked to the mast has got me up without halyards before. It's slow--you hang on one while bringing the other up, but it'll get you up safely.

I have seen it done with webbing straps, not rope...which can roll and not have enough friction on the mast.

One for seat, one for feet and inch your way up.

Greg

[Kurplunk]

Look in the credits of this video for the contact information. I believe that they hire out.
https://youtu.be/JFp7TT42hbw

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Benz

Amusement was achieved. And thanks again for the link.
While we're on origins, do you know the inventor of the MacDonald Brummel? And how are those names to be spelled?

My understanding is that the first version was invented by Gordon T Brummel, the inventor of the brummel clip. However, neither 12-strand line nor Dyneema existed at the time, so the method was slightly different. Margie McDonald, who illustrated many of Brian Toss's books, developed the method we now use, hence the McDonald Brummel splice.


Or at least that is what I heard.

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

This answer should go down in the history books!!!!!!

I'm thinking of the 40 foot ladder idea, since my mast is only 38 feet from waterline. Rig something into the top rung so it hugs the mast tightly, then anchor the bottom with lines and a friend holding it in place. The halyards to not run inside the mast, they only go thru the masthead at the top so a coat hanger should work

There have been a lot of interesting methods that have been suggested, but of them (aside from walking the plank with a weighty friend on the other end lol) using a ladder to go up a mast is the most dangerous, imo. Ladders and trees, or masts, just aren't good bed fellows.
Ladders in general are deceptively dangerous.

I would also suggest against any hard point attachment at the spreaders, imagining it will save you from a fall. As someone who lead climbs, I can tell you that whatever height you get above your last anchor point will be 1/2 of your fall height PLUS rope stretch. So depending on setup, a dynamic climbing rope wouldn't do much but maybe slow you down before you hit the deck. If you used a halyard type rope (static as a climber would call it) it wouldn't be much different coming up short on that rope than hitting the deck. That is, only if your height above the spreader isn't greater than the spreader above the deck. If that's the case, you just hit the deck.

I still highly suggest pulling your mast. I would, were I you.

If I was still absolutely positively determined to not use a crane, I would use the standing rigging but the caveat is that I do not have a roller furling system.

Were I at sea and had to get to the top of my mast because I skyed a halyard, first I would just use my typing lift which I made as before as a halyard for that purpose! But if I lost all three, I would put a carabineer over the front and back stays. I would throw a no stretch rope over the spreader and attach that bitter end to the carabineer. I would take the running end and feed that through the other carabineer. I would tie a second rope around the first rope between the two carabineers on a loop, so it can easily slide along the first rope. I would then start pulling in the slack on the first rope. This will bring the carabineers together, and with some luck they will easily slide up the rigging right up near the top. Since the rope is already over the spreaders, no trouble there. Since rope 2 is free to slide along (don't cha know people) no trouble there. Then I would winch the first rope down taut and belay that on a cleat. I'd repeat for the second rope. Now I have two ropes (though unfortunately not independent) and I can use my ascenders to climb up one (likely the second rope) with my third ascender on the first rope as "safety". Climb as usual.

I would probably belay down (in the climbers sense, so absail in England) on the halyard I installed just so I had a second independent rope from the first two.

- AT

[Q Xopa]

Ooops, my bad.

Now I feel like an idiot.

Anyway, please disregard my last