Climbing the Mast

[tabernacleman]

What is a SMALL 28 foot yacht /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif on my slightly SMALL 29 foot yacht, /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I need a crane and two yard hands who know what they are doing to drop the mast and raise it again, cost about £260 +vat. myself first of course to disconnect the radar- VHF- lighting wiring after removing the headlining, then of course the chance of damage to the roller reefing gear, disturbing the through deck fittings etc etc, To change a bulb ? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Come On, be realistic please.

 

[houldsworth]

Would have thought a 'prussic loop' round the mast would slide down as the mast is more slippery than having the loops round another line such as a halyard! Must try next time I need to ascend mast.
Thanks for the advice,

 

[Salty John]

"'put a line round the spreaders then you can only fall as far as spreaders' wrong- you fall past them as far as you have gone above!!"

I trust you weren't referring to my advise; if you were, what I actually said was:

".....when you get to the spreaders run a loop of line from the chair around the mast and back to the chair. If the halyard lets go you will only fall as far as the spreaders in the worst case"

This is standard safety procudure for riggers - the loop travels with you up the mast. It's purpose is to prevent you falling away from the mast if the halyard parts so that you have opportunities to grasp the mast. In the worst case you only fall as far as the spreaders.
Without the safety loop you will most likely fall away from the mast and stand no chance of saving yourself.

 

[damo]

For mast/pole climbing, webbing grips better than cord, and a prussik isn't the best knot because it is difficult to loosen. The autoblock is a much better (and easier to use) alternative ( - for all kinds of rope gripping jobs). Several pics here

 

[Lakesailor]

Quite. All this advice about using gear he is not used to and probably not happy with. There's no need.
Haul a ladder up using the main halyard and then tie the bottom to anything that's immovable. Just moor alongside a jetty and make sure no ferries go past whilst you're up there, Not many now it's winter. If you're unsure about the stability of the boat put two lines to the foresail or spinnaker halyard, hoist that, and take one to a jetty each side (if available) and make off loosely, to allow for a bit of sway but no capsize.
I didn't bother with that, and my boat was a 19 foot bilge keeler. So a bigger boat will have plenty of bouyancy.
Don't do it at the jetties at Ferry Nab, or at least don't forewarn the wardens as they are sometimes a bit arsey. They wouldn't let me shimmy up the mast crane to replace a sheave on my mast (H&S issues). However if you do do it there at least you can nip round to Maiden Marine and get the right bulb and nip back up the ladder to fit it.

I know it doesn't sound very nautical and seamanlike, but it gets the job done, safely. Clip a harness on the ladder if you wish when you're at the top. Have someone else at deck level.

 

[tabernacleman]

Understood /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I would fear the worst when I arrived at the spreaders, but probably better than hitting the deck /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif any literature on the breaking strain of the attachment points on the b/chair

 

[PeterGibbs]

Climbing the mast is no picnic, whatever the advertising for various devices says. I have hauled myself to the top of my 15m mast many times. I use mountaineer ascenders up, and a figure of eight abseil to descend -although some use the descenders to do this job: slower but sound practice.

This really is the only way to be sure of what you are doing, short of having someone haul you up on the winch. But grinding the winch is much harder work than is supposed, and it takes some experience to let the climber descended slowly rather than in a rush. A human is a substantial deadweight!

Climbing ladders that hang vertical are lethal because without a stay rope to support you in the event you detatch from the ladder, you can easily fall to the deck. And freeing both hands to do the job is much harder. These ladders also sway a lot.

If you want details of my ascender system, the two dedicated ropes I use and other bits (yes, my neck is worth £130, how about yours?) PM me.

Going aloft requires confidence. Doing it properly is the best way to start up off the deck.

PWG

 

[Lakesailor]

Ladders?
I mean an extending aluminium ladder that you angle properly and tie down.
You're not all mountaineers you know.

 

[WindermereColvic]

Thank you all for suggestions gratefully received. As the RAF were reluctant to lend me a helicopter for the job, and due to the abundance of kryptonite in the lakes sapping my powers, I think I’ll revert to plan C, a combination of several of your suggestions and tips, basically lashing appropriate ladders to the mast and climbing with a loop around the mast, and a harness attached to a halyard with someone taking up the slack. Will also be thoroughly multi-metering all the cable deck connections beforehand!
Ta, Matt

 

[earlybird]

The choice is yours, but with a 28ft. boat, I'd guess your mast is 30 - 32ft. That's a long ladder, around 35 ft. total if you angle it as LS suggests. I have one about this length for work on my 3 story house. It's a considerable weight to handle. I rarely extend it as much as 30ft. and when I do, it stands secured on solid ground, propped against a brick wall, not on a moving deck propped against a slippery, narrow mast Even so, I can assure you that I feel much more secure working with 2 hands while on ascenders 40ft up my mast, rather than one handed 25- 30ft up a ladder on my house.