Fall arrester

[jaminb]

I need to be able to solo climb my mast as it is not fair winching my wife or elderly father up anymore. I am terrified of heights so I am thinking a mast mate with a harness and fall arrester on a second halyard will be the safest / most confidence inspiring. On the video I have watched the climber uses a Kong Back Up Arancio like this one.


But they are over £100, can anyone recommend a cheaper set up? I have seen some imports for £30, but not sure if these pass any quality standards. Is there any commercial cheaper commercial kit available for tree or scaffolding work. Real life recommendations please.

thank you

 

[Poey50]

For the back-up line I use a Petzl shunt. Half that price for a new one and you can pick them up used on eBay for less.

 

[srm]

I have a pair of something similar but got them from a climber's shop back in the 80's. They are simple rope clutches.
When climbing mast steps I set up the main halyard tight to the deck and use it as a safety stop. On a previous boat I used to climb the main halyard with one on the bosuns chair and the second on a rope sling to use as a stirup, shuffling up or down the halyard by shifting weight from one to the other..

 

[WoodyP]

If you are like me, it's not the hight but the fall that frightens me.

 

[Yngmar]

I've got this bit for years now. Stainless steel, works well (haven't actually fallen, but tested it of course). Brilliant because it opens, so you can clip it on an existing halyard pulled taut. It's secured against accidental opening.

I've added a bit of rubber to it so it doesn't scratch up the anodizing on the mast.

 

[lustyd]

I bought a GriGri for this purpose and also have a figure 8 descender. After a few trips up and back I now use the GriGri and a jumar to get up the mast on halyard 1 and a simple prussik knot on halyard 2. I descend with the figure 8 with the prussik as a backup. If being winched I tie off on halyard 1 and prussik on halyard 2 on the way up then pull the prussik on the way down as I'm lowered. The cord for the prussik was about a fiver and is far simpler to use, and therefore safer, than the gizmos.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

I bought a GriGri for this purpose and also have a figure 8 descender. After a few trips up and back I now use the GriGri and a jumar to get up the mast on halyard 1 and a simple prussik knot on halyard 2. I descend with the figure 8 with the prussik as a backup. If being winched I tie off on halyard 1 and prussik on halyard 2 on the way up then pull the prussik on the way down as I'm lowered. The cord for the prussik was about a fiver and is far simpler to use, and therefore safer, than the gizmos.

Only done it a couple of times but grigri and Prussik for safety works for me.

 

[Poey50]

The cord for the prussik .... is far simpler to use, and therefore safer, than the gizmos.

The prussik knot is vulnerable until cinched. When descending you must of course loosen it and you are unlikely to re-cinch it periodically. So in a fall the un-cinched knot may slip. The Petzl shunt is far safer.

 

[pandos]

I use 2 petzl assenders to go up.

I use a figure of 8 on a separate line for safety, and I abseil down using that with a hand on the trigger of one assender. (I use a climbing rope which is attached in it's middle to the topping lift and halyard so that everything is doubled)

 

[thinwater]

The back-up will do something none of the suggestions will do. Go down without constantly taking a hand off to move it.

I use a Camp Goblin with a Mast Mate. Similar specs, similar function, FAR better than the ascenders (which I also have--40 years of rock climbing). I also use it rock climbing, nearly every week.

A very fast, very safe system. Also 100 pounds. It's worth it. The Port West unit is certainly safe, but may be a little clunkier. I have used very similar ones.

You can see the Goblin at my knee. Both hands are free to climb.

 

[lustyd]

The prussik knot is vulnerable until cinched. When descending you must of course loosen it and you are unlikely to re-cinch it periodically. So in a fall the un-cinched knot may slip. The Petzl shunt is far safer.

I disagree. The knot doesn’t need to be loose to slide along a rope and immediately capsizes to catch a fall. This has been safely used for many years all over the world. The gadgets are a very recent addition to climbing, many of them driven by consumerism rather than need. They’re certainly safe but not necessary and a lot of them add danger in complexity. There are many ways to make these devices fail, the grigri for instance can fail if you hold it wrong or if a rope is in the wrong position. A well tied prussik is very hard to make dangerous.

 

[geem]

We do it a little differently. My wife hoists me up using the horizontal windlass mounted in the foredeck. The main halyard is used and the line goes via a block at the base of the mast to the rope drum on the windlass. As a back up, we set up the spinnaker halyard with a Petlz type clutch attached with a short strop to the harness. Super easy to get up and down the mast with a nice safe back up thats easy to use

 

[Poey50]

The back-up will do something none of the suggestions will do. Go down without constantly taking a hand off to move it.

I use a Camp Goblin with a Mast Mate. Similar specs, similar function, FAR better than the ascenders (which I also have--40 years of rock climbing). I also use it rock climbing, nearly every week.

A very fast, very safe system. Also 100 pounds. It's worth it. The Port West unit is certainly safe, but may be a little clunkier. I have used very similar ones.

You can see the Goblin at my knee. Both hands are free to climb.

Premium product!

 

[Mudisox]

We do it a little differently. My wife hoists me up using the horizontal windlass mounted in the foredeck. The main halyard is used and the line goes via a block at the base of the mast to the rope drum on the windlass. As a back up, we set up the spinnaker halyard with a Petlz type clutch attached with a short strop to the harness. Super easy to get up and down the mast with a nice safe back up thats easy to use

Similar use my boat but we found that my kilos and friction were too much for the override switch on the winch !!Needed an extra pulley system to hoist me to the spreader, where the upper hoist pulley could be raised.
SWMBO refused to go up herself!

 

[geem]

Similar use my boat but we found that my kilos and friction were too much for the override switch on the winch !!Needed an extra pulley system to hoist me to the spreader, where the upper hoist pulley could be raised.
SWMBO refused to go up herself!

Ours is a big windlass. It has a working load rating of 225kg. My 80kg is not an issue?

 

[Poey50]

I need to be able to solo climb my mast as it is not fair winching my wife or elderly father up anymore. I am terrified of heights so I am thinking a mast mate with a harness and fall arrester on a second halyard will be the safest / most confidence inspiring. On the video I have watched the climber uses a Kong Back Up Arancio like this one.

View attachment 144025
But they are over £100, can anyone recommend a cheaper set up? I have seen some imports for £30, but not sure if these pass any quality standards. Is there any commercial cheaper commercial kit available for tree or scaffolding work. Real life recommendations please.

thank you

It's worth watching this video which reviews the possibility of failure of three rope solo devices including the Kong BackUp. The device that Thinwater uses is well-regarded and can be used on 10 and 11mm rope, but has a higher rather than lower cost. But what price safety?

 

[dansaskip]

I've got this bit for years now. Stainless steel, works well (haven't actually fallen, but tested it of course). Brilliant because it opens, so you can clip it on an existing halyard pulled taut. It's secured against accidental opening.

I've added a bit of rubber to it so it doesn't scratch up the anodizing on the mast.

that looks like a cheap and nasty copy of a petzl shunt - not in its construction maybe but in the way it’s designed to work I suggest a petzl shunt a far superior device been using one for years

 

[srm]

For solo climbing I rate fixed mast steps as best plus the safety clamp on a halyard.
My second best, and not mentioned so far, is a 4:1 tackle long enough to be hoisted on the main halyard. I could then hoist myself up the mast with the tail through the climbing clamp attached to the bosun's chair for safety and stowed in an empty sail bag also attached to the bosuns chair. The sail bag made sure the tail did not tangle on a deck fitting and maroon me up the mast.

 

[fredrussell]

Also worth considering the Petzl Asap. Similar to the Camp Goblin mentioned above

 

[Buck Turgidson]

For solo climbing I rate fixed mast steps as best plus the safety clamp on a halyard.
My second best, and not mentioned so far, is a 4:1 tackle long enough to be hoisted on the main halyard. I could then hoist myself up the mast with the tail through the climbing clamp attached to the bosun's chair for safety and stowed in an empty sail bag also attached to the bosuns chair. The sail bag made sure the tail did not tangle on a deck fitting and maroon me up the mast.

I would much rather use my legs to climb than arms. Even with a 4:1 tackle.