First time up the mast

Re: The voice of music

Climb up to the masthead
Julie Andrews said
But if you joined her climbing
you'd surely end up dead
Sir Edmund Hillary is your man
if from a rope you're swinging
he'll get you to the top with ease
and without the bloody singing



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Re: The voice of Para

Its the harness stuck up his crease ... apparently its known as a wedgie in modern parlance

<hr width=100% size=1>.. when's that again, but ..
 
I did this job last month, I am 54 and 20% overweight and unfit.
My wife is 5feet tall.
A combination of ladder lashed to the mast to ascend,bosuns chair and standing on the crosstrees. Lots of pre planning and thought made it possible. But you need to be determined and very mean ( I'd rather suffer than pay someone else! and after all sailing is about being as self reliant as possible )

But it was a struggle. Exhausting frustrating and occasionally frightening. But real satisfaction when completed. You need long handled pop rivetter. I bodged some extensions to mine to get the necessary purchase.

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Re: The voice of Para

Ha! whare ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely
Owre gauze and lace,
Tho faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

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Re: Big respect

aye ... he's a bit quick on ra rare occasions he's awake ...........

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How does it go?

The tribute to rockape, Joe Brown. Something like...

...clinging like a spider
to an overhanging wall
suction, faith and friction
and f**k all else at all.

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I don't know your boat or your wife, but be prepared for her not being able to haul you up. I tried last year and SHMBO simply didn't have the strength to winch me up. We ended up borrowing some ascendeurs and they made the job a doddle.

As others have said, you really do need another person on a safety line. (If you use ascendeurs then your wife could handle the safety line)

Joe

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Where are you based? I have a climbing harness with safety lanyard you could borrow if you are local to me.

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Not sure if a handybilly is the proper name for what we use - two double blocks and length of line 4 times as long as your mast. One of the blocks has a becket on it. Tie the line onto that, and feed it through the blocks so that it can go up/down/up/down. Haul one double block to top of mast. Attach yourself to other block (and to a seperate safety line, any halyard that is all rope and recently checked for chafe). Your partner will then almost certainly be able to haul you up.

As two women we have used this system regularly (pinched from the Pardeys) and it works very well., Gives you a great long rope to use as a stern line ashore or as a drogue as well. It's also much more controllable coming down (especially round a winch!), which is reassuring!

On our new boat we also now have mast steps (fitted when we bought her) which are great. I use a Petzl harness and a chair. The harness feels much safer as it is all too easy to climb out of the chair. However to actually do any work up there it's much easier to be able to swing in the chair.

Totally agree about:
a) don't use snap shackles etc. Also do't use wire/rope halyards as you cannot be sure of the strength of the splice
b) why not take the mast down - then you can get the electrics in much easier.

But anyway do go up the mast. The first time I did it I was scared sh--tless - but now I really enjoy the chance to go up there and enjoy the view (tho I've never done it at sea!)



<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah&Pip
 
Nice idea, but would be a bit difficult to use if you had a sail stuck in the track (or a behind mast reefing system) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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Get SWMBO to do it!

Being lighter, it is easier that way round. Mine fitted our radar, which is very close to the top of the mast.

The key is to have the confidence to use both hands, without clinging on. With that, working up the mast head isn't too difficult, specially if you can stand on a spreader. They are normally made strong enough for this purpose.

SWBMO wears her yacht harness when going up, clipped on to the safety line (spinnaker halyard). Once in position, she transfers it to a firm mast fitting and shortens up as an additional safeguard (yes ... we do know the one about the guy who had a heart-attack up the top of the mast).

Which reminds me, if you have to do several climbs, it can be pretty exhausting. For that reason as well it is good if there are two of you taking in turns. A month ago we fitted a new forestay and roller reefer, which meant several trips up the mast, and we alternated.

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definitive answer?

1 you don't need 3rd person for safety
2 you don't need to spend a fortune on climbing gear and lessons, ascenders etc. are designed to work on a specific diameter of climbing rope
3 It's really hard to fall out of a bosun's chair in harbour, if you want extra safety wear your normal safety harness & attach it to tie in point on chair.
4 you don't need to spend a fortune on a handy-billy and 4x mast length of rope

5 set up fat rope halyard to deck. you don't have a fat rope halyard so use a main/genoa sheet & hoist on halyard. It doesn't have to be tight, but secure working end well i.e. tie off after cleat/jammer/winch.
6 obtain from climbing shop 2.5 m of line for a prussick loop. Ask the shop to show you how to tie into a loop with what climbers call a double fisherman knot (I don't have Ashley to hand but if memory serves he calls it a double french but says the french call it double english. Anyway it's V.strong secure line to line bend thats VV hard to undo) and a prussik knot (V. simple, a double cow hitch on the bight)
7 get in bosun's chair, have light line for hauling things up to you, tie prussik knot on fat halyard & shackle (a secure screw one) or use screwgate carabiner £5 from climbing shop to chair tie in point.
8 Prussik is your safety it will hold your weight, the knot can be easily slid up or down the rope by hand when your weight is not on it. try it at deck level, learn to trust it. If it gets rough in the harbour (wake from boats) it will prevent you from penduluming away and back.
9 Tie hoisting halyard onto chair with bowline + stopper knot. If you have to go up on wire then use very secure shackle.
10 up you go, wearing gloves, slide prussik up. as the War Department winches you can pull on the fat halyard, thus sharing the work/weight. Don't pull all your weight or you'll cause an override on the winch and tire too quickly (pulling too little could cause an override on the wench!).
11 When you've gone up a bit try descending a little, from a height where communication is easy. Slide prussik knot in hand while WD controls descent with winch, let go off prussik and you stop, simple.
12 before standing on spreaders mark their position on shrouds, elecrical tape or marker pen above spreader end.
13 Stopping to check fittings & stays on way up should provide enough rest. Otherwise get the mars bar out & enjoy the view.
14 if winching point is below mast put helmet (bike/canoe/skateboard) on WD, put sailbags deck cushions or something over forehatch etc to protect deck. lanyards on heavy tools etc.

Most of above works at sea but use a climbing harness, not a cheapie but one with adjustable leg loops and big waist adjustment. to cover clothing variations (Petzel Corax £50) rig sailing harness so you can't invert out of harness & wear helmet & skateboarders Knee pads. If poss go on broad reach.

All the above presupposes that you check the condition of your halyards and fittings regularly.
Don't be paranoid, play around close to deck until you trust the gear.

Fitting a new radar, take the mast out and do it ashore. but learn to go up the mast anyway.

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Re: definitive answer?

A decent climbing harness costs about £50. It's use is recommended by both manufactures and many government safety bodies. In my experience people unused to climbing usually have a natural tendency to cling onto the mast and as they lean forward they start to slip forward in the chair - which is very unnerving for them - also dangerous. I bet most would at that stage part with £50 for a harness attached to a safety line. I really don't think this is good advice.

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Re: definitive answer?

Majority of people here seem to be saying take the mast out and fit when unstepped. Completely contrary to what I've done and eveyone I know has done ie fit in situ. Would think that the adiitional cost of unstepping the mast would probably cover the cost of getting a professional to fit the radar anyway!!

<hr width=100% size=1>.. when's that again, but ..
 
I used a builders ladder to put mine up. Don't put it too high as it just increases the sea clutter, and I really don't believe that you need much more than 6 - 10 miles range.

However if the mast has not been down in a while - use this as an opportunity to check over everything.

Lastly - using a full size pop riviter up a mast is V awkward - especially if you are not used to using one. If I did one again, I would take the mast down!

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Re: definitive answer?

I totally agree that taking down followed by replacing and retuning for example a two spreader keel stepped mast, in addition to lifting the boat out of the water (most riggers prefer boat totally steady) would be far far more expensive than a professional installation! Put it this way who has heard of a professional yard taking this approach.

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I am confused by the references to 'full size' 'long' pop rivetters. Are you saying that a special type is needed? Mine are only about 10inch overall.

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