How often do you climb the mast?

[eddystone]

Just curious as I've never done it. had some tuition at a local climbing centre using static line, harness, ascender and slings, gri gri etc. I can get a rigger to change my tri-colour bulb for £100 but it's going to cost me over £250 in climbing gear to replicate the set up I had at the climbing centre. How often do these bulbs go or the VHF aerial fall off?

 

[savageseadog]

I'm doing a climb at least once a week at the moment due to defective masthead tricolour and broken backstay flicker. The problem is that it's impossible to only deal with one problem, mountings are shared so undoing one is impossible.
Rather than buying a lot of climbing gear I would suggest being winched up.

 

[Roberto]

A basic climbing harness plus two one-way handles (ascenders?) can be found for a bit over £100.

I find the ability to easily go up the mast alone quite reassuring: rigging check before a longish sail, bulbs replacement, furler and forestay conditions, etc. Once I even went up under sail to untangle the mainsail halyard; once one gets a bit of practice with the system it can be very useful imho.

 

[Vara]

At least once a year to have a check of rig and sheaves, plus when bulb needs changing or when seagulls misalign the Windex. ( 3 times in 5 years). The £140 I spent on a Topclimber from eBay was money well spent.
Nice to have the facility available wherever you are and in extremis be able to do it solo.(although I prefer to do it with manned safety line).

 

[doug748]

I probably have the mast taken down every 5 years and have reason to go up it every other year.

I made fabric steps to go up the mast track but these are pretty hard on the knees. If I had my time over I would look at something like Vara's Topclimber. If I understand the principle correctly you pull yourself up by bending and straightening the legs (knees together) and helping with the arms - a sound approach. It is always nice to be able to go aloft singlehanded. (which I have just noticed has been said in the last post!)

 

[awol]

Been up 5 times this year with at least 2 more still to go. I use a mast groove webbing ladder that came with the boat - absolute simplicity to do by myself.

 

[eddystone]

I'm doing a climb at least once a week at the moment due to defective masthead tricolour and broken backstay flicker. The problem is that it's impossible to only deal with one problem, mountings are shared so undoing one is impossible.
Rather than buying a lot of climbing gear I would suggest being winched up.

There isn't anyone to do that, can't even ask around being on trots. Also don't like bosuns chairs - risk of falling out backwards etc.

 

[savageseadog]

There isn't anyone to do that, can't even ask around being on trots. Also don't like bosuns chairs - risk of falling out backwards etc.

I don't like bosun's chairs either. You could probably buy a set of self ascent gear secondhand for about £60. Try it out somewhere in company before you go it alone.

 

[V1701]

Here's a lengthy thread on the subject with some useful links:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?333073-Mastaclimba-v-Easy-Climb

I was winched up in a bosun's chair a couple of times on old boat but new one has mast steps which are brilliant for climbing alone. They do get in the way a bit but I'm glad to have them...

 

[Daydream believer]

There isn't anyone to do that, can't even ask around being on trots. Also don't like bosuns chairs - risk of falling out backwards etc.

Take a rope from the halliard, back over your shoulder & back under your arm on opposite side then tie off to the halliard at a tension suitable for comfort.
So long as someone can winch you up a plank of wood as a seat is by far the safest & easiest way to do it

 

[l'escargot]

Never and never will. Used to lower the mast when I had smaller boats, now quite happy to pay someone half my size to go up there for me...

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I used to climb the mast quite regularly on my previous boat. I had fitted steps to it (custom made to my design) and going up was not a problem. I have considered doing the same on my present boat but have not got round to it yet. However, a couple of weeks ago I had to get a young rigger to go up and replace the old tricolour and wind instrument and to fit new ones in their place. It took him more than two and a half hours and cost me €90. He also took some photos for me. At age 67 I don't think that I could have stayed up there for so long in the hot sunshine and a 22knot wind. So, I shall probably not fit steps after all.

 

[habeer]

Once a year in spring certainly, and then whenever something is amiss (usually just one more time) and then I use my Topclimber to go up on other people's boats. If you go up for money, you'll reach pay back in three or four years. For friends, I'll go up for beer or wine.

 

[James_Calvert]

Never all the way to the top. Once to the cross-trees to rig a flag halyard, but I'm not a climber - or lightweight - and I generally find it easier to persuade crew to go up rather than winch me up.

Had a friend who was happy to go up for me - once mid-passage from Dover to Calais (can't remember the reason), with the heel on the boat he was almost walking up the luff of the mainsail. Now have grown up son - who went up the other weekend.

I only have a bosun's chair - not ideal for any work on the top of the mast (I gather).

Re tri-colour bulbs, not had to replace it yet since boat launched in 1985.

 

[jdc]

There isn't anyone to do that, can't even ask around being on trots. Also don't like bosuns chairs - risk of falling out backwards etc.

I went up 3 times last weekend, re-wiring the tricolour. But on average perhaps 2x per season. Definitely worth having the means to go up the mast, even if it's not you who goes up. I don't advocate buying expensive and high tech gear, at least to start with, instead I'd suggest that you familiarise yourself with a simple bosun's chair while being winched up by others.

I think that bosun's chairs are not that dangerous; I never heard of anyone falling out (when did you last fall off a dining chair?). On two boats, 20 years apart, I made the bosun's chair from a plank scavenged from a shore-side skip and a length of retired braid-on-braid: cost zero and used dozens of times. Climbing harnesses do let one get higher by about 30 - 50cm which can be vital when servicing the tricolour, but they are horribly uncomfortable for long periods as they cut off the blood to the legs if one's up there for longer than 20 mins or so whereas one can sit on a bosun's chair for hours.

I'm also not sure I quite believe the 'can't even ask around' bit. The last half-dozen or so occasions I've gone up have been while at anchor, so usually with other boats near-by. If someone else in the anchorage asked me to help winch them up I'd be quite happy to do so, or even go up for them while they winched me if I was the fitter. I suppose I am not unique and the same must be true of many or most other people, so go somewhere where there are others and try asking! A glass of something and a chat afterwards would be a nice but not strictly essential gesture...

 

[eddystone]

A basic climbing harness plus two one-way handles (ascenders?) can be found for a bit over £100.

climbing rope for static line £60, basic harness £45, ascender £50, gri gri £60, then cost of slings, screw in carabiners, etc - definitely not for £100. Wouldn't use topclimber as eventually ascenders will chafe halyard used as static line. Think I might get rigger this time - unfortunately they don't work at weekends.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Never and never will. Used to lower the mast when I had smaller boats, now quite happy to pay someone half my size to go up there for me...

+1, on both counts.

 

[TQA]

I have steps and think if there was absolutely no alternative and it was an emergency I would still be able to climb to the masthead.

However as I am fat and old I ask my crew to go up.

Thanks Iris.

 

[Graham_Wright]

A basic climbing harness plus two one-way handles (ascenders?) can be found for a bit over £100.

climbing rope for static line £60, basic harness £45, ascender £50, gri gri £60, then cost of slings, screw in carabiners, etc - definitely not for £100. Wouldn't use topclimber as eventually ascenders will chafe halyard used as static line. Think I might get rigger this time - unfortunately they don't work at weekends.

I only use an Ascendeur as a safety attachment. My rig comprises a MastaClimba, a bosun's chair, a safety harness (attached to the Ascendeur) and a wife on the winch who takes up the chair halyard slack as I ascend. Prior to the MastaClimba, she would winch me up. Two speed winch and a 42' mast. It would take her 20 minutes after which she was completely exhausted.

I can do it in 2 minutes now and she uses no effort at all. I have made five ascents in an afternoon and still felt reasonably relaxed.

A point to remember is that a bosun's chair is designed to be seated in and when climbing you tend to slide out. As long as you have something to stand on, you can generally get comfortable again.

I am 74 now and have probably climbed around a couple of miles worth of mast in the last few years!

Whatever you do, take all possible safety precautions. You only need to fall once and don't use an electric winch!

 

[Roberto]

climbing rope for static line £60, basic harness £45, ascender £50, gri gri £60, then cost of slings, screw in carabiners, etc - definitely not for £100. Wouldn't use topclimber as eventually ascenders will chafe halyard used as static line. Think I might get rigger this time - unfortunately they don't work at weekends.

well it depends on the level of equipment you feel is necessary

harness 35-45 euro
http://www.auvieuxcampeur.fr/terre/...-expedition-rando-montagne-ce-en-1277#page-1_

ascenders 28 euro each, 2x = 56 total
http://www.auvieuxcampeur.fr/terre/...our-ascension-sur-corde/bloqueur-capitan.html

These pieces are all I have (I bought a descender as well but so far never used it), one ascender is for the harness, the other one has about 1m of rope with a loop to put the foot in and push upwards, I reckon I climbed at least 20 times.

I think it is important to use whatever method one feels he can trust, be it by oneself, topclimber, steps, etc or paying someone else to do it, but it is technically possible to climb singlehanded with the above equipment which comes at around 100 euro.