Mast climbing : possibility or not?

[LadyInBed]

Just ruminating

How much Blackbush led to this rumination? ?

 

[penberth3]

No plans to commit suicide up the mast, who ever runs a stanley knife vertically down a rope under tension?

Dunno, but it's the same as a moving rope running over anything sharp, so it's a good illustration.

 

[doug748]

Just ruminating (for a single hander) :

Halliard taken round a block at the base of the mast forward to the windlass pawl and the bitter end brought back to the mast climber who threads through a block (on his belt ?) with a cleat.

He then operates the windlass with a remote.

Viewers of a certain vintage will recall:

.

 

[jimi]

Actually I wonder if a big bucket might be useful, go onto broad reach tie topping lift around waist, tie big bucket to tail of topping lift , sling big bucket overboard and race up mast. To get back down untie topping lift and slide down sail. Only drawback is that topping lift is now at top of mast . Suppose you could always take line up with bigger bucket attached and trip overboard and descend under control

 

[Sandy]

The last time I was hauled up a mast the first shackle I looked at was the one I was hanging off.
I came straight back down and hired a cherrypicker!

Can you get them 50 miles offshore?

 

[differentroads]

Sorry to jump in on the back of the original question (no, seriously, OP don't!) but only this morning I was costing up ascenders, footloops, etc for mast climbing. About £90 for no-brand direct from China, £160 for Petzl gear from a climbing shop (in Spain, where I live.) Is the Petzl brand worth the extra money? (I think my life is worth the extra money, I just don't know if Petzl is actually better and why.) And is the climbing rope test in the video on this thread a fair test? Isn't the core on our halyards where the strength is and the sheath just a covering? Or is the sheath vital when ascending the mast cos thats what the ascenders are gripping on?

Oh, and if the OP really wants to ruminate on single handed ascending, Brion Toss's website is a good place to go for ideas

 

[Bru]

With Petzl you know what you're getting. The cheaper kit may be just as good, it might even be better ... but then again it probably isn't and you're going to be dangling off it!

Halyards (10mm and upwards certainly, even 8mm realistically) are perfectly strong enough assuming they're in good condition. I switched to tying in a climbing rope and hoisting it to the masthead mainly because i found that more often than not the halyards didn't run nicely through the descender

I also chose to use dynamic rather than static rope as, whilst it makes getting started a slight pain (taking the stretch out) the cushioning provided by the stretch makes life more comfortable

 

[Poey50]

I had several years caving and climbing before sailing and from this experience I'm fairly confident that slicing a taut rope with a Stanley knife is not a good idea so just don't!

i'm happy to prussik up my main halyard with my 40 year old Petzl jammers - they are bombproof. I wouldn't hoist another rope to prussik if that requires a knot at the top of the mast since that reduces the height I can reach. And I certainly wouldn't hoist a dynamic climbing rope - they are stretchy and designed to take a fall - a static rope is what is required and since my halyard is static if fits the bill. If there is someone to help then I use a back-up lifeline.

 

[Bru]

It's precisely because it's stretchy that i prefer the dynamic rope. I find a static line uncomfortable if some bozo passes by creating a wash (which happens all too often)

I'd change over to static rope though if i was going up the mast out at sea (i was previously using my setup regularly on clients boats rather than my own)

Tying in i find doesn't make a great deal of difference to how high up the mast i can get. It's only a couple of inches and the avoiding the descender sticking on the way down outweighs that slight drawback (and if necessary i can always get around it)

 

[Poey50]

It's precisely because it's stretchy that i prefer the dynamic rope. I find a static line uncomfortable if some bozo passes by creating a wash (which happens all too often)

I'd change over to static rope though if i was going up the mast out at sea (i was previously using my setup regularly on clients boats rather than my own)

Tying in i find doesn't make a great deal of difference to how high up the mast i can get. It's only a couple of inches and the avoiding the descender sticking on the way down outweighs that slight drawback (and if necessary i can always get around it)

Our posts crossed so mine seems antagonistic to yours over the question of static or dynamic which wasn't the intention. It's personal choice.

 

[Lightwave395]

I use one of these, been up solo several times, works a treat as I know nothing about proper climbing gear

ATN Mastclimber | Single Handed Bosun Chair | Climbing the Mast

 

[jimi]

I’d use static rope. When I was shunting routes I used a static line. On 30m routes there was a heck of a lot of stretch on a climbing 10mm rope. What makes a difference is the diameter, I’d be reluctant to use climbing gear on ropes in excess of 11mm

 

[Sandy]

I use one of these, been up solo several times, works a treat as I know nothing about proper climbing gear

ATN Mastclimber | Single Handed Bosun Chair | Climbing the Mast

All that is is a very expensive adaptation of climbing gear.

 

[Poey50]

I’d use static rope. When I was shunting routes I used a static line. On 30m routes there was a heck of a lot of stretch on a climbing 10mm rope. What makes a difference is the diameter, I’d be reluctant to use climbing gear on ropes in excess of 11mm

Totally agree - cavers do more ascent on ropes than climbers and will always use a static rope not more than 11mm.

 

[Roberto]

And is the climbing rope test in the video on this thread a fair test? Isn't the core on our halyards where the strength is and the sheath just a covering? Or is the sheath vital when ascending the mast cos thats what the ascenders are gripping on?

FWIW, I went up the mast using jumars and halyards literally tens of times and am still alive.
In my opinion the point is "what risk you deem acceptable", given that one rope cover failure may mean immediate death (or worse).
Brand new halyards is one thing, older rope cooked under the sun another thing; remember when you climb up an halyard you climb along some length of rope you have hardly seen before (when used as halyard it goes up and then comes down hidden inside the mast). Or if it flaps against a spreader, radar reflector or anything else, you'll discover its conditions only when at that height.
Sheaves: are they round smooth and perfect, or are you going up to check their condition?
If using a spinnaker halyard brought down at deck level, has it chafed against metal parts near the masthead?
Up to each one to make one's mind, FWIW I now use halyards just as security backup lines if there is someone else onboard who can handle them, as main hanging rope I use that sheath-less climbing rope.

 

[Lightwave395]

All that is is a very expensive adaptation of climbing gear.

I agree with you but when I bought mine 12 years ago it was £150 and very easy to use if you don't know what a pringle or a pretzl is...

 

[LittleSister]

I am enjoying the fantasy image of a one-person hot air balloon for the job, filled by a hose from the outlet of an Eberspacher.

 

[Dogone]

To those advocating using halyards. Check very carefully before using them with your ascending/descending kit. That equipment needs a tightly specified rope diameter and needs to not be stiff. It’s better to buy the right stuff. It’s pretty cheap anyway.

 

[Bru]

I’d use static rope. When I was shunting routes I used a static line. On 30m routes there was a heck of a lot of stretch on a climbing 10mm rope. What makes a difference is the diameter, I’d be reluctant to use climbing gear on ropes in excess of 11mm

You ain't getting me up a 30m mast these days far too much effort!

But seriously, totally agree that the stretch on dynamic would be excessive if ascending much over 10m (i actually bought the dynamic line for use with the fall arrestor. Tried it on the ascendor rig and liked it)

I too wouldn't climb on any line greater than 12mm - that's the max size the Petzl ascendor and gri-gri will handle anyway

I broke the piggy bank buying a Petzl ASAP fail arrestor specifically because it was the only arrestor i could find that would handle line diameters other than 11mm. (10mm to 13mm) therefore usable on typical halyards. All the othersc were (are?) rated only for 11mm line

 

[NormanS]

I just find it amazing that so few people use mast steps.