mast ladders

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retsina

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I want to be able to go up the mast to replace and fix things when go wrong. It appears that I have a choice of two makes. One made by Deffee ltd and the other made by Hurst Marine "get-up mast" ladder.

The Deffee ladder has rigid steps made of moulded plastic; the Hurst-Marine "get-up mast ladder" is made from flexible webbing; both slide up the mast grove using a halyard.

Has anyone had any experience using these ladders; are they good; any comments? Which one is better?
 
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Im not small and it supported me

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How big is "not small"? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Reason I ask is that I'm not small either and I would like some means of going aloft that won't give way under me!

[You can whisper, if you like]
 
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[ QUOTE ]
Im not small and it supported me

[/ QUOTE ]

How big is "not small"? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Reason I ask is that I'm not small either and I would like some means of going aloft that won't give way under me!

[You can whisper, if you like]

[/ QUOTE ]


Lets here it for all properly proportioned chaps who are heavy boned
 
The Deffee is a wonderful piece of kit. The only downside, and I would imagine this applies to any mast ladder, is that as you climb, the ladder is vertical whereas a 'normal' ladder is used leaning away from you. This, from my limited experience, puts more load on your arms.

Quote from their website :

Please note: Our Mast Ladders are suitable for persons of up to 20St.(127Kg.) and are tested to a 150% safety margin. Our Mast Ladders are suitable for use aboard the vast majority of boats, providing that the 34cm wide steps are able to pass between your lower shrouds and up past your spreaders.

And all the information you could ever need here :
http://www.gdeffee.freeserve.co.uk/
 
Back to the question - I use a magi-mat, a french webbing ladder that hoists on a halyard using slides up the mainsail track. At ~15 stone and 60 years I have no difficulty in getting up to the top of a 10m mast, usually several times because I always leave something below!
 
I tried a caving flexible ladder, which is similar in application to the webbing strap mast track devices but hangs free from the mast.

It required too much skill and considerable arm and leg strength as one's body weight fell backwards and I couldn't use it safely without training- in fact I was exhausted half way up.

The next best was a webbing loop system attached to the mast track but as commented elsewhere the vertical nature of the device required a lot of upper body strength too- gravity takes over!! Also the webbing bites the foot and is difficult to locate without looking down for each step and finessing a foot into each strop - I watched a guy in the marina recently and he took forever to get to the top

So I bought a Deffee- still a vertical climb but the steps are rigid in the track and apart from making sure one's foot isn't obstructed by the mast it is much, much, easier in my opinion and now I've been up and down the mast many times like a monkey up a stick. With a fall arrest harness and arrester(petzl) I can do the the job without an assistant and little risk too- I am the wrong side of 60 and weigh 80 kilos, arthritic knees and hands for good measure.

I reckon I bought the best bit of kit available
 
I have and use a 'get-up' mast ladder.
I was up to the top of a mast a couple of weeks ago replacing the main halyard on the 22' masthead mast of a bilge keeler.
(The boat owner brought me round a nice bottle of malt today)

Because the webing foot rest part flexes it is essential that hard soled shoes are worn otherwise it is very uncomfortable on the feet. I wear steel capped rigging boots rather than sailing shoes.

Other than that it is fine. I have a total length of up to 50' available and have used it on all sizes of masts. It packs into quite a small bag.

I much prefer delegating the task of climbing a mast to the lightest and fittest person around rather than go up myself.

Iain
 
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There is also the American MastMate - that I have. They also do a special harness that goes around you and the mast.

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This seems to be a webbing only ladder. I've used the Defee type with rigid moulded steps and it works very well. With webbing loops my concern would be the difficulty of finding the loops with my feet as I go up and down? Do they really stay open as their website says? What's your experience with this?

I'll need to buy something in the months ahead as my mate with the Defee is moving away.
 
As one who gets up the mast exceedingly slowly using a 6:1 block and tackle with an assistant on deck to periodically take in all the slack, I have pondered mast ladders. Apart from natural caution concerning money leaving my pocket, I have so far resisted buying because on my boat, they would require taking the mainsail sliders out of the mast track before use. That's a once-a-year operation which is quite difficult and has stopped me parting with money. Do mast ladder users find this step is avoidable or not enough of a fag to be deterring?

Derek.
 
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Because the webing foot rest part flexes it is essential that hard soled shoes are worn otherwise it is very uncomfortable on the feet. I wear steel capped rigging boots rather than sailing shoes.

Other than that it is fine. I have a total length of up to 50' available and have used it on all sizes of masts. It packs into quite a small bag.


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Same question as above. I like the idea of these ladders vs. Defee as they would seem to pack away easier on a small boat (and cheaper)...but are the loops easy to find / climb without looking down all the time?
 
I too have a Deffee ladder and think that it is an excellent bit of kit. I could not get on with webbing loop types but the Deffee is easy to use and secure. The maker is very helpful and it is well worth talking to him before ordering. It is worth making sure that you have the correct slider size plus the right length of ladder that you require - it stretches upon first use. By the way I also am of "substantial" weight but have no qualms about using the ladder. I do come within the accepted load dimensions - but not by much.
 
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As one who gets up the mast exceedingly slowly using a 6:1 block and tackle with an assistant on deck to periodically take in all the slack, I have pondered mast ladders. Apart from natural caution concerning money leaving my pocket, I have so far resisted buying because on my boat, they would require taking the mainsail sliders out of the mast track before use. That's a once-a-year operation which is quite difficult and has stopped me parting with money. Do mast ladder users find this step is avoidable or not enough of a fag to be deterring?

Derek.

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I've used the Defee type and without the slides in the track I think it would sway all over the place.Possible to use...yes probably..but I wouldn't want to do it. Getting the mainsail slides out of the track on my boat takes a few mins at most.
 
A man from Holman Rigging came to do some work on my boat and he used a ladder made by a French [?] firm called Mastep. It seemed very strong and I was interested in buying one, but he said they are no longer made. Worth looking out for on E-bay etc. Only snag would be that it was rather bulky when folded up. I think Mastep still make boarding ladders of similar design.
 
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Because the webing foot rest part flexes it is essential that hard soled shoes are worn otherwise it is very uncomfortable on the feet. I wear steel capped rigging boots rather than sailing shoes.

Other than that it is fine. I have a total length of up to 50' available and have used it on all sizes of masts. It packs into quite a small bag.


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Same question as above. I like the idea of these ladders vs. Defee as they would seem to pack away easier on a small boat (and cheaper)...but are the loops easy to find / climb without looking down all the time?

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You must look down at the loops to get your feet in them.

They stick out either side of the mast if it is hoisted correctly.

When hoisting you must watch that the main web does not twist otherwise you will end up with two steps on the same side.

Just like hoisting a sail you must watch for the ladder catching on spreaders or standing rigging.

I always use a seperate harness and a safety line. There is a waste strap at the top.

The last time I used it the ladder was on the topping lift and I was on the genoa haylard.

It is essential that the slugs are in the mast slot. Taking out the main slides are usually not much of a problem.

I fix the botton of the ladder to the foot of the mast and tension up the ladder.

I have used one extensively when I worked for a yacht hire company a few years ago and bought the one I presently have on ebay. I also had an extention piece made by the supplier.

The 50 ft plus ladder packs into a bag about 15" long and 10" in diameter.

It works quite well and is fairly cost effective.

Iain
 
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