Safely climbing a small wooden mast

[Roach1948]

I need to climb the mast as sail slides are jamming in a track join (right at the top ofcourse). The mast is 30ft high, and is solid and is 5inches (elpitical) thick tapering to 2.5inches thick. I am not sure about this as a) I weigh 15stone and unsure the mast can deal with that! b) Although the main halyard runs in a through-mast tufnol sheave, a safety line would need to run thorugh the topping lift which only runs through a screwed-in cheek block.

What have others done in my position? I don't want to go to the expense of hauling the mast out again as it was only in last week. My ideas so far:

1. Get a very very light person to risk life and limb for me?
2. Get a rope ladder that can go up the halyard and be lashed as I go as a safety precaution.
3. Get a crane to dangle a man in bosun's chair (expensive)

Any other ideas?

 

[Porthandbuoy]

If it's a join near the top there will only be a few slides affected. If the misalignment isn't too severe you could try "profiling" the slides with a file and/or some emery paper.

Roach isn't that big at 4T. 15st at the top might just lay her on her beam ends.

 

[JesseLoynes]

Yep, 15 stone at 30 feet is quite a lever, but remember, while she's upright, your weight will have no heeling effect.

If you do send a lighter person up, you could possibly have a safety line round the mast as an arrestor, a rolling hitch or similar. A rock climbing book would probably have something ideal that would slide up the mast but lock against a downward load.

Another alternative is to let her dry out against a high quay, and find a friend with a van to stand on. by the time you are on the van and reaching you'll be up at least halfway.

Might be worth a try? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[fluffc]

[ QUOTE ]
while she's upright, your weight will have no heeling effect.


[/ QUOTE ]
True, but to keep the boat upright you'll need to lash it to something. The boat will move about, and as soon as you're off centre then there is an increasing heeling effect...

 

[Erre]

The safest way is as mentioned above to dry her out by a tall quay. You may be able to do something like that somewhere in Woodbridge. Alternatively, Shotley Marina where I bet you can stick it in the lift out dock and for the price of a pint use their Cherry picker.

 

[andrewbodenham]

I'd have no worries about going up your mast. I've climbed the mast on my 20' halfdecker, hauling myself up on the peak halyard without any problems, so your boat should have no stability issues. Often been to the masthead of 30' Broads yachts, and they have relatively little ballast and no depth to speak of - Roach looks much more soild.
Try a bosuns chair, or get a basic climbing harness. You can improvise a sit harness with a long sling or rope loop.
A single halyard is hard work, so use the halyard to hoist a three-part tackle to the masthead (? use your mainsheet blocks) and go up on that. If you want a safty backup then use a prussik or similar knot on your topping lift, first securing the lift against the mast and hauling tight so that it's easy to slide the prussik up and down.

 

[Bajansailor]

If you are worried about your weight at the masthead causing Roach to heel alarmingly, try this simple experiment.
Set up the bosun's chair on the halyard such that when you sit in it your feet are on the deck or cabin top. Then sit in it, and lift up your feet off the deck, so that all of your weight is supported by the halyard. For stability purposes, your weight has now instantly been transferred to the top of the mast, as that is where the load is acting on the pulley. Swing about from side to side while sitting in the chair, and see what effect it has. This effect will be exactly the same as if you are swinging about at the masthead.
For extra safety, the Prusik (sp?) knot mentioned above would be good - or perhaps use a rolling hitch around the mast on a short strop, and loosen / slide / tighten the hitch as you go up the mast?
Maybe the easiest initial solution might be to try filing the slides in way of the top of the track, and see if that has the required effect.