Mast Climbing

[smithy09 50]

OK rigging gurus. How do you mast climb with a bosun's chair when you don't have someone to winch you up there? Any good techniques?

[Deep Purple 512]

You don't, unless you want a man-shaped skylight. Think Allegro

 

Haven't you got any mates? What time where?

[Atom Ant 0]

I'm sure the riggers will answer you shortly. They use some sort of pulley arrangement of a halyard I think. I'll help yank you to the top of your mast Smithy. No promises about letting you back down though!

[Fish 0]

My prefered technique is getting the owner to winch me up, alhtough if he has a heart attack while I'm up there I'll be kind of screwed...

 

The other option is a mountaineering technicue - prussic climbing.

 

Get a descent sized halyard up to where you want to go and lock it off. This should be 12-14mm.

Get two prussics, 6mm braid, tied in a loop. One should be about 500mm long (as a loop), the other longer, maybe 1 /1.2m.

 

Tie both to the halyard with slip knots - make sure you get the slip knot right, they are kind of important. Short loop to your bosan's chair, long one tied to the halyard above the short one.

 

Sit in the bosun's chair,

slide long loop up to arms length

Put foot in long loop and stand up

slide short loop / bosun's chair up

Sit back in bosun's chair

-repeat until bored shitless or your at the top of the halyard.

 

Getting back down can be a bit complicated, you can prussic back down but its slow. If you known what you are doing you can transfer onto an abseil device and abseil down, or get someone to gently let the clutch off (not Atom Ant) and drop you down on the winch (assuming you've got someone around that knows how to use a winch in that context but isn't strong enough to winch you up)

 

You can get rachet climbing devices I think some of teh solo RTW guys use, or just use a prussic knot (slip knot) If your interested I'm sure I colud google a link.

 

PS it really helps to tie to bottom of the rope off tightly, stops you swinging around like a rag doll

[Guest]

What are you up to now??

 

Just tinkle me when you need a hoist up our mast...Opps, your mast

[rigger 47]

Have used a haylard with a handy billy attached - four to one purchase makes it easy to pull yourself up the mast.

[maharg 2]

I think I saw you a couple of weeks ago going into Bayswater. I am also in Bayswater and will give you a hand if you can do the same for me. Need to replace my anchor light bulb.

[col j 0]

16m long extending ladder? then tie off up there. i think riggers usually work in pairs or use an owner to pull them up. anyway it pays to have someone on deck incase you forget something and they have to send it up in a bucket.

 

it is possible to hand over foot your way up there when dry but staying up there is the issue.

[Guest]

I've used riggers answer before, slow but works, Fish' mountain climbing thing sounds good.

[wheels 543]

There are a cople of different methods available. One which I think would be a nightmare to try and use is a rope ladder you hoist to the top on a halyard. If you have ever ttried to use one, you would know it would be a nightmare to try and use one to the top of a mast. But they are available. Another unit is like an endless chain device, once again hoisted to the top of the mast and the climber hauls himself up while sitting in the Bosuns chair.

But yeah, like the others, if you need a hand, I'm available also. Either hauling you up or going up. I love going up masts, so whatever you are most comfortable with.

[Guest]

I have been using Jumers for 20 years to climb halyards.They are made for mountaineering and are basically rope clutches.I think there are plenty of other brands on the market.One Jumer is attached to the bosn chair.The other is attached to rope stirrups fashioned from any old rope that is strong enough.You rise up the rig by alternately standing and sitting and sliding the appropriate Jumer up the halyard.Reverse the proceedure to get down.If you need to work on the stuff on the mast cap you can usually reach it by standing up in the stirrups.I like this method because my safety is entirely in my own hands.

[Marshy 30]

Thats what that electric winch is for Smithy And why the Marshall has a big fridge So the owner never has to go up the mast! What have you got to do?

 

We played around with Accenders etc to get up rigs but found them a pain in the bum and too slow. Easier and cheaper/faster as riggers to get two down there and get it done. If it was only spreaders for lazy jacks etc i have been known to hoist the chair to the height, then free climb up and sit into the chair but that can be a bit sketchy

[Guest]

best way I've found is to wear gumboots and walk up, stay away from the spar, once you get a hang of it it is surprisingly simple, you'll need a bosuns chair preferably snug fitting with 2 lanyards attached, one of these you tie as a rolling hitch on whatever halyard you're climbing ( mention here you do need 2 halyards/ ropes to ascend) and the halyards/ lines go inside your foot instep and outside your knee each side to give friction.......up you go .........as you go up one hand is pushing the rolling hitch up the halyard as a safety and use the other lanyard to tie off to whatever when you're where ever you want to be , coming down is the reverse , the grip of the boots ( those cheap seaboots work well though you do get ropemarks on them) allow you to stop or pause where you want to

[PaulR 3]

If it is hard to winch a large heavy somebody up the mast, buy some decent large snatch blocks and lead the halyard to the anchor windlass, start engine and with a foot on the windlass switch, up they go

 

VERY VERY Easy and NO sweat factor.

 

The best part of using the windlass if is they fall, or drop something, one is out side the "DZ".

 

Besure you do knot stand inside the snatch block / rope angle.

[wheels 543]

It is a good habit to have some form of safety. Some use a spare halyard, but we have always found that difficult to control two halyards. So at the very least, we make sure we have the halyard that goes through a rope clutch. That saved my life once. I was nearly at the top and Dawn was grinding away when she said Opps!!. There is no such thing as Opps when you are winch me up the mast dear. What happened. The winch has come out of the mast. What??? Rigger had attached winch topmast with Rivets that never went right through the mast wall.

And a few of you know why I am not fond of hooking my safety line on at the top of the mast

[smithy09 50]

Thanks Guys.

I had an embarrassing moment last time I took her out. We have a two part halyard and it got caught around the runner termination and would not come off. I couldn't get the main up or down and we were in the middle or the harbour... I ended up going up myself with the better half on the electric winch, and freed it no problem, but while I was up there I saw some stuff I didn't like and want to have a closer look.

I got home on Thurs, down to the boat friday, and the bloody tweaker that pulls the stbd runner in to support the mast has broken and disapeared down the mast.

Thanks for all the offers to haul me up, but it's pretty damn boring ifd you have to hang around a couple of hours while I faff around up there, hence my question about going up myself..

Maharg, PM me and we can make a time when I can come down and help you out.. Won't be next week, but the folowing is no problem. Be happy to help.

Thanks AA and KM. Appreciated.

Depending on what else I find up there I will probably get a proper rigger involved, and get the whole thing checked over and any repairs done that need doing...

 

Thanks for all the input!

[Guest]

I though the idea for the "helper" was to winch you up, offer "helpful advice", walk around on deck so you swing around up there. Thenfinally polish off the onboard rum before letting you down.

[wheels 543]

Darn it, Slacko bet me too it. Although I wouldn't have been so mean. I would at least share the Rum, otherwise I am not sure I could get him back down

But as for boring, mate, on a boat, what more could be said. The worst day on a boat is still better than the best day sitting at home. I better not say better than working when the boss is on here.

[Atom Ant 0]

get a proper rigger

I mean you wouldn't want an improper rigger now would you? Who said anything about hanging around for a couple of hours while you faff around?

[smithy09 50]

Yeah I asked for that didn't i???