• Registered: 2005-04-08
  • Posts: 35

Topic: mast climbing

I just wanted to have my experience posted for those who are considering going up.
I have read the previous threads on the subject and now wanted to add my direct experience
for which there is no substitute.

I needed to retrieve a jib halyard and try to fix the anchor light which has never worked,
even though the mast was redone by a good pro.  I found a guy who weighs 160 pounds
(given the previous reading done on this site I knew my own 230 was going to be problematic)
he had a standard bosun's chair, and I winched him up on the little lewmar on my mast.

He (Brian) has a lot of sailing and mast climbing credentials and was very matter of fact about the whole
thing, his attitude was very helpful for the project. His instruction was go slow and talk to me,
we'll talk it out as we go along.

I had him halfway up and an experienced bystander offered to tail the winch for me, which help
I gratefully accepted.

The whole thing went off without a hitch as it were and the main thing I learned was that even though
in theory I as the winch grinder was the main motive power, the liftee did as much if not more of the
work than I did by helping the process with his own hands and feet, even though he was confined in the chair.

Brian (the liftee) was Smart enough to use the retrieved halyard as backup when coming down, even though it was never needed.

There was not too much swinging even though we did not do anything to prevent it by way of tying the boat up
in any certain manner.  In the case where the helpful tailer and I stood on the same side of the deck we got a slight heel going but never a swing or pendulum action.

In the case of Brian he said he had been up the mast in smaller boats and he never considered going
up on mine a problem at all. He commented on the physics that even at the top of the mast, his weight was a lot less than the force generated by a strong breeze on a full main and he is right.

Physics lessons are better observed in real life than described in a book and this one was no exception.

  • From: Petit Rocher NB Canada
  • Registered: 2009-12-15
  • Posts: 55

Re: mast climbing

Thanks for sharing the info. I found climbing a bit tedious when I had to go up. I have since purchased an ascender used in mountain climbing which works just great when clipped on the jib halyard with the bosun chair hooked on the main halyard. I find it much easier to pull myself up with the ascender than by gripping the mast or pulling on a halyard with bare hands. I keep the ascender on the boat; in a hitch the mast can be cllimbed without anyone on the winch.

...)))) May the wind fill your sails and the sun shine in your face cool
  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2006-06-30
  • Posts: 60

Re: mast climbing

My boat slip has two posts outside, a wooden bulkhead inside and then a grassy area for 40 feet to the street.
I had a 140 pound guy go up once in a bosun's chair and the wind had me running back and forth on the foredeck to dampen out the mast swinging when the wind blew. It was kinda hairy.
This time I tied the boat fairly tight outside my two posts, dropped the saftey lines and tied a line to the main halyard and tied that to the trailer hitch on my minivan. I managed to heel the boat over enough with no damage to the pulpits or safety lines, to get to the mast top on a 12 foot aluminum self supporting "A" ladder set right up to my bulkhead.
It was easy to work on the mast top and luckily no boats roared by to jostle things.

The cutworms are in the hollyhocks, again!

tubatooter1940's Website

  • Registered: 2006-09-20
  • Posts: 175

Re: mast climbing

Well I recently treated myself to a webbing mast climbing ladder that goes up the sail track.  It obviously wont be any use if the reason for the climb is the sail is jammed up, but it makes routine climbs a piece of cake.  You still need a harness and someone managing your safety line on a winch, but that's a single line that is nearly unloaded so no crew muscle required.

I'd only *ever* use a mast winch for climbing in an emergency.  You should have enough turning blocks and at least one halyard long enough to lead to a primary winch. It gets the winchman out from under you so if anything *does* go wrong there is still one person uninjured able to call emergency services and give first aid. Also the bigger winch gives better control and requires less effort, and the horizontal displacement lets the winchman see where you are with respect to the masthead and other mast fittings. Together these factors vastly reduce the chance of a mishap.

If you do have to go up the stick in harbour by 'traditional' means, and its a year or more since the last time, plan on cleaning all nav lights and changing their bulbs while you are up there, and also a top to bottom inspection of the rig, re-doing any anti-chafe tape on spreader ends etc. on the way back down.