# Climbing the mast



## pkats (Feb 22, 2009)

I need to change the anchor light, so I am looking for some equipment to climb the mast. I read some articles about Bosun's chair. I would appreciate any recommendations about what equipment I should use. Thanks, Paul


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Paul,

I, and others here, could attempt to tell you the 10 step process to safely ascend and slowly decend a mast, but if you've never done it (please pardon me if I"m wrong, but I've inferred that from how you've asked the question), I suggest you find someone who has and get them to help you. Ideally, you should get a professional rigger who, without doubt, will know exactly what they are doing. Watch what they do, ask lots of questions and take notes. Next time you can try it yourself. 

Going up a mast is not complicated, but it is dangerous unless you know how to do it. Reading how it's done on a blog can be dangerous as there is no way anyone here can know exactly what the set up on your boat is. A professional rigger will carefully assess your situation before they go up the mast. Ask them what they're doing and why. It will cost you something, but you'll learn a lot and you're certain to go home for dinner (vs to the hospital) when it's done.


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## WheresTheBrakes (Sep 29, 2008)

I agree.. experience is a great teacher and well worth a few $'s
There was a thread on here I think about a guy in his 50's that fell from the spreaders and fractured one ankle/foot/shin on the deck so badly it had to be amputated..that's not worth $100..


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

pkats said:


> I need to change the anchor light, so I am looking for some equipment to climb the mast. I read some articles about Bosun's chair. I would appreciate any recommendations about what equipment I should use. Thanks, Paul


Are you going up the mast by yourself, and have to ascend and descend unassisted? Are you going up the mast and will have assistance that can winch you up the stick? Are you going up the mast and will have assistance that can help with winching a safety line, but is not capable of winching you up the mast?

The technique and equipment you need may vary, depending on your answers.

Also, it would help if you said what boat you were doing this on...


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## painkiller (Dec 20, 2006)

Hey, Pkats. While what the other guys said about caution is always good, there's such a thing as being over-cautious. Climb the stick yourself unless you're not confident in the rig or you just don't want to.

You have lots of options, but they boil down to something like this:

1) Use a bosun's chair and have somebody crank you up. That can be a pain in the ass for the cranker and it takes a while. Plus, your life is in their hands.
2) Use a bosun's chair or harness and a tackle to hoist yourself up. I've heard people talk about 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, etc. but you're going to need a lot of line and some expensive blocks.
3) Use some climbing/ascending gear and a static line. ATN makes a product called a TopClimber. I use it and think it works just fine. Other guys prefer making their own setups using better-quality climbing gear. If you have experience rock climbing and know your climbing knots and hardware, then this is a good idea. Either way, you don't need someone to hoist you up. Just have them standing by to watch out for you, taunt you if you start to chicken out (not that I would know), send beers up on a utility line (always appreciated), or maybe even tend a backup line for you.

Just be careful, but that's perfectly obvious.

Enjoy the view.


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## zz4gta (Aug 15, 2007)

buy a climbing harness for $40 and get a friend to haul you up on a halyard.


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## sailhog (Dec 11, 2006)

The fine and prudent sailors who have posted here may not agree with my opinion on this matter, but here goes... In my opinion, ascending the mast is far safer than most people think it is. If you can get two or three strong men or women to haul you up with a sound halyard attached to a sound shackle that his held up by a reasonably sound rig and mast, then you'll be fine. The drive to the marina will likely be more dangerous than the trip up the mast. When I go up, I like to keep my hands and feet loosely about the mast. If there's a failure, then I"m sliding down the to the spreaders or the deck with a belly burn. Once at the masthead, I clip into the spinnaker halyard. 

Having said this, you'll need to closely inspect the shackle and halyard before you go up. YOu need to look for any signs of potential failure. I use electrical tape to secure the shackle in the closed position. Have an experienced sailor check your work. I prefer going up on an all-rope halyards tied with to the shackle with a bowline. Be very careful. Once suspended in the chair, bounce around a bit before you go up. Does everything feel solid? Do you feel like you're going to slip out the front? Is the wind blowing too much? Are any boats wakes going to throw you around? If you don't feel comfortable on the way up, then come down and call a professional rigger.

Anyway, I'm never take unnecesary risks when sailing. I'm not unnaturally afraid of heights and I'm not a thrill-seeker. My bottom line is this: I like to know what's going on at the masthead of my boat, which means I"m going up there on a fairly regular basis. I'm always getting the call to send a friend to the the top of their mast, and I'm calling them to send me to the top of mine. After having done this many times, I feel very comfortable with the process.

By the way, WM has a good bosun's chair on sale right now for $150. On a final note, take a digital camera with you so that you can photograph the rigging once you're aloft for later inspection. Good luck and be careful.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Come on guys! 

"Get someone to crank you up" -- do you know how tall the mast is? do you know what the guy weighs? do you know the condition of the haulyard? or the sheeve box? or the size / capacity of the winch? or how corroded the fasters are that are holding the winch to the mast? the experience of the 'cranker', or more importantly, the tailer? (I think the answer is, you don't.)

"Use a 'sound' haulyard, a 'sound' shackel.......a 'reasonably sound' rig and mast " -- Define "sound". Now, define "reasonably sound". That's like saying you should only cross an ocean in a boat that's in "good" condition.


If you're giving advice on how to bed a cleat or how to adjust a sail track you can afford to be "off the cuff" in what advice you offer. But people get hurt / killed going up masts, and the pro's are ultra-careful --- they know exactly what they're doing and they know it's dangerous.

Paul, hire a rigger or find a friend to help you -- someone who's done it many times before and in whom you will trust your life.

PS -- and, if you hire a rigger, ask him to give the rig quick check on the way down. It won't cost you any more. You'll get a new anchor light, a rig inspection and lots of useful knowledge for your $100.


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## sailhog (Dec 11, 2006)

For crying out loud, mellow out.... I think most sailors know what a sound halyard and shackle look like. I noted that many prudent sailors on this site would disagree. The dangers of climbing the mast are obvious: you could fall. In my opinion I think that aquiring the wherewithall to climb your own mast safely is a worthwhile endeavor. I carry a bosun's chair on my boat in the event that I'm out and about and I shake loose a shackle and need to retrieve it. I guess I could call a rigger and have him meet me 50 away miles up the Coosaw River... or I could get my own busun's on my own boat and fetch my own shackle and be on my merry way...


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## corny (Jun 17, 2009)

I'm probably 'some kind of nut', but was sent up the mast this past weekend to investigate a windex and mast light that were hanging loose by the light wires. I have no experience with this and it was my first day with the new (to me) boat in it's slip for the first time this season. I weigh 230 lbs and am 6'1". I guess if I had read this thread first and/or hadn't been such a newbie, I probably would have never allowed myself to be sent up there.

Our slip neighbor had a very nice bos'n chair...really more of a harness than a chair. My boat is equipped with the 'wood board' type of chair and, having been on top the mast with the nicer rig, there's no way in hell you'd get me up there with anything less.

I was scared sh*tless, but found out what I needed to know - that the stainless stock that supports both of these had snapped in two, that I didn't have the right tools with me to repair it, and that it would either take another couple trips up the mast or stepping the mast to repair. We decided to pay the marina to step the mast and fix it for us for $200. Money well spent.

I'm glad I went up the mast, just so I personally know what's entailed. I don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon, unless I absolutely have to.

But if you're hell bent on it, get the very best equipment that you can get, double check all of your gear, make sure you have *everything* you need before going up, have some help via being winched up on the main halyard and get a second line on if you can. Don't attempt on anything but a very calm day and know that it's no piece of cake. And, people below, stay out of the way of falling tools.


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## timebandit (Sep 18, 2002)

Now if you weigh 300 pounds and are thinking of going up the mast on a water balasted MAC without water then you might give it another thought.:laugher :laugher :laugher


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## zz4gta (Aug 15, 2007)

timebandit said:


> Now if you weigh 300 pounds and are thinking of going up the mast on a water balasted MAC without water then you might give it another thought.:laugher :laugher :laugher


Just tip the boat over w/ a halyard and bring the mast down to you.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

Well

I do a LOT of stuff that could be fatal if the lifting system fails and when i look at sailboat parts and the ratings i see on them i really shake my head when i see a tiny shackle with and 8000# rating on it 

You are pretty bold to go up anything that sits out in the weather without a backup becasue i can never look at them and figure out how much the Uv and time has done  and you know what the say about OLD BOLD PILOTS


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

IMHO, you should never trust your life or safety to a shackle. Shackles can fail unexpectedly. I never use a shackle to fasten the halyard to my climbing harness. I use a bowline.


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## imiloa (Mar 17, 2004)

*Mast mate option*

Another option you can use to get to the top of the mast, without any help from large-biceped individuals, is a product called the Mast Mate. It is basically a ladder made of heavy webbing that is hoisted in the mainsail track just as the main would be. I have used it and it has a kind of sponge-like feel to it. You don't swing around as you might on a chair but you are somewhat limited in that your feet are always essentially right alongside the mast. You have to lean back against the safety belt to get both hands free like the old telephone/telegraph pole climbers.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

sailingdog said:


> IMHO, you should never trust your life or safety to a shackle. Shackles can fail unexpectedly. I never use a shackle to fasten the halyard to my climbing harness. I use a bowline.


Dog, I'm with you on knots vs hardware.....but to my point about each situation being different, a rigger told me a story last year about a guy who watched the knot holding him slip (and he fell) because the haulyard was one of the new high-tech fibers with a very low friction coefficient. Experienced guy, been up many times before, knew enough to tie the right knot but it was a new type of line. The rigger told me the decision of how to attach the haulyard to the chair now depends on the type of line.

Hog, Mellow? Who's stressed!!  I'm not saying NEVER to it. I'm not saying don't bother to learn how to do it. What I did say was that the first time you do it, you should be in the company of knowledgeable people. (I suspose in that regard, it's a lot like sex  ).

Corny, it doesn't take much experience to be hauled up the mast. Where you want the experience is on deck. The guy up the stick is, in most instances, a passenger whose safety is highly dependent on the knowledge and good judgement of those on the other end of the line.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

*Urban legend or true????*

I can't vouch for it's veracity, but the worst "up the mast" story I've ever heard concerned a couple (man and wife) several days into an offshore passage when something happens to require him to go up the mast. She cranks him up and when he arrives at the mast head he ties himself off (as all smart mast climbers to) and he begins working on whatever it was that sent him up there. Before he's finished, he has a massive heart attack and dies. His wife has no way to get him down, so she motors? sails? the boat three days back to port with papa-san at the mast head.

My wife hates it when I tell that story! Now when I go up the mast she makes me use the spare haulyard as the safety line which she controls from a second winch on deck.


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## sahara (Dec 15, 2006)

I have a really good Bosun's chair - and I never use it. Instead I use a climbing harness, lash tools to the gear loops, and use a flag halyard as a tool messenger in case I forget something.

I wouldn't trust a shackle - I use a double bowline and a locking carabiner. I usually don't have anyone on board I really want hoisting me, so I climb with Petzl ascenders (similar to Jumars) with a prusik backup to a halyard different from the one I'm climbing. I keep climbing gear on the boat anyway.

I love and trust my wife, but she doesn't feel comfortable belaying me climbing, nor hoisting me on the boat. I've sent my 12 YO up the mast several times, first when he was 9, but always in a climbing harness, and always with a prusik backup to a separate halyard.


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## pkats (Feb 22, 2009)

Guys, thank you so much for the input. 
Sailingdog, to answer your question: I am 155lbs, boat is 343 Beneteau and I am definitely going to have my friend (he is quite capable and experienced) to host me up the mast. My question was more like: what is better climbing harness or bosun's chair... Maybe I will just follow the advise and hire somebody to do it for the first time...


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## zz4gta (Aug 15, 2007)

Harness, all the way. I went up in one bosun's chair, thought I was going to fall out of it. Now when I crew on other people's boats, I pack my harness with my foulies. Never leave home w/o it.


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## EO32 (Jan 7, 2008)

*Both*

I wear a harness and have the safety line attached via a belay and a jammer.

I sit in a bosun chair and lift the chair, while keeping the safety line pulled up. I find the harness is not very comfortable when trying to work upright next to the mast.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

In my case I was the guy on the bottom and I sent the captain up the mast. We didn't have a chair or harness so he whipped up his own instant harness with a dock line.
We tied on the main halyard with the bowline and I tried to crank him up.
This boat Catalina 30, has a mast mounted non-tailing winch and we had a small, maybe 12" handle.

I couldn't figure out how to crank and tail as I needed two hands to crank and two hands to tail properly.
So I had him haul himself up by pulling on the jib halyard and I just tailed.
Worked out great for me and he proved what a great athlete he is.
I did all the work letting him down too.


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## GaryHLucas (Mar 24, 2008)

Funny thread!
Some people here should give up sailing, the fear could cause them to have a heart attack!

In a previous career I did sports lighting. I'd climb 65 foot wooden poles on hooks, ride up sitting on the ball of a crane to change a bub at 100 feet etc. I've gone up the mast hand over hand in my younger days, riding in a coil of rope as a bosun's chair many times. Now I have a bosun's chair with a pair of ascenders and foot loops so I can go up by myself, even though I don't have the arm strength any more. I'm completely comfortable up there. 

Of course I would NEVER let my younger brother winch me up again. He thinks its funny to let the halyard fall free for about 5 feet and then snub it on the winch! You get one hell of a bounce that way!

Gary H. Lucas


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

GaryHLucas said:


> Of course I would NEVER let my younger brother winch me up again. He thinks its funny to let the halyard fall free for about 5 feet and then snub it on the winch! You get one hell of a bounce that way!
> 
> Gary H. Lucas


That's a good way to kill someone by accident, since static lines, like some of those used in sailing, can often break under the shock loading of a drop like that. Tell your younger brother he's and ass and an idiot.


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## jheldatksuedu (Jul 4, 2006)

*Mast climbing*

Climbing a mast is dangerous, that's for sure. Lot's of stuff on a sailboat is dangerous. Learn your knots, climbing knots are very important. You don't need fancy equipment, you can use prussic knots and also tie a very good harness from line. If you have the fancy equipment it would be easier and probably safer. I was up my stick a couple weeks ago, I do have one of those webbing "rope" ladders. I've never liked it but I have used it on three different boats. I moves around took much because it stretches. I actually broke one of the rungs this last time, the stitching that connects it to the outside vertical web broke. I restitched it extra strong, I did hit that rung harder than normal, it was a first quick step up. I typically weigh in a just over 200 lbs. I always have multiple safety lines, I do everything possible to help make something dangerous more safe. I tie in when I get to where I will be working. This last time I was replacing a spreader, my boat has wooden mast and spreaders and I replaced the broken one with a modified and salvaged aluminum one. I modified it's mate and will replace the other one soon, but other jobs have a higher priority right now. My new safety device that I tried this time was hoisting up a 45 kilogram anchor supported by rollers up the fore stay and letting it come down as I went up. Next time I'm all the way up to the top, I will consider adding another sheave that is super strong for doing this kind of lifting. I don't like having my weight and the anchor added together on a standard halyard. It worked very nicely, climbing was very easy and if I let go I slowly would accelerate slowly down. I understand that not many boats have a 45 kilogram anchor but you can find something that has about that mass. Basically one half of a person weight will give you one half the force accelerating you and 1 and 1/2 times the mass, so that your acceleration would be 1/3 that of normal. This is not counting friction in the sheaves, that cuts it down to where you almost have to push your self down. At his point I am a solo sailor, an engineer and I enjoy figuring out ways to do most stuff by myself. I am working on a way to lower my keel stepped mast, and it's a big one. It sticks up over 54 ft from the waterline and the step is approximately at the waterline. I saw a Dutch build steel boat that had the front railing hinged to assist in raising and lowering a deck stepped mast. I'm doing some calculations on making a front railing that hinges all the way back at mid ship to assist in lifting and lowering both main and mizzen masts. This railing would replace all the front lifelines and stanchions.


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## HarryJames (Feb 28, 2005)

I am 65 and I have no problem with going up the mast, though I am afraid of heights. Make sure the halyard you use for the primary lift goes over a mast head sheave, don't use a spinnaker halyard on a bail. Use a second halyard for safety. Here is an alternate to a bosun chair.

Well it won't let me post a link because I am a newbe, try mastmate on Google


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## astroebel (Jun 16, 2009)

*Accidents do happen*

Just wanted to say that you have to be carefull.

Two months ago a yacht was found drifting in the Atlantic near to St Helena Island.

The "Solo" Skipper was nowere to be found but half way up the mast was what was left of the Bosuns chair.


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## eolon (Feb 5, 2008)

I am 57 years old, so I can't climb with quite the exuberance that I once did. I have Mast Mate steps, I wear a climbing diaper and use a force 3 Shockle to go around the mast as I climb. I am almost always solo, and I feel very secure. I only have to reset the shockle once, at the spreaders, and I make sure I have a firm grip on the stick before I unhook.

With this rig I feel confident in using two hands for work at the top. Yes, I know Shockle isn't approved climbing gear, but it could be, in my opinion.

(remember to aim for the water when you fall...)

Best Regards,


e

.::.


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## donlofland (Dec 8, 2008)

I've been up once, and the thought of it was scarier than the real thing. I studied Brian Toss' Riggers' Apprentice several times, then tied one jib halyard to my bosun's chair, leading the other end to the jib sheet winch. 

A second jib halyard went one end to my bosun's chair and the other to a cleat on the mast.

I basically hauled myself up the mast-cleated halyard while a boat-neighbor cranked the jibsheet winch, (commenting that it didn't feel like he was doing anything). About every 5 feet, we took out the slack on the mast-cleated jib halyard and recleated it to the mast-that was my safety line, so if the winch halyard gave way, I wouldn't fall more than about 5'.

Once up, both halyards held me there, and I also passed another, shorter line through the D ring on the bosun's chair and around the mast for extra security, (not my idea). Rigging some "stirrups" from another piece of line passed over the top of the mast helped me take a look at the very top.

Coming down, we reversed the process-put slack in the mast cleated halyard, ease the jibsheet winched halyard, about every 5' or so.

I chose a very calm day, asked the deck crew to let me know before they moved around on the boat, and wore a bicycle helmet, (looked funny, felt safer).


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## Northeaster (Jan 13, 2007)

Donof land - Don't mean to give you unsolicited advice, but... From my climbing background (someone with an engineering or other backgorund may comment as well) five feet of slack, if you were to have a failure of the main line, would put a hell-of-a force on a static (non-dynamic) halyard line, that has no type of shock absorbing device (ie webbing zipper) to reduce the shockload. That force will be transmitted to the chair, your body, and the halyard (and it's attachement points).

I would suggest that for a backup, you would be better to have another friend, or even the same guy, somehow tail off the second halyard on a cleat, so the slack could be kept to less than a foot.
Or, one of the best ways to do this, would be for you to just side up smaller diameter line up a cleated off spare halyard (using a prussik knot). The other end would be attached to your harness / bosun's chair.


Hope you don't mind the advice!


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## donlofland (Dec 8, 2008)

I like the prussik knot idea-thanks! I'll try it tomorrow...


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## Northeaster (Jan 13, 2007)

Depending on he size of your halyard / safety line, you want the prussik cord (loop of line tide together with a triple fisherman knot, about 1.5 0 2ft once tied, so about 4 ft or so before tying together)

The prussik cord must be smaller diameter than the rope you are attaching it too, about 60-70% of the larger rope size, so it will grip on the larger rope.
I normally use about a 6mm cord, but often 7mm is used. ^ mm which works on most 10mm climbing ropes, and also works OK on my skinny twin 8mm climbing ropes. You don't want too small a diameter, as it must hold your weight, in a fall, but going too large will make it slip, and therefore not catch a fall either.

As you ascend, you can tied off quick knots every few feet, underneath the prussik, as another backup. Only takes a second to tie a figure 8, or overhand knot, on a bite.

here is a good link to the prusik: I use a triple (wrap around 3 times). You should "tend" prusik knots as you ascend, meaning keep them fairly even and tight, and just pull down hard on it, to see if it grabs the rope. You will know if you have it too loose, and it doesn't bite. You will still be able to push / slide the knot up with your hand, even though it is tight enough to catch a fall, if the end is pulled on.

The Prusik Knot or Triple Sliding Hitch


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