Is Mast climbing just for small people.......

[aquaholic]

Someone did suggest to me about using the anchor windlass, however after reading some of these posts I will bin that idea.

[Graham_Wright]

Well thats weird, tried 10 minutes ago on the Pc and iPad with no luck, just tried it again and its fine, maybe its this server at work???
http://www.mastaclimba.com/

My ISP has been playing games (but, come to think of it, that's a different provider).

There is also a very amateurish Utube video. That was taken a couple of years ago when I was a bit ponderous (but only 70!).

I now advocate holding the mast rather than the shrouds as it ensures your leg effort is directed more nearly upwards rather than outwards and upwards. Additionally, in a sea way (rather than a garden!) it is better to keep close company with the mast to lessen your blood stains thereon.

I am teetering on the brink of advertising here which I don't approve of on the forum but if anyone wants to try one, they are welcome. Keep it if you like it (and pay!), return it if it doesn't appeal.

If the weather serves, I will time my ascent up the same mast and see if I can improve on the two minutes plus a bit, pitting my improved technique against a 2 year advance in age.

Better than all this, speak to someone who has one;- there's around 100 out there somewhere.

[vyv_cox]

I now advocate holding the mast rather than the shrouds as it ensures your leg effort is directed more nearly upwards rather than outwards and upwards. .......

Better than all this, speak to someone who has one;- there's a round 100 out there somewhere.

If you can accept that a Mastclimb and a Mastaclimba are near enough the same thing, then I agree entirely. I set up the line for the device by hauling it to the masthead, thread the device on, then stand on it to pre-tension the line before cleating it off. Much effort is wasted if the line is not tight.

I will say that I developed this method: the original instructions (20 years ago?) for the Mastclimb were to use a single line attached to the bosun's chair, through a block at the masthead, then down through the device and so to the winch. I never had much success with this.

I then ascend the mast, as you say. The padding on the device in my photo above is to protect the anodising on the mast. I find that holding shrouds as they become available helps to steady me as I climb, but basically I am holding the mast or the fixed line.

[Bosun Higgs]

No you aren't to big. just get one of these mast climbing things where you do the work going up and your wife tails the rope round the winch. Coming down she just releases the rope in a controlled manner. You must remind her not to fast otherwise the boat gets damaged as you hit it !
.

wrong way round. hopefully the OP is both stronger and heavier than his wife so he should hoist her up the mast.

[lw395]

wrong way round. hopefully the OP is both stronger and heavier than his wife so he should hoist her up the mast.

Due to the inefficiency of winches and so forth, it's actually a lot less effort to climb a mast yourself than to hoist even a youngster up there.

One possible exception, two of us sent a young lady up the mast of creighton's once, you get two blokes jumping the kite halyard on the side of the mast and the difficulty becomes stopping at the top! The climber has to take a rope tail with them when you do it this way, as otherwise you find 120ft of 18mm halyard is heavier than the climber and it all goes pear-shaped.

[Babylon]

Get one of these:

http://www.gdeffee.freeserve.co.uk/

George is a lovely chap, he custom-sizes the ladder length to your mast.

I just quietly walk up, then down.

If there's a helper to hand, s/he just takes up the safety line (heads'l halyard tied to bosun's chair) as I ascend, then let's it out around a cleat as I descend.

If there's no helper to hand, I sling a lifeline around the spreaders as I reach them, then around the uppers once I'm at the top. Reverse process as I walk down.

Only downside is if the mains'l is jammed up the mast - then you definately need someone to winch you up.

My rigger just shins up with nowt else.

[PetiteFleur]

Get one of these:

http://www.gdeffee.freeserve.co.uk/

George is a lovely chap, he custom-sizes the ladder length to your mast.

I just quietly walk up, then down.

If there's a helper to hand, s/he just takes up the safety line (heads'l halyard tied to bosun's chair) as I ascend, then let's it out around a cleat as I descend.

If there's no helper to hand, I sling a lifeline around the spreaders as I reach them, then around the uppers once I'm at the top. Reverse process as I walk down.

Only downside is if the mains'l is jammed up the mast - then you definately need someone to winch you up.

My rigger just shins up with nowt else.

I also use the defee ladder and it's excellent. I share it with a friend - he has his mast slides on one side and mine on the other side. I hoist it on the main halyard(with a bowline not the snapshackle) wear a harness with a lifeline. The ladder is hoisted as high as possible, cleated off and another line attached to the bottom end to haul the ladder taut. I then climb up with the lifeline wrapped around the mast twice. When at the top the lifeline is adjusted, usually twice around the mast and clipped back to the harness and you can lean back comfortably to do any work. I've only done this whilst ashore(in a cradle) never afloat yet! Works well in practice.