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Climbing the mast

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Rich G
Navigator

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226 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/09/2005 : 15:23:33

I've read the archives on the subject, but I still have questions. All of the suggestions for climbing the mast involve going up via the main halyard. Here's my problem: the reason I need to climb the mast in the first place is that the main halyard is currently coiled up in the cabin on the floor underneath the dinette table!

Stepping the mast is not an option right now. Will the jib halyard suffice? I'm mainly worried about the sheave supporting my weight (~170lbs). I plan on using a double-purchase system to a climbing harness and safety off to the mast with a rolling hitch.

Thoughts?

Thanks for your help . . .

Rich

Cerberus
Hull #4695
1984 SR/FK No Pop-Top

Edited by - on

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2005 : 16:01:25

Hi Rich,

Since you have an '84, my guess is that the halyards are still the wire/rope setup. To fish the wire part of the halyard through the mast head fitting is darned near impossible due to the eyes swagged at each end. Best to lower the mast - do the job - and raise the mast back up.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2005 : 17:14:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Rich G
 

Stepping the mast is not an option right now. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

None of my business but how can that be?
How often have you taken your mast down? A person can drop the mast in the slip in a matter of minutes. Once the boom is off which also takes only a minute or two it is no big deal. Especially since you would be putting it back up again without moving the boat, you would only need to disconnect the forestay and the forward lowers and loosen the others an inch and bada bing bada boom! If it is against marina rules to do it at the slip I would get a total of four people and do it while anchored.

If you really have to go up (which should be illegal if there is a restriction on mast raising at the slip) I would never do it on a wire to rope halyard. I would use the old jib halyard, cut the shackle eye off, splice it to a new 1/4" rope high tech core halyard and reeve it first.

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ilnadi
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2005 : 19:54:09

We have the mast down in our slip right now. Having the last slip is realy nice since I can leave the masthead over the dock and work standing on the dock. Only problem being when I apply force to bolts, the boat moves so I have to walk it until one of the dock lines is tight. I actually never asked the marina, but they didn't say anything.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Bill Holcomb
 Hi Rich,

Since you have an '84, my guess is that the halyards are still the wire/rope setup. To fish the wire part of the halyard through the mast head fitting is darned near impossible due to the eyes swagged at each end. Best to lower the mast - do the job - and raise the mast back up.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2005 : 20:50:30

Here's how I raise people up the mast. My system is quite easy and I've literally lifted everyone on our dock up their mast at one time or another. You need a bosuns chair, 3 blocks, and about 120 feet or so of 1/2 inch braided nylon line.

(1) Connect 2 blocks to your jib halyard. I use my spinnaker blocks and they have Wichard shackles. Just clip the shackles to the eye in the jib halyard line.

(2) Connect the other block to your bosuns chair. I use a genoa block. Like my spinnaker blocks, they have Wichard shackles.

(3) Tie one end of the line to the bosuns chair, run it up to 1 block, back down to the block on the chair, back up to the next high block, and back down. You've just made a 3 part block and tackle, which means you only have to lift 1/3 the weight (but does not change the load on the mast or jib halyard).

(4) Hoist the jib halyard to the top of the mast, making sure the bosuns chair stays on the deck.

Run the line through the other genoa block and back to a cockpit winch. Now you have the power of the winch pulling against a 3 part block and tackle. A child has the strength to lift you up. If you have NO HELP you are probably strong enough to lift yourself using the 3 part block and tackle (find help).

I do the winching, Spike goes in the chair.
She's only 100 lbs.

While dropping the mast is pretty easy, this is simple and foolproof. Sometimes you just have to go up.

We don't rig a safety line, but we could use the spinnaker halyard. We use that to hoist a bucket with tools if needed. In the worst case, Spike feels she could simply slide down the mast like a firepole (she's a pretty tough cookie).

View from the top

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Rich G
Navigator

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226 Posts

Response Posted - 05/09/2005 : 23:49:28

The halyards are all wire/rope combination--is there a particular reason why you would recommend not climbing that type of halyard?

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 05/10/2005 : 11:29:34

The nicro press fitting could slip, the knots could fail, I would rather have a rope burn than a wire cut, and the new rope is stronger.
You should switch over anyway. Read the archives on halyards, the technology has changed so much on cordage that very few still use the old wire and rope. I also had problems with the knots hanging up in the rigging when raising and lowering in high wind. After my first six weeks with my boat I hauled for the winter and converting to rope halyards was my #1 priority. I did a lot of stuff to my boat that winter but new halyards was job one.
Remember, we all sail different places and for different reasons. You will read many heartfelt opinions on this forum but only you can decide what makes sense for you.

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tmhansen
Captain

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USA
397 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2005 : 02:39:03

Jim I like your 3 to 1 idea. Wish I had thought of that when I cranked my friend to the top of his mast this past winter to retrieve errant Christmas lights. I have heard of two instances of people falling from the mast and having a fatal stop at the deck. One was an experienced rigger. I like to have a safety harness. I just use my sailing harness. I know it will hurt like hell if it has to support my weight but it won't hurt as much as me hitting the deck!

Although I don't think it will help Rich here is how I got to the top of my mast to set up xmas lights. My boat came with a webbing ladder with PVC rungs and slugs that fit into the mast that I used one halyard to haul to the top of the mast. I then climbed to the top. While climbing my wife belayed me on the other halyard tied to my harness. When I got to where I wanted to be she cleated me off. Since I was going to spend most of the morning up the mast I borrowed a rock climbing harness so I could sit or hang comfortably while both my hands were free. I used my safety harness too to make sure I did not invert. My wife did not have to lift me up at all.

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Rich G
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226 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2005 : 10:55:40

We used, essentially, Jim's system, which is almost identical to what we had figured out on our own. (It was nice to know that some one else had used it, though.) We hauled my girlfriend up in a climbing harness on rope run up on the jib halyard, and she tied herself off to the mast with a rolling hitch as a safety (for precisely the reasons Frank mentioned about failure of the wire). She didn't have any trouble getting the wire halyard back through the block, and we didn't even need the winch to haul her up. (She's a pretty tough cookie, too.)
We hope to change the halyards over to all-rope, but right now the priority is getting the boat to her home port from the boatyard she was bought from. (Last weekend's nor'easter has kept us here longer than planned.)

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deastburn
Captain

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USA
334 Posts

Response Posted - 05/16/2005 : 00:27:21

You might want to check out "Sail" magazine, which within the past year featured an excellent article on all the ways to get up a mast (with and without help), including using a climbers sling (much more stable and maneuverable than even a good bosun's chair). Jim's block-and-tackle method is excellent, but I'd be inclined to trust it more if it were designed for mountain climbing rather than sourced from blocks that happen to be on board. Also, the mountain climber has a brake, which is a nice thing to have around. As they say, accidents never happen on the way up, but on the way down...

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