Boson’s chair/mast steps

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by cardude

That mast ladder is slick. I need to investigate more to see if there is something like that for a furling style mast.

Ah, we also have in mast reefing. So instead of the mast ladder having sail slides for a slab reefing mast, ours has a bolt rope which goes up the trysail track on our mast.

Pete

[cardude]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Personal opinion... I hate the look of mast steps. If you want to be able to do a crows-nest sort of thing, go old school and add ratlines to your shrouds.

Hmmm. The ratline idea is interesting. Not sure that gets me to the top of the mast but it would be cool for a lookout position.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ne-100174.html

[roverhi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-_ZEPsI6Y

You can use either drill and tap machine screws or pop rivets to install steps. Don't like rivets because of the force required to 'Pop' SS or Monel rivets. Used monel rivets on my current boat because I had access to a compressor and bought a cheap pneumatic rivet gun from Harbor Freight to do the install. Used drilled and tapped fasteners on last boat which I would do again if a pneumatic rivet tool was not possible. Watched a guy in the marina install steps with boat in the water. Took him a couple of days to do steps all the way up.

Navigating from the spreaders is almost a necessity in waters with extensive coral. In the Tuamotus I'd climb up and sit on the spreaders and give my wife at the helm hand signals where to steer to avoid coral heads. The path from the pass to the village site was usually had rudimentary mark but there were so many places to anchor if you were up high enough to see the coral heads so you could get to them. If you anticipate navigating from the spreaders I'd put lifts on them so they don't sag under your weight. Should be no problem standing at the mast but sitting on the spreaders can cause them to slip down bit.

Steps are fine for getting up and down the mast but find them tiring to work from. You need to tie yourself to the mast to have your hands free to work. They don't work worth a dam for getting outboard like the spreader tips or servicing spreader lights. I've used them to get up the mast and then a bosun's chair to sit on while working.