Chair, Harness, or Ladder?

[TooCoys]

Which do you prefer for climbing your mast, and why?

I was looking at a Bosuns chair, but a friend said he prefers a climbing harness because it gives him more freedom of movement. And tonight I discovered mast ladders.


Most of the solo apparatus that I am finding looks entirely to fumbly for me. Is there some kind of pulley system that can be used?

I want to learn how to climb my own mast instead of hiring someone to do it.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Climbing Harness, no question. For freedom of movement, ability to attach tools, & tool bags, you can't fall out of it (unlike the other 2), was designed from the beginning to be comfortable for extended wear periods, & use with various levels of clothing...

Borrow a standard bosun's chair, & go to an REI that has a climbing wall, & then try just hanging for 1/2hr in several different harnesses, as well as the bosun's chair. And while you're at it, imagine doing even the simplest of moves while in each.
There's no comparison really. Well, other than to see which harness suits you the best.
Try it out while wearing everything from shorts, to 3 layers of clothing & foulies.

Also, do a few searches on here on mast climbing, going aloft, etc.

Note that even when dockside, bowmen wear (climbing) harnesses. Think there might be some reason to this? They just work better, & are more comfortable.

[Sandibar]

I use a climbing harness just because I have one already, I'm sure a bosun's chair would be more comfortable. Wife pulls me up with a halyard and mast winch, so can't comment on the soloing bit.

[TooCoys]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Also, do a few searches on here on mast climbing, going aloft, etc.

.

I've been reading past threads most of the night. I've ruled out the ladder thing. I'm not trying to be hanging 30' in the air by my foot!

[Sandibar]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Climbing Harness, no question. For freedom of movement, ability to attach tools, & tool bags, you can't fall out of it (unlike the other 2), was designed from the beginning to be comfortable for extended wear periods, & use with various levels of clothing...

Borrow a standard bosun's chair, & go to an REI that has a climbing wall, & then try just hanging for 1/2hr in several different harnesses, as well as the bosun's chair. And while you're at it, imagine doing even the simplest of moves while in each.
There's no comparison really. Well, other than to see which harness suits you the best.
Try it out while wearing everything from shorts, to 3 layers of clothing & foulies.

Also, do a few searches on here on mast climbing, going aloft, etc.

Note that even when dockside, bowmen wear (climbing) harnesses. Think there might be some reason to this? They just work better, & are more comfortable.

Hmm. Sure a climbing harness is designed to be worn for extended periods, but I don't think it's designed to be holding your weight for extended periods with comfort a priority (at least the normal waist-worn climbing harness). Typically they are used to stop a fall, or to descend, which typically takes a minute, max. Of course, if you need to be pre-prepared and have to wear something all the time, while working on deck they are more convenient than the chair. Never tried one, but I'd assume something like this would be more comfy up the mast:

[Sandibar]

Don't see the pic in my above post, this is what I was trying to link:

[LongRange]

Both a climbing harness AND a bosun's chair.

The harness provides safety (falling out is not possible if used correctly), but a modern climbing harness has light and thin leg loops in order to save weight. After half an hour sitting in such a harness you most likely won't be able to feel your legs anymore, which is just as well because the overwhelming sensation would be pain

Climbing harnesses are designed to arrest falls, not to be sat in for extended periods. In that scenario the climber will wear an additional load-bearing sling over the harness - which is essentially the same thing as a bosun's chair.

[GILow]

I'm OCD. I use a pair of ascenders on one halyard, a bosun's chair on another AND a climbing harness on another.

OK, I also weigh over 110 kg so perhaps my priority is ensuring I don't create an almighty crater in the deck.

But the bosun's chair is a PITA so I ask my wife to sort of winch it up after me. The climbing harness is much more liberating but psychologically less reassuring than the chair. The ascenders are hard work but a necessary evil when you don't want your loved one to have a hernia lifting your sorry arse up the mast.

Once up there, the chair is my friend. Getting my weight off the ascenders and forcing myself to trust the chair is a great relief and takes a lot of the sense of time pressure off the task.

That's my formula. Everyone is different I guess.


Edit: oops just read the original question properly. The ascenders are brilliant for getting up the mast solo. With patience you can pause to juggle additional lines to bring a bosun's chair up with you as you go which I personally feel is essential. I have declined to assist a number of yachties with mast climbing because they did not have my required second halyard for redundancy.

[UNCIVILIZED]

I'm not a bowman, as I'm too big, but I'm more than well versed in their tasks. Thus my climbing harness goes with me whenever I travel for sailing. Can't recall the make right now, but it's definitely more comfortable than the few bosun's chairs I've tried. It's of the "big wall" genre, with lots, & lots of padding in the leg loops. Plus plenty of ergonomically cut padiding in the belt. Never have had my legs go numb in it. And there are plenty of times I've spent half a day or more up the mast fixing something. Which most bowmen would tell you the same.

Just have a look, & trial, of what's out there before you go writing them off. That's why I said to go to REI (with a book) & plan to spend a good part of the day hanging on the wall. Though probably any good climbing store will let you try this. Just go when it's slow there, so that you don't monopolize their hardware & attachment points.

The other thing to look at besides comfort when hanging for extended periods, is how quick is it to get in & out of the thing? As sometimes you have to go up in a hurry, or need to shed it like NOW. And many harnesses have buckles that allow for this, instead of having to fully climb out of the thing as is the case with a bosun's chair.

Also, consider this, it's not exactly uncommon to have to go up the rig when at sea. Often at night, & a fair bit of the time in heavy weather on top of this. Which do you want to be wearing then? And wouldn't you rather be familiar with it as opposed to last having even inspected it 6 months ago?

Call a few harness makers, as well as climbing gear stores, & run through a list of questions & concerns with them.
https://www.rei.com/c/mens-climbing-...%7Cnum-reviews


EDIT: Those of us who do much work up the mast also make a few mod's to our gear. One of them being to fabricate a set of foot loops out of webbing, that when linked to your D-ring up front, allow you to stand up. And when such loops are rigged on the short side, they allow you to rise up vertically another 1' or so, so that the masthead's visible while you're up there.
And when rigged longer, they let you "stand" up there & work, assuming for some reason you don't just get lowered down a few feet, & stand on
the spreaders for a bit.


Also, don't just check out climber's harnesses, look into Rescue Harnesses, & Military ones too. Each sub-group has different, useful features. And you may find that one subcategory suits you better.
CMCRescue, NARescue, etc.

[SV Kittiwake]

We use a climbing harness because I climb a halyard (using a petzl shunt and a wild country ropeman) and Elena belays me on another halyard as a safety backup. We've both done a fair bit of climbing so feel most comfortable with this setup. And we had all that gear lying around.

The harness I've got (a black diamond one) does get quite uncomfortable after extended periods, but I've also got a metolius big walling one which is more comfy so might use that in the future if I'm up there for a long time.

[Jim Cate]

I can't claim Unciv's mast exercise history, but I've spent a lot of uncomfortable hours aloft. I have both a chair and a climbing harness. For me, the harness (acquired from REi as recommended) does give more flexibility and the ability to get my shoulders and head above the masthead if required. But, it is numbingly uncomfortable for long periods of use. The chair is far better in that respect. It has a crotch strap that keeps one from sliding out of it, a padded seat, large pockets for tools, loops for more tools or lashings, and massive hardware. But the attachment point for the halyard is pretty high so it's hard to work on masthead stuff and it restricts my reach somewhat.

I've a history of height fear, but over the years I've become adjusted to working aloft and it does not bother me any more... at least at rest. I've only had to go aloft at sea twice and didn't like either event... at all! But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and now at sea I'd chose the harness with a shackle at chest height to keep me from falling over backwards! As a certified old fart, I hope to never need to do that again!

All in all, going aloft solo is a bad idea unless unavoidable. Just the simple things like sending up tools that you forgot to include in your kit (and yes, that seems to happen all too often!) or turning on a switch to see if the new bulb has cured the dead masthead light or whatever... going up once on your own is ok, but repeated trips are a bitch.

It's all a part of being a cruiser, but one that takes some self confidence and planning... which you seem to be doing!

Jim

[thinwater]

I've seen professional riggers use each of the three methods, so the bottom line is they can all work very well. In fact, it comes down to personal likes and dislikes. I've used each of the methods and don't have a strong preference, other than to say that a plain climbing harness can become intensely uncomfortable withing 20 minutes, cutting off the blood flow to the legs. Big wall or rigger's harnesses are better.

[Pete7]

Problem with bosuns chair is they don't get you high enough to do serious work on top of the mast. They can only hoist so the ring in at the top of the halyard and that's it. A ladder enables you to stand waist height above the mast working downwards. So if its change a light bulb it probably doesn't matter. If its fit a new VHF antenna, cables and bracket then a mast ladder for me, with a harness of course just in case.

Pete

[Benz]

I use a Black Diamond harness, and it does cut off blood supply after a half hour or so. If going up for longer, I bring a very lightweight carbon fiber 'swing-seat' I made, slung with dyneema. It dangles from my harness when not in use, but can be deployed for sitting on in moments. Thus I'm always tied in to the harness, and have even used the seat to stand on for masthead work. If you carry a 'daisy chain' on your harness, you can clip in short to any convenient spot to keep you from swinging, and to back up the line you ascended on.

Ben
zartmancruising dot com

[barnakiel]

None of the above.

We have mast steps and this is what I prefer.

Except if the boat is a maxi 60'er or bigger when it is so nice to go up in a comfortable bosun's chair looking at the top of the head of the guy operating the winch.

b.