Mast Climbing -- Best Practice

[JohnHolland]

I like enclosed mast steps. To climb I wear a 5 point harness with a bosuns chair shackled to a rope grab connected to the tensioned main halyard, then climb to the top 2 masthead work steps, then shackle to the top while working, reverse going back down.

[CaptainRivet]

Thats expensive but you can hoist yourself up and down a mast without any help.
https://swi-tec.com/product/alone-on...t-25m-swi-tec/
You disconnect the main sail halyard and hoist the mastlift up, then you can hoist yourself up with mastlift. I always have a 2nd halyard through a clutch and ona whinch as security line, the helper just have to make sure its not jamming/get stuck.
Securing myself with a climbing carabiner in the sliced eye wit timble at the main sail or spi hailyard..that holded the 90sqm mainsail which is heavier them i am and the climbing carbiner simpler and safer then a knot clicking into that and the bosum chair
I use the very expensive bosum chair from oakley which is standard for professional riggers, whichbeven has shoulder straps so you cannot tipp over when leaning too far back or front.

[jazzgtr]

Had 2 riggers come to install a spinaker halyard, they were not young and I was interested in seeing how they would get up (no electric winches) they ran the main halyard around the manual winch, whipped a Makita battery drill out and up one went, nice smooth ride.

[torrmundi]

Almost all the ascender devices have a line diameter range of 10-13mm, a few with less range. But my halyard is 14mm - the ONLY device I've seen for 14mm line is the Gibbs Ascender Model #4 (14-19mm).

Can any of the items like GriGri, Akimbo, etc be used on 14mm lines?

[Benz]

Originally Posted by torrmundi

Almost all the ascender devices have a line diameter range of 10-13mm, a few with less range. But my halyard is 14mm - the ONLY device I've seen for 14mm line is the Gibbs Ascender Model #4 (14-19mm).

Can any of the items like GriGri, Akimbo, etc be used on 14mm lines?

Most of the personnel safely devices are optimized for 11mm--that's 7/16" in Sensible--rope, since that's what's sold for rope-access use. But you should have a dedicated climbing rope, ideally 7/16" diameter, that you send up on your 16mm halyard, to ascend on.

[paul2884]

I don't have anyone who would winch me up and don't have electric winches, I cleat one halyard off tight, climb that one with climbing ascenders on a full body harness and have a second halyard tied to my harness that my wife keeps taught round a winch as a safety line. All lines tied with bowline to the harness. My harness is a commercial fall arrest harness but also padded as a climbing harness (similar or the same as tree surgeons). I sometimes use a prussic loop as a backup on the taught line i am climbing and for the decent and let my wife lower me rather than climbing down.
This all supposed its our boat and i am confident on the condition of the halyards!

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by torrmundi

Almost all the ascender devices have a line diameter range of 10-13mm, a few with less range. But my halyard is 14mm - the ONLY device I've seen for 14mm line is the Gibbs Ascender Model #4 (14-19mm).

Can any of the items like GriGri, Akimbo, etc be used on 14mm lines?

With a rope that size you can come down on a figure 8, but going up is not so easy. Someone here posted a video of going up using an 8 as a gain capture device, but I haven't made that method work for me yet.

Each device has a range of rope sizes that it's rated for. Within that range, some ropes work better than others. If you have a stiff rope at the top end of the range or a soft rope at the bottom end of the range, you can have serious trouble. A small soft rope will sometimes twist inside some control devices & drop you quickly. Edelrid makes a specialty repel device called the micro jul that can be used with ropes that are below 7mm. of course, they also make a specialty rope in that size. Your gear needs to be a matched set. The climbing devices are designed to be used with kernmantle ropes, not double braid ropes, so a little trial & error is needed if you are going to use climbing devices with yacht braid. A figure 8 or rescue 8 gives you the widest range of rope size by far. I have tested my rescue 8 with everything from 5/8" braid to 1/8" dyneema. The dyneema was tough because of how slippery it is, but I did make it work for test purposes. I do not intend to use it in the field.

If you have a large diameter halyard, one option is to connect a smaller diameter line to the halyard, then raise the halyard. I've done this before. I normally carry a good proper-diameter line that I trust along with the rest of my climbing gear.

Another option is to prussic directly to the mast & not use a halyard at all, but that's a lot of work. I only do that if a usable halyard is not available.

[donradcliffe]

As a bowman, most of my masthead trips were done at sea. One halyard, tied to a bosun's chair, one guy tailing around a winch, and two gorillas jumping at the mast. Time is of the essence, especially when going to weather. The biggest danger is getting shaken loose from the mast, and at times I would come down with bruises.

Nowadays, I let my highly trained and attentive wife handle the battery drill and use a self tailing winch. I learned the hard way to never use an electric winch without another person to loosen the line if the winch does not stop. She is especially good at letting me down smoothly and quickly without jerky stops.
My biggest safety feature is always to have both hands on halyards or shrouds that I can use to slow my fall if something slips. Maybe I have a higher risk envelope, but I'm still going up masts.

[OldManMirage]

Just finished putting steps up my mast. Took me longer than I expected, but in fairness it has been decades since I have done this. It's amazing how much changes from your 20's to your 60's.

But I'll take steps over any other method of getting to the top. As stated earlier, I use a linesman's harness for safety and just climb. I don't have to rely on anyone else's attention span or skills.

And the view from the top is amazing !

[rls8r]

Originally Posted by pbiJim

If you have a large diameter halyard, one option is to connect a smaller diameter line to the halyard, then raise the halyard. I've done this before. I normally carry a good proper-diameter line that I trust along with the rest of my climbing gear.

I think that this is a good idea. I don't use my ascenders with the halyard since the halyard is a double braid rope that is not, as far as I'm aware, made for climbing. The static SRT climbing rope, on the other hand, is a double braid rope made to take ascenders. I connect the climbing rope to the halyard with a Figure 8 knot. I do the same thing with my safety line, but I use a dynamic rope for that. My connection to the safety line is with an aramid fiber prusik loop.

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by rls8r

I think that this is a good idea. I don't use my ascenders with the halyard since the halyard is a double braid rope that is not, as far as I'm aware, made for climbing. The static SRT climbing rope, on the other hand, is a double braid rope made to take ascenders. I connect the climbing rope to the halyard with a Figure 8 knot. I do the same thing with my safety line, but I use a dynamic rope for that. My connection to the safety line is with an aramid fiber prusik loop.

None of the lines on a boat are actually correct for use with climbing gear. Climbing ropes come in two basic flavors, with a bunch of sub categories. The two basic flavors are static lines & dynamic lines. People are supposed to hang from dynamic lines, as they can absorb shock during a fall. Static lines are for hauling gear. The minimum stretch double braids that we typically use for halyards are closer to being static lines. Full nylon double braids that have a little more give & are closer to being dynamic lines, but they are still pretty different. Kernmantle construction is a whole different type of rope assembly. Climbing ropes have straight strands inside with a braided jacket on the outside. The cores are as different as knight & day compared to yacht braid.



I'm currently trying to decide which gain capture device I want to keep on board my boat for going up a rope. The Gri-gri is the easiest to use, and about the best performing, but it has moving parts that are metal & I have concerns about corrosion in a salt water environment & the potentially catastrophic results of the mechanism hanging up and binding in the open position. Black Diamond makes something called the Pilot, that does sort of the same thing pretty well and is only one piece with no moving parts, but it slips more easily so letting the brake strand slip out of your hand accidentally is more likely to be problematic or even catastrophic. I find that I need to be more careful when using it. But it does descend well & like the Gri-gri, there is no change in rigging between going up & going down the rope. Other devices, like a Reverso or an ATC require a rerig that is a PITA & needs to be done as you hang from some other device. At present, I keep no devices on the boat & plan to only use quickly made prusiks if I come across an emergency situation. That's more labor intensive and less efficient, but all you need is rope & that I always have on the boat.


In the first video below, you can easily see the stretch in the dynamic line that the guy is climbing up. When he loads the rope with his weight(at about 2:30), the line gives quite a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_lyZteCqgc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKOZDe0J4bI

[rls8r]

pbiJim -

I use two ropes to go up the mast; a static line for ascent and a dynamic line for safety and descent. For ascending, I used to use a Wild Country Ropeman 1 for a top ascender to which my harness was attached and a Climbing Technology RollnLock Pulley for the lower ascender to which the foot straps were attached. I'd then use an ATC to descend - with the ATC on the dynamic 'safety' line. But, as you say, using the ATC was a PITA, so I switched over to the Gri-Gri. I also go up with an ATC and a Figure 8 hanging from my harness - just in case something goes haywire with the Gri-Gri.

I go up on a static line because I find it uncomfortable to go up on a dynamic line. To me, it's like trying to climb up a rubber band. I make more progress, quicker, going up on a static line. I suppose if I did it a lot that I'd get used to going up the dynamic line - but I don't go up the mast that often.

I liked the videos that you linked. When I first started using this stuff I used a 'classic' Prusik as a safety. That, too, was a PITA since I had to loosen it after setting up the ATC in order to descend - and it never did go down the line easily. I now use a French Prusik with the Gri-Gri and life is a lot simpler and easier to go up and down.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by pbiJim

None of the lines on a boat are actually correct for use with climbing gear.....The two basic flavors are static lines & dynamic lines. People are supposed to hang from dynamic lines....

No. Not correct. I'm guessing you are a recreational climber without exposure to industrial climbing.



Dynamic lines are for taking falls. Lead climbing. I have several and have climbed rock and ice for 40 years. Still do.


For rope access, hanging, and ascending, static lines, or at least semi-dynamic are preferred. In fact, jugging up s a dynamic rope is far less efficient, because you bounce more. You will not find dynamic ropes in use in industrial settings, for ascending and work at height. You won't find an arborist using a dynamic climbing rope. Check Westspur and similar sources. A typical example of a rope used for this type of climbing, which is very different from recreational rock lead climbing. https://www.wesspur.com/ROP1AFM-arbo...-climbing-rope



Double braid yacht ropes can meet OSHA and ANSI standards for this application if properly sized.


By the way, there is no reason not to use static or semi-static line for top roping. In fact, it has many advantages, including less stretch near the ground, where ankle sprains can be an issue. It's just habit that most climbiners use lead ropes for top roping. Mostly, it's because they only own one rope. And because they might want to lead something.

[pbiJim]

Originally Posted by rls8r

pbiJim -

I use two ropes to go up the mast; a static line for ascent and a dynamic line for safety and descent. For ascending, I used to use a Wild Country Ropeman 1 for a top ascender to which my harness was attached and a Climbing Technology RollnLock Pulley for the lower ascender to which the foot straps were attached. I'd then use an ATC to descend - with the ATC on the dynamic 'safety' line. But, as you say, using the ATC was a PITA, so I switched over to the Gri-Gri. I also go up with an ATC and a Figure 8 hanging from my harness - just in case something goes haywire with the Gri-Gri.

I go up on a static line because I find it uncomfortable to go up on a dynamic line. To me, it's like trying to climb up a rubber band. I make more progress, quicker, going up on a static line. I suppose if I did it a lot that I'd get used to going up the dynamic line - but I don't go up the mast that often.

I liked the videos that you linked. When I first started using this stuff I used a 'classic' Prusik as a safety. That, too, was a PITA since I had to loosen it after setting up the ATC in order to descend - and it never did go down the line easily. I now use a French Prusik with the Gri-Gri and life is a lot simpler and easier to go up and down.

I concur with everything you posted here. When buying an ATC, I always get the guide version, as for just a few bucks more, it allows me more options in how the device can be used. Gain capture becomes an easy option.

[catsketcher]

Wow - lots of climbers here. I am more like Don - I go up the mast and my wife tails the halyard. I shimmy up, climbing - pulling myself up the mast. After watching lots of IOR racing foredeck hands monkeying up the mast I grew up thinking getting pulled up was for old people and I am not there yet. It also makes it easy for my wife to pull me up as all she does is tail and I go no faster than I want. Part of my "I still have got it" rage against ageing.

I abseil on lines much thinner than our halyards and renew my halyards regularly - so I have no problem going up on a single halyard when pulling myself up (wife tailing) and carefully guiding myself down. I use a climbing harness and have a wooden seat for longer times sitting but I often use my canyoning harness as that is more comfy. No shackles, no splices, no whipping - only knots onto the harness.

cheers

Phil