Used my new ascenders to climb the mast this weekend

[Ryan Turner]

And boy do they work great! Went down to the local REI store and picked up a pair of Jumar ascenders on friday. On saturday I clipped them onto my main halyard and up I went. These things have got to be the best way to climb the mast alone if you don't have mast steps. With a prussic knot tied off to the jib halyard you even have a safety backup. It was quite easy to get up and only moderately difficult to get back down. A great application of rock climbing technology to sailing.



rdtec@aol.com

[Russell]

I've seen two arrangements for ascenders. (1) One ascender for each leg. (2) One ascender for the chair, and one for the feet. In this case, your feet are in "stirrups" joined in a bridle that attaches to the ascender.

Which did you use?

[Ryan Turner]

I had one ascender shackled to the D-ring on my bosuns chair and one ascender with stirrups for my feet. The stirrups were made simply with a short length of line run through the ascender with a loop tied at each end. I used bowlines to tie the loops.



rdtec@aol.com

[Brent]

I climbed for years before I got into sailing and naturally carried over much of my gear. The first time I had to go up the mast I just grabed my harness and away I went to the amazement of the marina. I now race quite abit and do fore deck so I always where my harness. It is rather comfortable and you can hang from the mast all day long if necessary. The great thing about it is if you get dumped over and upside down while up the mast, say you went up while you were sailing, you do not have to worry about falling out of the harness.

just a thought but look into it.

Fair Winds
Brent



sailcovers@usa.net

[Neil Gordon]

>>With a prussic knot tied off to the jib halyard you even have a safety backup.<<

With a couple of more prussic knots on foot slings, you wouldn't need the ascenders. <G>

Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Paul]

Any advice on safety in using ascenders? I'm going to order a pair and have never used any before. Any tricks I should know about? Is it tough the first time? Can they jam?
Thanks for any advice on their use.

[Brewer Ezzell]

Paul,

Make sure your halyard size is big enough. My Jumar ascenders require a line larger than my halyard so I "tie" a sheet to the halyard and raise the sheet. If the line is too small, the ascender will jam shut and is hard to release.

On the feet bridle, have extra line at your foot loops so that you can secure the foot loop around your ankles. This way, if you should fall out of your chair, your feet will be secured to the bridle. You may be upside down, but you will still be up the mast and not a heap at the bottom.

As suggested, a climbing harness will avoid falling out. I have used ascenders with a climbing harness for about five years. I don't mind have someone tailing my safety line, but I much rather go up the mast on my own.

Brewer Ezzell



bezzell@murphyfarms.com

[Ryan Turner]

I don't think you'll have much trouble with the ascenders. I had never used them and found it very easy. As a safety back-up I tied a second line from the D ring on my bosuns chair to the jib halyard. The line was connected to the jib halyard using a prusic (sp?) knot. If the ascenders should fail (highly unlikely) or the main halyard should let go, I would be safely hanging on the prusic knot. It works great. Perhaps you could find someone to show you how to do the prusic knot. If not, I could send you a sketch via FAX if need be.



rdtec@aol.com

[Ryan Turner]

And he's got a beautiful boat too!



rdtec@aol.com

[Bill]

>>>: Make sure your halyard size is big enough. My Jumar ascenders require a line larger than my halyard so I "tie" a sheet to the halyard and raise the sheet. If the line is too small, the ascender will jam shut and is hard to release.<<<

Not only might they jam, they very well could fail. The cam device is not designed to work at angle approaching 90 degrees, so if the cam pivots enough to form a 90 degree angle it is being loaded btyond its design. I tried to use mine on 3/8" line and didnt feel safe. Most climbing rope is 7/16 or 1/2 (9-11 mm) and that is what ascenders are designed to work on. They work great on the right size line.

Bill



cd25d@clnk.com

[Richard Stephens]

Perhaps you could find someone to show you how to do the prusic knot. If not, I could send you a sketch via FAX if need be.

There is an article in Cruising World of May 98, showing how to tie several very interesting knots, including the Prusik. As he says in the article, us sailers have lost our bragging rights in knots to forward-thinking climbers!



rstephens@alexusa.com

[Cathy M.]

<a href="http://members.clnk.com/willies/sailing ... Rhapsody's Home Page</a>

>>>: Make sure your halyard size is big enough. My Jumar ascenders require a line larger than my halyard so I "tie" a sheet to the halyard and raise the sheet. If the line is too small, the ascender will jam shut and is hard to release.<<<

Not only might they jam, they very well could fail. The cam device is not designed to work at angle approaching 90 degrees, so if the cam pivots enough to form a 90 degree angle it is being loaded btyond its design. I tried to use mine on 3/8" line and didnt feel safe. Most climbing rope is 7/16 or 1/2 (9-11 mm) and that is what ascenders are designed to work on. They work great on the right size line.

Bill

[Russell]

(1) Using 2.54 cm/in, 1/2 inch is 12.5 mm, and 3/8 inch is 9.5 mm. Given this, why did 3/8 inch line seem dangerously small, and 1/2 inch line seem just right? Maybe halyard line is purposely more pliable than climbing line?

(2) Some ascenders have teeth. Climbing rope is especially designed to resist rough surface abrasion. Rope used for halyards may not be. How worried should one be about subjecting halyards to repeated ascents with these things?

[Ryan Turner]

(1) Using 2.54 cm/in, 1/2 inch is 12.5 mm, and 3/8 inch is 9.5 mm. Given this, why did 3/8 inch line seem dangerously small, and 1/2 inch line seem just right? Maybe halyard line is purposely more pliable than climbing line?

My 1/2 inch halyard fit in the Jumar ascenders very well. It worked great and there was no jambing or any other nasty effect.

(2) Some ascenders have teeth. Climbing rope is especially designed to resist rough surface abrasion. Rope used for halyards may not be. How worried should one be about subjecting halyards to repeated ascents with these things?

The Jumar ascenders definately have teeth. I was a little concerned about them chewing up the halyards when I did the climb. I didn't see any ill effects this time but would certainly want to keep an eye on the halyard if I went up too many times. But, after all, how often do you really need to go up the mast? It's so much fun with the ascenders that I might just want to go up there to have a look around. But then, I'd probably just hang out and have a beer in the cockpit instead. Unless, of course, I had some job to do up on the mast.



rdtec@aol.com