We will need to do some maintenance aloft this spring - steaming light, spreader boots, new wind vane. This will require a total of three round trips (or less) What is the best/most economical way to get up there? A mast ladder looks like a good choice - with appropriate safety gear, but which one - Captain Al or Mastmate? Should I skip the ladder and go with just a chair, or just have the yard unstep and step the mast?
p.s. does anyone know the OEM for the steaming/deck light? I suspect corrosion and would prefer to just climb up and replace the whole unit.
-Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD 27 #37
dmaio@worldnet.att.net
Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Scott Ritchey
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
The old bosun's chair is probably most cost effective. Costs about $100 and you can reach spreader tips, etc. But, ther is the vertigo issue, the chance of dropping things (never to be seen again), and you need one or two (preferably) helpers to crank and tail. You parbably also need a very protected slip (powerboat wakes play hell). Pulling the stick will probably cost about $100 or more a shot. Plus you have to contend with safe storage (I had to build plywood brackets to support the mast on deck while I motored back to my dock). You also have to contend with disconnecting/reconnecting the wiring and retuning the rig. I haven't tried the mast ladders. Practical Sailor seems to like Mast Mate better (see www.mastmate,com). Cost is $150 (Capt Al) to $250 (Mastmate) and you need sail slides (mailsail slides probably need to be removed from mast slot). It's pricy, but I'm inclined to try Mastmate, with $50 optional work belt) to fix my windex (pelicans like to try to land on it). If I had helpers, I'd probably go with the bosun's chair.
RitcheyVS@aol.com
RitcheyVS@aol.com
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John
Forget Captain Al's Mast Ladder - junk
Duncan,Duncan Maio wrote: We will need to do some maintenance aloft this spring - steaming light, spreader boots, new wind vane. This will require a total of three round trips (or less) What is the best/most economical way to get up there? A mast ladder looks like a good choice - with appropriate safety gear, but which one - Captain Al or Mastmate? Should I skip the ladder and go with just a chair, or just have the yard unstep and step the mast?
p.s. does anyone know the OEM for the steaming/deck light? I suspect corrosion and would prefer to just climb up and replace the whole unit.
-Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD 27 #37
I special ordered a Captain Al's mast ladder from West Marine last summer and took it down to my CD30 and rigged it with the slides and shackles necessary that are not included. I can tell you I found it to be a cheap shoddy piece of junk that was dangerous at best and should never have been brought to market. In my experience at attempting to use it I found the webbing to be to narrow and the sail slide grommets were not spur grommets and ripped out. The pvc schedule 40 pipe pieces used for steps to make up for the narrow webbing rolled underfoot and were very uncomfortable not to mention quite dangerous. I returned it to West ( in Florida ) with a loud complaint and I've never seen one in the store since. I sent for info on MastMate and it seems a far cry better than Captain Al's junk. I couldn't justify the cost of MastMate however so I opted for a high quality replacement of my trusty old bosun's chair. I have considerable mast wiring so dropping the stick is a hassle for maintenance stuff. Besides you need a safe and dependable means for climbing the stick when at sea if the need arises and you sure can't reach the spreader tips from a ladder. You simply can't beat the bosun's chair for all around use in my opinion.
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Ed Rant
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
Duncan:
I pulled my mast light last year and don't recall seeing any maker's imprint on it, but according to my circa 1980 owner's manual the vendor is listed as Spartan Marine and it takes a GE212 and a 12V6W bulb. Mine turned out to be repairable, maybe yours is too.
Good luck on you climbing expedition.
Ed Rant
PATRICIA
Hull#206
Capedory27@AOL.com
I pulled my mast light last year and don't recall seeing any maker's imprint on it, but according to my circa 1980 owner's manual the vendor is listed as Spartan Marine and it takes a GE212 and a 12V6W bulb. Mine turned out to be repairable, maybe yours is too.
Good luck on you climbing expedition.
Ed Rant
PATRICIA
Hull#206
Duncan Maio wrote: p.s. does anyone know the OEM for the steaming/deck light? I suspect corrosion and would prefer to just climb up and replace the whole unit.
-Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD 27 #37
Capedory27@AOL.com
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Steve Alarcon
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
A mast ladder looks like a good choice - with appropriate safety gear, but which one - Captain Al or Mastmate?
Duncan,
I have the Captain Al's mast ladder. It was the only solution for me as I am a little over 200 lbs. and have trouble finding someone strong enough to winch me up. Maybe that difficulty is because my main halyard is lead aft, but I have always figured it was the weight. In any case, Captain Al's ladder works fine for me. I use my bosuns'chair secured to the jib halyard as a final "safe" resting place after I have gotten aloft; find it to be more comfortable that way. I have a canvas bucket that I raise and lower to hold and get supplys or tools. One major advantage of the ladder over being winched up....it is MUCH faster getting up and down!
Good luck, and think safety first when going aloft!
Steve Alarcon
CD30 Temerity
Seattle
alarcon@internetci.com
Duncan,
I have the Captain Al's mast ladder. It was the only solution for me as I am a little over 200 lbs. and have trouble finding someone strong enough to winch me up. Maybe that difficulty is because my main halyard is lead aft, but I have always figured it was the weight. In any case, Captain Al's ladder works fine for me. I use my bosuns'chair secured to the jib halyard as a final "safe" resting place after I have gotten aloft; find it to be more comfortable that way. I have a canvas bucket that I raise and lower to hold and get supplys or tools. One major advantage of the ladder over being winched up....it is MUCH faster getting up and down!
Good luck, and think safety first when going aloft!
Steve Alarcon
CD30 Temerity
Seattle
alarcon@internetci.com
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Larry DeMers
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
Since I am a rather large economy sized individual, and my winches are all single speed, we opted for the Mast Mate to facilitate climbing to the mast head.
We are greatly pleased with this ladder. Our CD30 needed quite a bit of work on the lighting (replaced the anchor light with a large Hella A.Lgt. and also some wind instrument adjustments), so the ladders two final steps that are located at the same heigth was a real plus. The straps are wide and thick, so they are comfortable with deck shoes on. I also bought the safety belt/parts and tool carrier for the mastmate, and this is a good item to get. It is two strong belts that go around your waist, (one goes around the mast for safety, the other goes around you).
The mast mate does not have sail slides attached when bought new, so that was the only inconvenience..and small at that.
Buy it..you'll like it!
Regards,
Larry DeMers
demers@cray.com
We are greatly pleased with this ladder. Our CD30 needed quite a bit of work on the lighting (replaced the anchor light with a large Hella A.Lgt. and also some wind instrument adjustments), so the ladders two final steps that are located at the same heigth was a real plus. The straps are wide and thick, so they are comfortable with deck shoes on. I also bought the safety belt/parts and tool carrier for the mastmate, and this is a good item to get. It is two strong belts that go around your waist, (one goes around the mast for safety, the other goes around you).
The mast mate does not have sail slides attached when bought new, so that was the only inconvenience..and small at that.
Buy it..you'll like it!
Regards,
Larry DeMers
demers@cray.com
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Jon Larson
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
Larry and all,
The December issue of Cruising World has an article on the types and samples of devices to allow going to the masthead. I read it on the plane coming home yesterday and found it most informative.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
jon9@ix.netcom.com
The December issue of Cruising World has an article on the types and samples of devices to allow going to the masthead. I read it on the plane coming home yesterday and found it most informative.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
Larry DeMers wrote: Since I am a rather large economy sized individual, and my winches are all single speed, we opted for the Mast Mate to facilitate climbing to the mast head.
We are greatly pleased with this ladder. Our CD30 needed quite a bit of work on the lighting (replaced the anchor light with a large Hella A.Lgt. and also some wind instrument adjustments), so the ladders two final steps that are located at the same heigth was a real plus. The straps are wide and thick, so they are comfortable with deck shoes on. I also bought the safety belt/parts and tool carrier for the mastmate, and this is a good item to get. It is two strong belts that go around your waist, (one goes around the mast for safety, the other goes around you).
The mast mate does not have sail slides attached when bought new, so that was the only inconvenience..and small at that.
Buy it..you'll like it!
Regards,
Larry DeMers
jon9@ix.netcom.com
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John Martin
Re: Mast Ladder, Bosun's Chair, or Crane?
We use a bosun chair on our CD28 "Intrepid". It takes at least 2 people to safely hoist me to the masthead, I am 200+ lbs. The only problem is it is dificult to reach anything on top of the masthead. You have a poor angle (working over your head) if you need to drill down into the top.
We had our mast down to do a major over-haul (re-wire; re-built all light fixtures; dissambled, cleaned, lubricated shives; installed conduit for wiring; ran wire thru conduit from mast to deck; terminated all wiring near base of mast in head; changed antennae and coax; and more).
The next time I go up the mast I want to experiment with a foot strap and safety belt so I can stand-up and work over the top of the mast head.
Look into using a loop of line tied around the mast with a 'prussick knot' (a mountain climbing knot) as a safety line and/or a standing loop attachment at the masthead.
Remember, the person in the bosun seat is responsible for their own safety. Be safe, good luck.
John and Nancy Martin
CD28 Intrepid
jjnnmartin@aol.com
We had our mast down to do a major over-haul (re-wire; re-built all light fixtures; dissambled, cleaned, lubricated shives; installed conduit for wiring; ran wire thru conduit from mast to deck; terminated all wiring near base of mast in head; changed antennae and coax; and more).
The next time I go up the mast I want to experiment with a foot strap and safety belt so I can stand-up and work over the top of the mast head.
Look into using a loop of line tied around the mast with a 'prussick knot' (a mountain climbing knot) as a safety line and/or a standing loop attachment at the masthead.
Remember, the person in the bosun seat is responsible for their own safety. Be safe, good luck.
John and Nancy Martin
CD28 Intrepid
jjnnmartin@aol.com