We got our mast climbing gear out of our storage shed. It was purchased to climb the mast on our Catalina 30. It was used with a Boson’s chair. Works great but it is tiring for me.
February 2012 - Currently at Marina Kona Kai Shelter Island San Diego, CA I get pooped at the spreaders and that was on a 30 footer. We should have maybe got a 6-1 instead of the 4-1. Rigworks at the time said it would take too long to climb the mast with a 6-1 and you would need even more line. OK now I think I would have paid the price. The guys at Rigworks were in their 20 's at that time, I was and am in my 60 es. Makes a bit of a difference 😧
The gear uses Harken blocks with a cleat attached to the ratcheting block. It all works well.
We got line long enough for a 42’ boat or 60' mast from deck?. Thought we might go that way at the time. Any way the line is big enough to be easy on your hands.
So who cares now we
have mast steps! All installed and we can just climb up. This gear will be used
with the harness for a safety tether. This is a nice setup because you can go
up alone and tie off any time with the cleat that is on the block.
Hook the block to the main halyard and hoist it to the top of the mast. Hook the ratchet block to the harness and there you go.
The plan is to pull
Debbie up to the first mast step using the anchor windlass and this block and
tackle. This will get her past the boom and the sail in the stack pack. Why work so hard climbing over the boom and sail?
While in a Boson’s chair
when you get to the top of the mast you can not reach the top because of the
gear getting in the way. You do not get high enough. Not that way with the mast steps.
We positioned them so you can stand on them and be working on the very top of
the mast head no problem.
This also doubles for a MOB retrieval system when hooked to the boom.
We have also used it to hoist the dingy up to the for deck using on the Catalina. Works great.
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