Climbing the mast, E27

[ronaldmreis]

I have a standard rig E27 w/ diesel. I weigh 160 lb. Can I go up the mast in a bosun's chair w/o tipping the boat over? Anyone with experience doing this?

 

[dt222]

180 pounds here, went up the mast several times on my '27 with no problem.

Good luck!

 

[ronaldmreis]

Thanks Don. BTW, which halyard do you use?

 

[Guzzisailor]

I use the main halyard and tie a bowline (do not use the shackle), then I use another halyard for a safety back up. You will have to have a able body seamen to help winch you up. Anytime you can relief you weight by placing your foot on the spreaders or holding to the standing rigging do so.

 

[dt222]

Same with me. I also bring up a carabineer and strap to latch on at the top to take the pressure off of the halyards. I also climb up on the gooseneck and have even brought a small extension ladder (12 ft) to get started. As Guzzisailor says- anything to take the pressure off of the halyard/grinder.

 

[Kevin A Wright]

I went up many times at 200+# with no problems. However after I and my winch man got a mite older, I actually rigged an extension ladder on the foredeck and it was a whole lot easier. I took a 2x4 and cut notches out to fit the forward stanchions on the fordeck with corresponding notches to secure the legs of the ladder. Lash those in place and very secure and a whole lot easier than winching up and down. Just sorry I never took a picture of it.

I can also say I had a bad experience when I first bought the boat. Had a lot of work to do and I decided to replace the windex before I replaced the halyards. Halyard broke just as I reached the top of the mast. Luckily I'd been a rock climber for years and always believed in the 3 point rule so had a hand over the top of the mast and legs around it at that point. As the winch was at the mast my winch man expected to have me or at least the bosuns chair on his head in short order but I was just able to shinny back down. The fun part was climbing back up using prussic knots tied around the mast to rethread the new halyards.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
(ex E27 Wright Off)

 

[markvone]

We didn't mention what you are wearing. I have the extra halyard tied with a bowline to my climbing harness. The lifting halyard is tied with a bowline to the boson's chair. The least skilled helper pulls the slack out of the safety halyard through a closed clutch as I'm lifted in the boson's chair.
When up, I use a long climbing sling to take the load off the lifting halyard.
FWIW, I was 160 lbs and went up my E23 (fin keel) mast with no tipping issues.

Mark