Kinleven Mast Ladder and Mast Climbing Options [Master Thread]

[nquigley]

Last year when I was rigging my C&C 34 for a big trip (by my standards, 600NM) I went up the bosun chair, with my electirican cranking me up, but he had a back issue, and I had a schedule issue. So I went up instead of him, to do some basic electrical This was far from a perfect plan, as winching is not a back friendly activity. It went ok, but I promised myself never again, would I be so dependent on another person for being able to get up the mast.
Fast forward 2022, sold the C&C, bought an Ericson 38-200. I settled on this mast ladder:

Mast Ladder 50 Foot - Sailboat Mast Ladder and Rescue Ladder

Sooner or later, you have to go up the mast. Recovery Marine's Mast Ladder is an easy-climbing 50-foot alternating-step, flexible ladder made of two-inch (2-inch) wide nylon webbing with a sewn tensile strength of 3,000 pounds. And yet, it still easily packs into a compact bag. You will need to...

recoverymarine.com

I have yet to try it, but happy with the construction and price point. Obviously a security line will always be part of the equation.

Do you have to completely remove your main sail from the track in order to slide that system up inside the same track?
You will still want, at minimum, a safety lanyard around the mast and tied off on each side to your climbing harness.
In addition, I would recommend tying alpine butterfly loops in a spare halyard (bitter end tied securely at deck level) as you go up and clip those loops into a carabiner on your harness in case you were to lose your footing on the math steps. Then you unhook those loops and untie them from the halyard as you climb down. That line Will give you added safety and security, if you want to reach out and inspect the outer ends of the spreaders.
I would suggest doing a couple of low- level practice climbs (to first spreader, then to second spreader) to gain confidence and comfort going up, and down, before planning a work project up the mast.
Good luck. Take your time and be safe.

 

[Felicity]

I do have to remove the main as the unit goes in the track.Not ideal on the high seas but most likely my needs are dockside fixing... Thanks for the recommendations, sounds like the right approach in terms of security.

 

[Pete the Cat]

Please don't get me started on having someone else haul me up a stick, not going to happen.

That's the way it always was--fathers hauling up sons, wives cranking while the hero pulled him self up to relieve the strain on the lifting line. I did it many times over the years.

It's a really, really bad idea. I learned that seven years ago, at age 70, when I had a nonsailing friend crank the winch to send me up. Naturally I did the best I could to relieve the weight on the winch, and naturally he got the worst series of riding turns I'd ever heard of. I learned that at the top of the mast.

Consider trying to explain to a guy 50 feet below how to make rolling hitch to relieve the pressure and unfoul the winch. Yeah. I had rigged a spinnaker halyard as a safety line, and that eventually was the solution to the riding turns. He felt awful about it all, but it was my fault.

The person selected to winch you up bears much more responsibility that I ever took into account., and if they make an innocent mistake, well. I recount this as an example of slow realization and mature self-correction.

I have a 4x1 purchase now for self hoisting. It's for emergencies only.

I share Christian's view. I carry a 4:1. that I made from Harken blocks. I think Harken sells a complete system for professional riggers as I have used one on a race quite a few years ago. I really would prefer to pay someone to do the work, as I am almost as old as Christian, but the competent riggers here in the San Francisco Bay Area are booked solid months in advance and understandably charge $150/hr just to assess your issue. I also agree that it is a really bad idea to have someone who is not an excellent sailor and somewhat of a rigger to crank you up. I have a friend who paid a lot of money to have mast steps installed prior to a world cruise and the same amount to have them removed after. FWIW.

 

[Kenneth K]

That's what I don't get about mast ladders. It's definitely a 2 hands + 2 feet operation to ascend. So how do you dismount from the ladder to get any work done?

If I'm transferring all my weight (from a ladder) to a hands-free harness, I want to do it at GROUND LEVEL where I can test, inspect and adjust the apparatus, not 45 feet up in the air.

 

[Christian Williams]

the same amount to have the [mast steps] removed/

Something really bugged him about the mast steps, any idea what? Fouls, I guess. They sound convenient, but maybe they're...not.

 

[goldenstate]

Seriously, you send your seven year old up to the masthead one time and all of a sudden Child Protective Services is really interested in your parenting choices.



(No, of course not really.).

ATN mastclimber. I have grown more comfortable with it with repeated use.

 

[Christian Williams]

See also: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/a-proper-way-to-climb-a-mast.21713/