Every owner of a sailing yacht sometimes needs to climb the mast for periodic rigging inspection, repair or replacement of equipment installed on it.
It may happen that we will have to climb on the mast of a sailing yacht alone, without the help of other people.
In this case, it is impossible to pull up by halyard with a winch, and the use of appropriate climbing equipment may be difficult for many people.
However, you should remember that the most important thing in all this is your safety and it is worth taking care of the appropriate equipment and carefully checking the durability of the elements of our yacht.
You could equip the mast with dedicated steps, but this requires their permanent installation and involves interfering with the mast structure itself.
A very good alternative in this case is to use Professional Mast Ladder manufactured by our company. Made of very durable and light textile materials, it helps with climbing and helps to ensure safety during working at height.
Attachment along the mast by slides safely stabilizes the user during climbing and working at height. This is especially important when we climb on the mast of a sailing yacht on water, where even if the yacht is safely moored in the marina, a slight swing of the boat may still appear.
The ladder is pulled up along the mast by the halyard of the mainsail, the condition and quality of which must guarantee the required load-bearing capacity. It is also necessary to verify the technical condition of the entire rigging and on-board equipment that take the loads during mast works. The ladder is equipped with an appropriate hanger that guarantees the required load ability.
Regardless of what device you use to climb the mast, you should always use additional belaying. It is best to use a foresail halyard or an additional spinnaker halyard. You should absolutely remember to check the strength of all rigging elements before starting to climb on the mast of a sailing yacht.
Additional belaying is attached to the certified Safety Harness attachment that we put on. Additional belaying can be provided with an additional halyard, which will be collected with a winch, but then it is required that a second person is on board while climbing the mast to operate the winch.
It is also possible to belay using a loop with a Prusik knot on an additional halyard stretched along the mast. It should be remembered that static ropes are used as halyards, which, in the event of a fall, does not guarantee 100% proper amortization of such a fall.
A safer method is to use a dedicated KONG BACK-UP locking device for additional belaying on a static halyard rope. The device allows you to move freely up and down, and in the event of a fall it provides adequate shock absorption and blockade. The BACK-UP belay device comes with one carabiner for secure attachment of the belay loop.
For working at height on your yacht’s mast, you may need a dedicated Mast Climbing Tool Bag that you can easily attach to your belay harness. The bag was designed specifically for such work. You can easily secure tools against accidental fall by attaching them with additional ropes. The bag has a stiffening around the top edge, which makes it easy to use with one hand when working on the top, and a Velcro type closure to secure equipment while climb on the mast of a sailing yacht.
You can buy all the above-mentioned elements in our online store. If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to ask them via our contact form or just send by email.