Newbie climbing question

B

Berwick

Location
Bridgewater
I'm not an arborist but need to ask you experts.... For a few years I have climbed the mast of my sailboat by using a spare line hauled to the top to which I attach a ratchet block (resistance in one direction) and a line running through it. I then pull myself (attached to harness) up (2:1 ratio) on this line and tie myself off to do any work. I also have a separate tight static line attached to the deck which runs to the top of the mast which I attach a Gibb ascender to for safety. Now that I am over 60 I was looking for an easier way to get myself up and still have a spare line for safety.
What I have now is a knee and a foot ascender which is attached to an 11mm static climbing rope which I pull to the top of the mast. Also attached to the harness is a Grivel ascender/descender. I still use the gibb ascender on a spare line for a safety if there is nobody around as a safety line. The problem I'm having is changing the Grivel to descend mode as I have to unweight this rope and the only way I can do that is to put my weight on the Gibb on the safety line. Then of course I cant seem to release the tension on the Gibb to descend once the Grivel is switched. Would a Prusik work better and easier to release on the safety line or is there a better way to have a safety that I can go on so I can switch the Grivel to descend mode. When I bought the Grivel I thought it could switch under load but no way. Thanks for any help

Richard
 
You've come to the right place, then. All arborist ascender/descender devices and systems are designed to do both without having to unweight the system and switch something into another mode. I suspect that you are about to get swamped with a lot of the options available. It is admirable that you have spent a lot of time and effort trying to implement a system that has redundant safety measures in place. This is very important for people who are not climbing every week, or even every day, of their lives.

There are plenty of us on here that cycle through gear a lot, or buy far more than we need and give folks good deals when we downsize. I'm retiring from the business, and am afflicted with the horrible CGAD (climbing gear aquisition disease). So I've got tons of stuff that will work better for you, and so do a lot of others on here.

Sort through the multitude of options that I think you're about to hear about. Most of the people here will be happy to help.

In the meantime, I'll sort through the massive piles of crap that I have and post some pics of what I think might be of help to you.
 
A Prussic, or other friction hitch of your choice could work, but is not a good choice for descent if used without another device in conjunction that reduces the load on the hitch. As a weighted backup with no movement it would be ok.
 
Knee and foot ascenders should take the weight off of your grivel while you transition. I may be missing something. This video seemed to check all of the boxes.
 
If you already got a foot and knee ascender, it’s a no-brainer. Get a wrench and hitch cord, or other srt device.
 
Can you just wrap a loop of your climbing rope (the part dangling below the Grivel after you've removed the foot and knee ascenders) around your foot and hold the tail in one hand, gripping the tail and the standing line together around chest high? You can then step up on the foot wrap to release the Grivel cam or Gibbs, whichever you have loaded. Just get your brake hand on the rope before dropping the foot wrap.

You can do the same sort of thing stepping up on your knee ascender, but if you slide down before getting the knee ascender off, you'll be kind of two-blocked.

I only climbed my mast once, to install a Windex. I climbed SRT and suppose I changed over to a separate descender device.
 
Dan Cobb said:
Can you just wrap a loop of your climbing rope (the part dangling below the Grivel after you've removed the foot and knee ascenders) around your foot and hold the tail in one hand, gripping the tail and the standing line together around chest high? You can then step up on the foot wrap to release the Grivel cam or Gibbs, whichever you have loaded. Just get your brake hand on the rope before dropping the foot wrap.

You can do the same sort of thing stepping up on your knee ascender, but if you slide down before getting the knee ascender off, you'll be kind of two-blocked.

I only climbed my mast once, to install a Windex. I climbed SRT and suppose I changed over to a separate descender device.
Click to expand...
I think I get what you are saying, if I go on my safety line with the Gibb, change the Grivel to descend, then hook up the knee and/or foot ascender and then lift myself up enough to release the Gibb a bit, then hold on to my tail line of my descender while unhooking my knee and foot ascender then I should be all set, thanks. Seems like a lot to say but that should work, will try tomorrow.
 
Try it once close to the deck. Like they say, low and slow. If you can deal with the rope stretch issues close to the deck, should be easier aloft.
 
swingdude said:
Geez dump all the noise. So easy with just a footie and knee ascender and wrench with hitch and pulley plus a sling over shoulders for advancing. My 9 year old blazes rope. View attachment 76740
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I don't disagree that more gear can make it easier. In Berwick's shoes (topsiders, perhaps), I'd be thinking I should have just hired out mast maintenance if I already spent some decent money on gear and I still need $250+ more. It's not like you're climbing your mast daily to generate income.
 
Berwick said:
I think I get what you are saying, if I go on my safety line with the Gibb, change the Grivel to descend, then hook up the knee and/or foot ascender and then lift myself up enough to release the Gibb a bit, then hold on to my tail line of my descender while unhooking my knee and foot ascender then I should be all set, thanks. Seems like a lot to say but that should work, will try tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I missed this earlier - I'd take the foot ascender off sooner and step up on only the knee ascender to release the Gibbs. Then you only have to take the knee ascender off the rope before descending; should be easier that way since one hand is occupied being your brake hand for the Grivel, ensuring you don't slide down any while removing the knee.
 
Dan Cobb said:
I don't disagree that more gear can make it easier. In Berwick's shoes (topsiders, perhaps), I'd be thinking I should have just hired out mast maintenance if I already spent some decent money on gear and I still need $250+ more. It's not like you're climbing your mast daily to generate income.
Click to expand...
It really is not about the money, but about efficiency and safety. All this transfer talk is bollocks. You do not even need the knee ascender, just footie. Loop runner 10....footie 80...wrench tether 135....prussic 25.....pulley 80......a boat owner should not even flinch at this.....will outlast the boat prob if kept safely.
 
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