4:1 mast climber

[Brion Toss]

Hi again,
Put the fiddle aloft, the single-with-becket on your harness. I think you will be pleased at the difference this makes. And I hope that, regardless of purchase, you have a set of mast steps about 4.5' from the top of the mast, to stand on when you get up there.
Note that, with the decreased load on your hands, it is often possible to reduce rope diameter, and still have a comfortable grip. Also note that not coiling the line becomes more important when you add purchase, as twisted blocks will undo any gained advantage.
And good on you for keeping at it!
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[ExTerra]

Hi Brion and Thanks Again for your replies. This makes more sense now. We do try to keep our lines straight so the reminder on that is appreciated. We did, when we had the mast down last time, add steps at the top of the mast. If we time up in Port Townsend this summer we may stop by.

Pam and Carl
s/v ExTerra Islander 38C

[ExTerra]

Originally Posted by Brion Toss

Hi again,
Put the fiddle aloft, the single-with-becket on your harness. I think you will be pleased at the difference this makes. And I hope that, regardless of purchase, you have a set of mast steps about 4.5' from the top of the mast, to stand on when you get up there.
Note that, with the decreased load on your hands, it is often possible to reduce rope diameter, and still have a comfortable grip. Also note that not coiling the line becomes more important when you add purchase, as twisted blocks will undo any gained advantage.
And good on you for keeping at it!
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

We have played with this a bit now and realize that our current 1/2" regatta rope is causing drag on our aloft fiddle. We don't have a shop close by that has 7/16" to play around with so we are wondering what diameter smaller than 1/2" has worked well for people. We like the feel of the regatta polyester but also wonder if others on this site use a different type of line. Looking forward to replies. Thanks.

[benz]

I usually go aloft on a single strand of 3/8" Sta-set (double braid) with jumars. I find 3/8 to be fat enough to feel comfy while being the skinniest I can easily grip and pull on. While I love regatta braid, and use it for almost everything on my boat, I find that it fattens up with age, so that my 7/16ths lines are fatter than new 1/2" sta-set.

Ben

[ExTerra]

Thanks Ben. That is probably what we are experiencing with our 1/2" regatta. It is quite "fluffy" now. We will run some 3/8" stayset through and see what we get. I think our ascender will grab on something like that pretty well.