About that carbon bubble thing, houseboats in the UK, and I don't suppose most of you are old enough to remember drop drills are you...
Stuff for sailboats, as a rule, is best when simple. Simple works and if there is a problem, simple is a whole lot easier to fix than complicated. Also in a just/fair world, simple should generally be less expensive as well.
So, here's a well thought out simple system for climbing a mast.
Simple right? Using a pair of mechanical ascenders and an old swing seat or Bosun's chair there is very little to go wrong and zero rocket science in sight. Sailrite is currently selling it for $399 which, by sailing stuff standards, is actually approaching cheap...
Or is it?
Let's say you happen to already own an old swing seat or Bosun's chair all you really need is a pair of ascenders which, if bought new, a pair should cost you somewhere between $70 and $200 with no need to spend anywhere near the top end...
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| a $60 dollar ascender that works just fine |
So, pretty much the real cost of such a system is simply the ascenders and as such you could easily duplicate the ATN system for $100 or less. Maybe it's just me but I can think of any number of ways to spend that leftover $299 or so elsewhere.
As long as we're talking about mast climbing you should really check out this system as well...
Certainly simple albeit not a single handed system but, I suspect, just the thing for most folks needs. I have no idea what the retail price is or if it is still available but it would certainly be easy to build your own for less than $50 and a couple of hours of spare time. That said, I'd add a single ascender to the mix for a self-belay. Definitely worth considering.
Listening to Desi Valentine
So it goes...
