"Jeff" wrote in message
...
* Wilbur Hubbard wrote, On 3/2/2007 6:25 PM:

"Maxprop" wrote in message
nk.net...

If you're using the spliced-on shackle on the halyard to secure the
halyard to your bosun's chair, you're a bigger fool than I've been
thinking you are. Hope your insurance is paid up.


Anybody using a bosun's chair at all isn't too bright. A bosun's
chair, while quaint is another "thing of the past." Every serious
sailor has mast steps of one sort or another installed. Serious
sailors who know what they're doing have installed folding mast
steps. These don't represent a snag for halyards or sails and they
reduce windage aloft. This nonsense of winching somebody up in a
bosun's chair is repair by committee. It is a foolish and dangerous
act. One man should be able to make his way safely and unassisted up
the mast in all but the roughest of conditions. Mast steps are the
only way one man can do this.

Wilbur Hubbard

All the best riggers have one of these in their tool bag:
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6159915.html
(please excuse the ad at the start)

Kewl but it looks like it might be prone to mechanical breakdowns. I'd
rather keep it simple and use a couple Jumar 78s.

Wilbur Hubbard