Mast steps

[carl_miller]

<div>I like the idea of mast steps, have had various kinds, but have
never been wild about the design(s) (wind walker, mast mate,
moonlite marine, etc.)
I stumbled across a good looking step at WWW.Swiss-Tech.com,
very similar to the old Goiot steps (that can't be found). The
step has three attachment points for two screws each, is rounded
(to avoid halyard catch). It is in V4A stainless (304?, 306?,
316?)They are $17.00 @ copy, so the price is right.Would appreciate you-als thoughts...Thanks,
Tom
</div>

 

[balthazor]

I do not have steps, although I did on my last boat and would like to add thme to the 382. On my last boat, I had the (fairly large) trapezoidal steps made by someone in central Washington state--do not recall the name. One of the things I liked about them was that they were aluminum and I was able to attach them with 1/8 inch aluminum rivets. Thus, not problems with corrosion between stainless and aluminum mast. They also were easy to climb and I think added radar reflectivity. I have always been told that these things "add windage aloft" but I have not known why anyone should care about that--especially on a 9 ton cruising boat. Perhaps you know. Of course, hailards sometimes got snarled around them, but that was aminor problem and one less likely to occur if hailards are internal.

 

[cavale]

Tom
I've had mast steps on "Dana" since 1990. I love them. The ones I used are made by Pace-Edwards, 100 Commerical Street, Centralia, Washington 98531, 206 736-9991. They are aluminium and are well made with well rounded edges which are comfortable on your hands as you climb. The foot pads are grooved so your foot stays firmly in place and your foot cannot slide off the step. They are attached to the mast with 4 aluminium rivits which Pace-Edwards will Send you the rivit gun to use for the installation. They do that against your credit card in case you don't return the tool. The aluminium step held to the aluminium mast with the aluminium rivits makes for a solid installation without worrying about corrosion. In December 1989 prices, 22 steps ($7.95 ea) and 100 rivets ($.15 ea) cost me $190. As we cruised over the years the mast steps have come in very handy any number of times for on the spot repairs and inspections. Most recently on our last vacation to replace the masthead light that gave up the ghost 1 week into the trip. I use my safety harness when I climb attached with a short teather to a mountain climbers ascender which rides up the main halyard as I rise up the mast. If I slip, my fall will be arrested immediately. Once I get to where I going to work I secure a waist belt around the mast so I can lean back and support myself at the hips like a telephone linesman so I can have both hands free to work. The system works great. Alot of people have looked with dismay at the steps on the mast,"Oh, the windage!!". I just assume that those are the people who pay alot of money for a boatyard to make a simple repair. I hope this information is of some valve to you. Let me know if I can do more.