Which would you choose – a bosun’s chair or a mast climbing harness? One is a comfortable seat with backrest, and the other is two straps around your upper legs and strap around the waist. At first glance, it seems like an easy choice – the bosun chair! But there’s a bit more to the story.
In this quick post, I’ll share a video that demonstrates each piece of mast climbing equipment, and I’m asking you to add to the votes!
Let’s jump into it – bosun’s chair vs. harness.
But first a quick vote:
Video Comparing Bosun’s Chair and Climbing Harness
When you need to go safely up a rig, you have a choice between a Bosun’s Chairs and a Climbing Harness. Annapolis Performance Sailing gives a great description in the video above.
Now, let’s look into purchasing options and prices.
Pros and Cons for the Bosun’s Chair
PROS
- Comfort
- Pockets for tools
- Sense of security
- Ease of climbing up the mast
CONS
- Bulky
- Requires two people
- Requires more storage space
Pros and Cons for the Climbing Harness
PROS
- High working load capacity
- Lightweight
- Easy to store
- Can be used alone
CONS
- Discomfort
- Lack of tool pockets
- Not for lengthy jobs
Why Climb The Mast?
When you’re cruising and anchoring for any length of time, there will be repairs needed. With no one available to help, you’ve got be self-reliant, and that means you’ll need a safe way to climb 40, 50, or 60+ feet up the mast!
Also, it’s the most affordable way to inspect your own rig and instruments on the mast.
Buying a Bosun Chair or Harness
We’ll either buy from Amazon or Defender. But here are Amazon* links to the Chair by Harken and and the Harness by Spinlock.
You can see there’s not a large difference in pricing, and with sales one is usually a little less than the other at any given time.
Your Thoughts
I’m sure we’ve missed something in this blog post about bosun’s chairs and mast climbing harnesses. Let us know your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
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