The Mast Mate ladder was conceived by sailors who wanted a safe and reliable solution to climbing the mast alone.  A solution that would have to stand up to harsh weather, adverse sea states, and could be stowed and deployed easily at a moment's notice.  To meet these rigorous demands, the Mast Mate ladder was designed with heavy-duty 100% nylon woven strapping with a material tensile strength of 7200 lbs.  All stitching is with high-strength polyester thread resulting in a sewn tensile strength of at least 3000 lbs.  Only high-strength, stainless steel D-rings and grommets are used in the construction.  But, most importantly, the Mast Mate ladder is manufactured in the USA at our Oregon facility using skilled, experienced craftspeople who truly want to deliver the best possible product and stand behind their work 100%.  

Some of the knock-off ladders that we have encountered use inferior polypropylene webbing, low quality thread, fewer reinforcing stiches, non-stainless hardware and so-on. Those ladders are often manufactured in low labor cost countries and the sellers do not have direct control over the manufacturing.  All of these factors result in an inferior, less safe product.

The original, or standard Mast Mate ladder has rungs that are spaced at just slightly over 16 inches (41.5 cm) per step and provides for a quick ascent at a lower price point, but may be strenuous for some.  The short-step version has rungs that are placed 12.25 inches (31 cm) per step.  For people with inseams at or under 30 inches, the distance between steps on the standard ladder may be challenging, the short-step version provides a more comfortable and less strenuous climb for all.

Several manufacturers, including Selden and Sparcraft include a channel in the mast extrusion that is just to one side of the slot that the sail furls into. This channel is made to accommodate either a boltrope or sail slide that enables the sailor to deploy a storm sail or emergency sail due to the failure of the in-mast furling system.  This channel can also be used to attach your Mast Mate ladder.

Additionally, for those masts that do not have this auxiliary channel, or access to that channel is blocked, we are currently developing a sail slide system that would allow you to use the primary slot of a in-mast furling extrusion to deploy either your Mast Mate ladder, or any type of auxiliary sail quickly and easily.  We anticipate availability in spring of 2026.

Please give us a call to discuss your individual needs or if you have additional questions

+1-541-801-4488

Utilize the halyard to elevate Mast Mate, securely attach it at the top, then descend using the new halyard 
to complete the change.

Safety is always the first priority.  The Mast Mate ladder is an excellent tool for going up the mast, but it is not a safety device.  You should always use some kind of fall safety system.  We recommend that you use a safety harness, fall arrester, and climing helmet at at a minimum when going aloft using the Mast Mate ladder, a bosun's chair, or by any other means. 

Before raising, apply tape to the steps to prevent them from catching on swept back spreaders.

Give us a call, we can build you a custom model with shorter step length to accommodate shorter inseams and provide easier climbing.

The Mast Mate ladder is specifically designed to be used with an internal mast sail track. Using Mast Mate without a track is not safe and should not be done.

The steps are designed to hold feet securely without discomfort, using specially engineered webbing.

All Mast Mate ladders come with nylon screw shackles for attaching the mast slugs or slides to the ladder at each stair.  The shackles are inserted at each grommet, one for each step, and one at the head and tail of the ladder.  

 

 

We accept the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. We only take payment once your order has been shipped. We also accept payment by PayPal or Amazon Pay. If you decide to use either of these two methods, you’ll be taken to either the PayPal or Amazon Pay website, where you’ll be prompted to log in and process your payment. You’ll then be directed back to our merchant website once your transaction is complete.

This is automatically sent to your email address when you place an order. If you haven’t received your order confirmation within 24 hours, please get in touch at sales@mastmate.com just in case there’s a problem with your order. Please check your mailbox’s spam or junk folder before contacting in case the order confirmation has been diverted there.

We ship to most regions worldwide. Local import duties and taxes may apply, but are not collected by us, they need to be paid upon delivery in your home country.  

You can absolutely return your item to us for any reason, within 30 days after receiving it, We can also exchange it for another ladder if you ordered the wrong size for the difference in the price and shipping costs. 

For original purchasers, a full refund of your purchase price is available for any reason within 30 days from receiving your order and a full refund of your purchase price is available for one year for any defects in materials or workmanship.  If you are ever dissatisfied with you Mast Mate ladder, don't hesitate to let us know and we will do whatever we can to make it right.