I bought one of these for my first Hobie 16, and liked it. When I upgraded to a Hobie 20, I only used it once. I called the manufacturer to get advice on proper use, and they recommended reinforcing it by putting a piece of black pipe down the center. The concern was that it might break when used for a mast as heavy as the Hobie 20 mast.

In the end it worked on the 20 fine, but it was a bit dawnting to watch that huge mast go up knowing that if anything broke in the process, I was screwed!

Now I get help, and use a winch to take the weight off my back when stepping.

Cheers!

Tim