jamesdestin
Well-Known Member
Can you buy such a thing? If so where? The ones on my boat were covered in tape, peeled it off to check condition and found something similar to cheap muesli. Was this a galvanic reaction with the SS rigging?
Replacement spreader ends?
- Thread starter jamesdestin
- Start date
Talbot
Well-Known Member
If you can work out which mast manufacturer made yours, you can ask them. Alternatively, a rigging specialist would be my first stop.
William_H
Well-Known Member
Your bio doesn't indicate what kind/size of boat we are talking abvout. on a smaller boat with fairly robust spreaders (stiff in the up and down direction of bending) then the actual attachment of the cap shrowd to the spreader is not so important.
If it is a larger boat or with flexible spreaders the end of the spreader must be clamped to the wire in some way such that the spreader tips upward a little so that the wire sits at rightangles to the spreader. ie the wire angles toward the mast at the top therefor the spreader must tip upward to make a rightangle to the wire. If the wire is clamped the spreader is also clamped against tilting up or down. This gives the best strength against the pressure trying to compress the spreader.
Hence on a smaller boat with less stay loads if you feal confident the spreader is near the correct angle and will not tilt or is robust enough to take end wise pressure even off correct angle (or both) then you don't have to worry about clamping the wire.
In the simple case the spreader cap needs to capture the stay in the end so it won't fall off when stay goes loose and secondly to insulate the end against chafe if the genoa should contact it. Lock wire or a screw through over the slot can acheive the first and insulation tape the second.
Or you could try to find those classy rubber boots.
regards olewill
Sorry just reread your question. If it had cast Al ends which have down gone to dust you could replace or simply cut a slot in the end of the spreader (about 2 cms deep verical) for the wire possibly with some form of thimble ie a piece of tubing to minimise chafe and laeviate pressure on the bottom of the slot. good luck olewill
If it is a larger boat or with flexible spreaders the end of the spreader must be clamped to the wire in some way such that the spreader tips upward a little so that the wire sits at rightangles to the spreader. ie the wire angles toward the mast at the top therefor the spreader must tip upward to make a rightangle to the wire. If the wire is clamped the spreader is also clamped against tilting up or down. This gives the best strength against the pressure trying to compress the spreader.
Hence on a smaller boat with less stay loads if you feal confident the spreader is near the correct angle and will not tilt or is robust enough to take end wise pressure even off correct angle (or both) then you don't have to worry about clamping the wire.
In the simple case the spreader cap needs to capture the stay in the end so it won't fall off when stay goes loose and secondly to insulate the end against chafe if the genoa should contact it. Lock wire or a screw through over the slot can acheive the first and insulation tape the second.
Or you could try to find those classy rubber boots.
regards olewill
Sorry just reread your question. If it had cast Al ends which have down gone to dust you could replace or simply cut a slot in the end of the spreader (about 2 cms deep verical) for the wire possibly with some form of thimble ie a piece of tubing to minimise chafe and laeviate pressure on the bottom of the slot. good luck olewill
Poignard
Well-Known Member
I had a new pair of tubular spreaders made by Sailspar Ltd, Tower Street, Brightlingsea Essex. tel: 01206 302679. They were very reasonably priced and delivery was rapid. The old speaders had alloy end fittings but the new ones have plastic (nylon?) ones which seem just as good.
I read in some long forgotten rigging book that the distance down the shroud from the masthead shroud attachment fitting to the spreader outboard end should equal that down the mast to the root of the spreader, i.e. an isosceles triangle is formed with the spreader as the base of the triangle. On a conventional rig this results in the spreader being raised about 6 or 7 degrees from the horizontal. This seems to work on my boat.
This season I stopped using those rubber boots on the end of my spreaders, (a) because I thought enclosing part of the s/s shroud might lead to corrosion and (b) because the white plastic tape I used to secure the boots usually ended up as Irish pennants after a few months.
I read in some long forgotten rigging book that the distance down the shroud from the masthead shroud attachment fitting to the spreader outboard end should equal that down the mast to the root of the spreader, i.e. an isosceles triangle is formed with the spreader as the base of the triangle. On a conventional rig this results in the spreader being raised about 6 or 7 degrees from the horizontal. This seems to work on my boat.
This season I stopped using those rubber boots on the end of my spreaders, (a) because I thought enclosing part of the s/s shroud might lead to corrosion and (b) because the white plastic tape I used to secure the boots usually ended up as Irish pennants after a few months.
jamesdestin
Well-Known Member
Thanks all, your replies were really helpful. I had another good look at the spreader ends after reading your replies. They are quite substantial castings with a grub screw going in lengthways and pressing down on the shroud. After a good going over with a wire brush they didn't look so bad. They semed secure, not cracked and I was able to draw the grub screw cleanly. A bit of grease on the thread and it went back in fine. The spreaders are stiff and angled slightly upward - so I think, as olewill suggested, the screws are probably there just to stop the shrouds jumping out when not under tension. Looks like I don't need to replace them after all! Still amazed at the amount of corrosion underneath the tape though - I won't be putting it back on!