Spreaders: replace or repair?

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Sidedrum

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Having aired my woes elsewhere about the cost of replacing my spreaders (£477 plus VAT just for the spreaders, because Selden no longer make them in shorter lengths - total quote £664), I am now having to reconsider replacement vs repair. The riggers recommended replacement because of the bend - discernible in the second photo - which they reckon caused the cracks. They say they cannot guarantee the strength of the spreaders if unbent and the cracks welded.

I don't know how long the cracks and the bend have been there - I noticed the cracks a couple of months after I bought the boat when I took it through the Forth-Clyde Canal and so had the mast unstepped, and removed one spreader to reduce the air draught of the boat (very necessary for that canal!) So I don't know what might have happened to bend the spreaders or how long the mast has stayed up despite the damage.

I do know that I want something done. So a question for the knowledgable folks on the forum: if the spreader above was helping keep up the mast on your pride and joy , would you have it repaired or would you dig deep into your pockets and have it replaced?
 
My own feeling is that I would replace them. One possibility however is to consider whether it would be acceptable to shorten them by cutting them and drilling a new hole. The scale is hard to guess from the photo, but would the spreaders still be acceptable if perhaps 25 or 30mm shorter?
 
I cut approx 30mm off mine when the holes became enlarge. Zspars advised me it would be fine. It has been for 5 years.
 
I would do several things, weld to repair, internal sleve to strengthen and an internal tube to sleave the holes.
I wouldn't worry too much about the slight mis-shape, maybe switch them over, port to sbd and vice versa, so the stress that caused the bend is acting in the opposite direction.
 
I would still find a good aluminium welder, maybe with nothing to do with boats, and I feel sure he could refurbish them for a lot less cost. I have had various bits and pieces from my boat welded over the years and the result has been just fine.
 
oldharry said:
Depends how soon you want to replace your mast. It wont be too long with cracks and bends like that. But what caused it? They should be in simple compression, there should not be any bending load on them.
Click to expand...

Surely there's usually a downward force because the spreaders don't point up at an angle to bisect the angle made by the rigging. But I'm only guessing; I have never had anything to do with rigging with spreaders. (My only boat was a dinghy which didn't have any!)

How do the shrouds run?

Mike.
 
Why use Selden
My Z spars mast has spreader roots to pick up the end of the spreaders & these roots should fit a wide range of masts
The spreaders just fit into the the roots & whilst you will need new spreaders they will have a better detail
Z spars may be miles cheaper than Selden
 
Daydream believer said:
Why use Selden
My Z spars mast has spreader roots to pick up the end of the spreaders & these roots should fit a wide range of masts
The spreaders just fit into the the roots & whilst you will need new spreaders they will have a better detail
Z spars may be miles cheaper than Selden
Click to expand...
I've sent the OP a Pm exactly because I have a new set of Zspars spreaders.Maybe they'll fit.They weren't exactly cheap when I bought them but I guess Selden will ask for a lot more.
 
Sidedrum said:
View attachment 49223View attachment 49224

Having aired my woes elsewhere about the cost of replacing my spreaders (£477 plus VAT just for the spreaders, because Selden no longer make them in shorter lengths - total quote £664), I am now having to reconsider replacement vs repair. The riggers recommended replacement because of the bend - discernible in the second photo - which they reckon caused the cracks. They say they cannot guarantee the strength of the spreaders if unbent and the cracks welded.

I don't know how long the cracks and the bend have been there - I noticed the cracks a couple of months after I bought the boat when I took it through the Forth-Clyde Canal and so had the mast unstepped, and removed one spreader to reduce the air draught of the boat (very necessary for that canal!) So I don't know what might have happened to bend the spreaders or how long the mast has stayed up despite the damage.

I do know that I want something done. So a question for the knowledgable folks on the forum: if the spreader above was helping keep up the mast on your pride and joy , would you have it repaired or would you dig deep into your pockets and have it replaced?
Click to expand...

If you now weld them and they fail, there is no way your insurance company would pay out since you have been warned not to weld.
 
I repaired a set of spreaders last year on a Rustler but it had a selden mast.
I made up a grp insert, cut the grotty ally away and built up the grp to match the profile.
I drilled the grp and inserted ss tube into the holes to take the bolt compression and then bolted through in the normal way.
Very strong, light-ish and won't rot.
Worked a treat though I say so myself.
 
The outside ( ends) of spreaders often crack due to the inserts swelling .

In your case, I am just wondering why the cracks have appeared.

Can you recall whether the spreaders were pointing up , down, or level when the mast was stepped ?
 
LONG_KEELER said:
The outside ( ends) of spreaders often crack due to the inserts swelling .

In your case, I am just wondering why the cracks have appeared.

Can you recall whether the spreaders were pointing up , down, or level when the mast was stepped ?
Click to expand...

I think they were pretty level. The cracks are in the top side of the spreaders so the bend is downwards - but not enough to be noticeable from the deck. The mast was up when I had the pre purchase survey done so there was only a visual inspection from the deck, and nothing reported - but as I said, I only found the cracks when I took a bolt out to swing one spreader down when the mast was down for the canal trip. I can't think of any obvious explanation for both spreaders to be bent and fractured at the bolts.
 
The spreader is just a strut.
Can you modify the mast fitting to accept a shorter spreader such that the overall length is unchanged?
 
Sidedrum said:
I think they were pretty level. The cracks are in the top side of the spreaders so the bend is downwards - but not enough to be noticeable from the deck. The mast was up when I had the pre purchase survey done so there was only a visual inspection from the deck, and nothing reported - but as I said, I only found the cracks when I took a bolt out to swing one spreader down when the mast was down for the canal trip. I can't think of any obvious explanation for both spreaders to be bent and fractured at the bolts.
Click to expand...
Someone has stood on them?
 
Spreaders should bisect the rigging at the tip which also means that they should point up. Shortening them will reduce the angle, the accepted minimum is 10 degrees (or 170) between the upper and lower spans, preferably 12 degrees. I would have no hesitation in shortening if the geometry is right.
 
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