[Public-List] Spreaders

[crufone at comcast.net]

Gord, 

As usual nice write up. When you redid your spreaders did you plan to allow for some aft sweep back?  CB Currier mentioned in one of his posts that he reversed his spreaders to offer some sweep back to obtain some more mast bend to flatten the mainsail. On the original spreaders one face is flat and one is tapered. Did you copy this feature on your replacements as well? I assume that the tapered face faces aft? 

Michael 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net> 
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> 
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2010 3:03:55 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: [Public-List] Spreaders 

Hi Gang - 

I think I mentioned in the fall that while outbound on the Œ09 Misery Cruise 
SURPRISE¹s port spreader fell off.  Her spreaders are of white oak, but with 
the ill-conceived addition of aluminium box extrusions around the butts. 
These extrusions are about 6² long and fit the wood very tightly.  They are 
pierced by the two 3/8² bolts that fix the spreader  to the tangs... And for 
some reason in three more places each where 5/16² bolts go right through the 
assemblies.   

Although I have worried (gently) about invisible rot developing inside the 
aluminium butts and poked judiciously each season when I put the mast up; I 
was unable to spot the fact that the port spreader¹s butt had turned to 
peanut butter deep inside. 

Today, spurred on by the spring-like weather, I knuckled down and sacrificed 
some of TOUCH WOOD¹s rib stock to make up a new pair of spreaders. 

The new ones have similar dimensions to the old, with the following 
differences.   I will not re-use the aluminium boxes... Instead I have 
saturated the last 6² of each spreader with epoxy then laid on a layer of 
fine glass cloth 6² wide and well wetted around each butt.  Once that cures 
I will drill through the two 3/8²  mounting bolt holes... Tape the bottoms 
and fill them with epoxy.  I will then drill them out again and reckon the 
insides of the holes somewhat sealed. 

Each spreader will get multiple coats of Epiphanes varnish, then the top of 
each will get several coats of white paint (one won¹t be able to see the 
white from the deck; and it resists the sun better than varnish ­ old wooden 
boat trick) 

The outboard tips will be finished re-using the old formed aluminium saddles 
to receive the shrouds and wire lacing... I will use #8 bolts instead of the 
5/16² monsters Whitby (or my Uncle Conny at Tom Taylor Co) put through them. 
I reckon all the bolts have to do is hold the tips on... The real work is 
done by the direct metal against wood contact all in compression.  Smaller 
holes means less wood lost in the tips, and less wood end grain for water to 
get at) 

I resisted the temptation to shorten the spreaders a little to improve the 
sheeting angle of the genny.  Alas my A30 is one of those with somewhat 
higher mounted spreaders ­ I really wish it were not so because the spreader 
tips press into the leach of the genny too soon.  However if I had cheated 
and that cheat resulted in better performance, I would feel like  whatever I 
won was poisoned. 

I know many of you have switched to tubular aluminium spreaders...but I like 
wooden ones, for no good reason.  If the old ones lasted nearly forty years 
despite the accidents waiting to happen built into them; new ones made 
thoughtfully should last even longer. 

The marina has received my new bow pulpit ­ back in December a trucker 
delivering a boat backed into SURPRISE and tore the old one out of the deck, 
not before turning it into a pretzel.  Naturally the trucker denied doing it 
but the marina courageously offered to make good.  I struck a deal with them 
to the effect that if they got me a new pulpit I¹d do the installation. 
Since I will have to tackle the deck core job up there now I have no excuse 
not to the cockpit sole job I have been putting off for four years now. 

C¹mon Spring!!! 

Gord #426 Surprise 
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